John G Lake: Exploits and Exploitation

John G Lake is a favourite ‘icon’ within many sectors of today’s church, up ‘there’ with the likes of Smith Wigglesworth. I recall tales about his alleged exciting exploits with and for God were frequently preached on at Toronto Blessing meetings, and a book of his collective teachings and sermons published and distributed by Kenneth Copeland Ministries was looked upon in certain circles in very high regard.

I remember reading the book of John G Lake sermons back in 1995 - I was given it by a friend – and was even then, at a time that I tolerated a lot of error, was even blinded to it, was somewhat troubled about the spiritualistic encounters and the odd dominionist teaching in the book - but typically, I put the issues and the book aside and thought it must be just me who had the problem, seeing as so many well-known and well-respected ‘Christian’ folks throught his stuff spiritual dynamite! [I was then yet to wake up and smell the charismatic coffee.]

Anyway, I found the following article about John G Lake from here.

“There has been a great deal of renewed interest in John G Lake in recent years, particularly in the Northwest.  Curry Blake operates Lake’s official on-line ministry and claims to be the fulfillment of a prophecy supposedly given to Lake about someone to come and renew Lake’s ministry.  He also operates healing rooms similar to Lake’s.  (It should be noted that the concept of healing rooms is completely different from the ministry of Jesus who healed instantly with a command or a touch.  Jesus never established rooms for people to receive prayer day after day.  These were actually the brainchild of Alexander Dowie who was Lake’s mentor.) Cal Pierce claims that he is redigging the wells of John Lake to recover his spiritual inheritance.  Roberts Liardon includes a chapter on Lake in his book, “God’s Generals”.  And one of the most prominent figures in the prophetic movement, Mike Bickle, says that John G. Lake has influened him “more than any man other than Jesus.”  This is certainly high praise even if the statement is hyperbole.  The Complete Works of John G. Lake are available for purchase at IHOP.  (I got my copy at a used book store.)  As with Branham, it is evident that many who reference Lake have never actually read him nor have they taken even a cursory look at his history beyond the claims of the miraculous.

False Doctrine

Consider the following statements by John G. Lake.  (So that we don’t have the same accusations that followed my post on William Branham, I will document heavily.)

Little gods

 ”The power of God, the Holy Ghost, is the Spirit of Dominion.  It makes one a god.” (John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith,  published by Kenneth Copeland Ministries, page 13)

“I want you to hear what Jesus said about himself.  God was in Christ, wasn’t He?  An incarnation.  God is in you, an incarnation, if you were born again.  You are incarnate“  (Ibid. page 196)

“God’s purpose through Jesus Christ is to deify the nature of men” (Ibid page 304)

 Dominion Theology

“Beloved, God is calling men and women to a holier consecration, to a higher place in God, and I am one of God’s candidates for that holy place in God.  I want to get to the throne of God….And that is the experience that is going to make the sons of God in the world.  That is the reason they will take the world for Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom will be established, and they will  put the crown on the Son of God, and declare him, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords”. (Ibid page 510)

I could give more examples here.

 Communication with the Dead

Lake taught that there was nothing wrong with communicating with the dead as long as you didn’t call them up from hell.  It was ok to call them down from heaven.

“Listen it is not dragging spirits up, and it isn’t dragging some spirits down.  There is nothing about calling spirits down from God in the Word; only about calling them up from the depths.” (Ibid page 122)

Lake gives an account of his deceased wife speaking to him through a woman who had come for healing for a bad eye. (Today we call this “channeling”)

He says the Spirit came over this woman and then says the following:

“She arose from her chair, her eyes quite shut, and came in my direction.  I got up and moved my chair.  She walked right around and came to me.  She slipped her fingers down, gave me a little chuck just like my late wife wouild have done, and said, ‘Jack, my Jack, God is with you all the time.  Go right on.  But my baby, my Teddy, I am so lonesome for him, but you pray so hard, you pray so hard.” (Ibid 133)

Lake believed this was his late wife speaking to him. 

Lake gives other accounts of spiritism and spirit travel in the same book.

More Strange Doctrine

Lake taught that you could receive sin impulses from other people if they laid hands on you. (Ibid page 404)

God doesn’t appreciate disabled people.  “Do you know when my legs straightened out it taught me the beginning of one of the deepest lessons that ever came in my life.  It taught me God did not appreciate a man with crooked legs any more than He does with a crooked soul.“  (Ibid page 124)

He later taught that Christians should not be the subject of healing.

He claimed to be able to diagnose disease by laying his hands on someone.  (This becomes very interesting when one considers that he was fooled by a child, Teresa Luther who claimed to be deaf.  He claimed to have healed her and did not realize that she was faking.)

Fraud

John Lake was a documented fraud.  His personal ethics are extremely suspect.

According to the 7/24/21 issue of the Oregonian and subsequent issues.  John Lake was arrested, charged, and forced to settle out of court for a blue sky scam in which he promised members of his congregation stock in a mining company if they paid their tithes in a lump sum.  The stock was never delivered.

Nov. 21, 1933 Lake advertised the appearance of an Arab healer, Abdul Ben Shinandar in the Oregonian.  On Nov. 25 the same paper uncovered that the Arab healer was actually Lake dressed in costume.

August 25, 1921 Lake was arrested and had to post $100 bond for impersonating a police officer.

 The May 24, 1920 issue of the Oregonian and subsequent issues chronicle the arrest of John G. Lake after the death of Hanna Anderson who died of neglect when attempts to heal her of the flu failed.  Not only did Lake not heal her but he also failed to report the illness to the CDC which was required by law at the time.  He was found guilty of laxity and fined.

Inability to Heal

The Hanna Anderson story is not the only example to show that Lakes claims of tremendous healing power were exaggerated.  Consider the following headlines.

“Miracles Not Seen”- The Morning Oregonian, May 24, 1920

“X-Ray Belies Healing”- Oregonian 11/27/21.  This particular story is of a 7 year old girl with a severely fractured  thigh whose parents denied her proper medical care and took her to Lake instead.  Lake pronounced her healed, however when the girl still didn’t recover she was finally taken to physicians and the fracture was discovered.  Doctors indicate that she would have been crippled for life had she not received proper treatment.

“Grandma says girl made to Hear Wasn’t Deaf”- Spokane Press 7/16/24 (This article does have a story of another woman who claimed to be healed and able to walk.  There is also an interesting account in the same story of a woman who was “healed” by Lake 5 times but the “pain keeps coming back.”)

“Miracles Fail, Imp of Tragedy Stalks in Tent” Spokane Press 7/23/24

The reason John Lake became so popular is that, like Benny Hinn and others today, he had a very active PR machine.  Many of the positive articles that appear about him were written by him.  The reality is that he is long on claims and short on documentation.

Once again reality fails to match the hype.  Lake was a man of false doctrine and poor personal ethics.  He is no one to emulate.

I readily acknowledge that most of the teachers who praise him have probably never read the newspaper stories that document his fraud, however his false doctrine should have been evident as they read his works and sermons.  The fact that his messages continue to influence modern prophetic teachers and their followers is frightening.”