Prosperity Gospel televangelist Jesse Duplantis is facing fierce backlash after claiming in a sermon titled “Create Your World and Walk in It” that Christians possess the same DNA as God.

Duplantis’ ministry combines three strands of modern-day Christianity: Word of Faith, Prosperity teaching, and Charismatic renewal. Charismatic renewal is a worldwide movement that is broadly accepted across denominations, including Catholicism in the Philippines and elsewhere, but Word of Faith and Prosperity teaching is widely rejected by mainstream and progressive Christian groups.

Chris Rosebrough, the pastor of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church in Oslo, Minnesota, said on his popular YouTube channel that Duplantis’ teachings are “flat-out heresy” and “satanic.” Rosebrough regularly challenges those he believes to be ‘false teachers’ and, in the case of Duplantis, argues that his beliefs are unbiblical, finding their roots in the New Thought movement of the 19th century rather than in Christianity.

The Word of Faith movement teaches that believers can achieve health and wealth through positive thinking and confession – a belief that is replicated in the secular, self-help world.

Duplantis’ claims that his beliefs on establishing his own prosperity and health originated in a conversation with his daughter, Jodie, when she was a child. According to Duplantis, Jodie asked him why everything he touched seemed to prosper, to which he replied, “I create my world, and I walk in it.”

In his sermon, Duplantis argued the Apostle Paul was “creating his world” by choosing to be content in all circumstances. The passage states: “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly … not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

In response, Rosebrough commented, “Do you see anything in here, verses 10 through 13, about creating your own world? I sure don’t. I see the Apostle Paul talking about being content.”

Duplantis extrapolated that creating his own world prevents Satanic interference: “When you create your own world, Satan can’t walk in your world.”

Rosebrough argues that the Bible doesn’t teach that believers have divine authority for people to create their own worlds: “In order for this to be a biblical teaching, there have to be clear biblical texts that say Christians have divine authority to create their own worlds and walk in them,” he said. “No biblical text says this.” Detractors of Duplantis’ theology argue that even Jesus had to deal with Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness and that in Genesis chapter 1, Satan was present in the Garden of Eden.

Duplantis’ most controversial claim came when he insisted, “I have the same DNA as God Almighty, and so do you. You were created by God; you have His DNA.” He urges believers to learn how to draw on their “Christian DNA” instead of relying on their natural inherited tendencies.

His claim is understood in different ways, depending on how it is interpreted. Evangelicals have long taught that believers can choose to “live in the spirit, not in the flesh” or “put off the old self and put on the new,” and supporters of Jesse Duplantis argue that the DNA message is a similar metaphor. Others, such as Rosebrough, however, see it as gross heresy, asserting that we are divine in and of ourselves.

Rosebrough quoted Isaiah 43:10, where God declares, “Before me, no God was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” He added, “You’re not a deity; you’re a human being. […] God created vegetables; does that mean they’re divine and have the ability to create their own worlds?” Rosebrough went a step further, warning that Duplantis’ teachings echo Satan’s aspiration to “make [him]self like the Most High” in Isaiah 14.

Both Duplantis detractors and defenders argue that the Progressive Christian movement has shifted in a similar direction, insisting that we are not just creations but are expressions of God himself. Arguably, this is an expression of pantheism, which explores the union of all entities in the universe, while Duplantis’ claims focus on enforcing personal authority over the world around you.

Rosebrough called Duplantis’ ministry “demonic to the core,” encouraging believers to pray rather than impose their will on the world around them by decree. Referencing the Lord’s Prayer, Rosebrough said, “Prayer is petitioning God, not ‘I will be done’ but ‘you will be done. ‘” Along with Rosebrough’s criticisms of Duplantis’ teaching, other dissenters have let their voices be heard.

Duplantis has amassed a net worth of around $20 million, claiming that his wealth, which includes a private jet and a 40,000-square-foot mansion in Louisiana, is evidence that he is “blessed” by God.