FAITH HEALING FRAUD NANCY DUFRESNE: CRUELTY ON DISPLAY
by Justin Peters
Faith healing claims have long been a staple of the Word of Faith movement, drawing in hopeful believers desperate for miracles. One of the latest examples of this exploitation was on full display at Kenneth Copeland’s Southwest Believers’ Convention, where Nancy Dufresne, a well-known faith healer, took the stage. What transpired was not a demonstration of divine power but a chilling display of manipulation, false hope, and outright cruelty.
The Deception of Faith Healing
Like many in the Word of Faith movement, Nancy Dufresne promises miraculous healings to those suffering. Her program, Jesus the Healer, and her conference appearances focus on whipping crowds into emotional frenzies, setting them up to believe that a touch from her will cure their illnesses. The key to her method? Convincing people that they must first prepare themselves to receive their miracle through enthusiastic praise and unwavering belief. If the healing doesn’t happen, it’s not because she lacks power—the sick person didn’t have enough faith.
This kind of rhetoric is not only misleading but dangerous. People with real medical conditions are encouraged to abandon rational treatment in favor of “praising their way out” of sickness. It’s a heartbreaking manipulation tactic that shifts blame onto the sufferer rather than admitting the undeniable truth: no healing is taking place.
Exploiting the Desperate
One of the most disturbing moments of Dufresne’s appearance was when she called forward individuals with terminal illnesses. Among those who responded was an elderly woman who required a feeding tube. Despite her frail condition, Dufresne merely performed her usual faith-healing charade, proclaiming healing over the woman before moving on, leaving her just as sick as before.
Then came a particularly gut-wrenching case: a woman whose unborn baby had been declared dead. Dufresne’s response was chilling. Instead of offering genuine comfort or directing her toward medical care, she told the woman to celebrate rather than worry—implying that her grief could block God’s power. This was a cruel and manipulative twist on the common faith-healing tactic: if the healing doesn’t come, it’s the believer’s fault for not having enough faith or for letting doubt creep in.
This approach is not just deceptive; it’s emotionally and spiritually abusive. Women in mourning, cancer patients, and those in wheelchairs are paraded before audiences, used as props to sustain the illusion of healing power, and then left without the miracle they were promised.
The False Promises of Healing Cloths
Another common tactic these gatherings use is the so-called “anointed” objects, such as prayer cloths. Dufresne, following in the footsteps of others like Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland, claimed that an anointing could be transferred into a cloth and given to someone sick. In one instance, she handed a cloth to a woman with a terminally ill daughter, assuring her that merely laying it upon the child would bring healing. This dangerous deception can discourage people from seeking real medical treatment, sometimes with fatal consequences.
The concept of healing through objects distorts biblical miracles. While Acts 19 mentions handkerchiefs that had been touched by Paul being used in miraculous healings, these were described as extraordinary miracles—not a repeatable formula for modern faith healers to exploit. The Bible does not endorse selling or distributing objects with supposed healing properties, yet faith healers use these tricks to deceive followers into believing in their power.
Selective Healing and Obvious Avoidance
Perhaps the most telling moment of the entire event came when a man with an obviously deformed back stood before Dufresne. Unlike the others, he wasn’t caught up in an emotional frenzy—he was physically deformed in a way that could not be faked. And what did Dufresne do? She ignored him.
Her avoidance was a clear admission of fraud for someone who claims to carry an anointing that can restore broken bodies. If she genuinely had healing power, wouldn’t she have been eager to demonstrate it in such a dramatic case? Instead, she moved past him, focusing only on individuals who were more likely to produce a reaction that looked miraculous—those who could be convinced to stand up from wheelchairs temporarily or who were merely dealing with pain rather than physical deformities.
The Biblical Standard for Miracles
Contrast this spectacle with the genuine healings recorded in the Bible. When Jesus and the apostles healed, the results were immediate, total, and undeniable. The blind saw, the lame walked, and the dead were raised—not just encouraged to “believe” they were better. Biblical healings weren’t dependent on the recipient’s level of faith, nor did they require them to pay for a miracle or maintain a “lifestyle of praise” to secure their healing.
The Word of Faith movement and figures like Dufresne twist Scripture to serve their financial and personal interests. They prey on the sick, the desperate, and the grieving, convincing them that their suffering is their fault while enriching themselves in the process.
A Call to Discernment
Nancy Dufresne’s cruel display at the Southwest Believers’ Convention is a sobering reminder of the dangers of the faith healing movement. Those drawn into it must understand that what they witness is not divine power but psychological manipulation.
If you are involved in this movement or know someone who is, consider this a plea to open your eyes to the truth. The gospel is not about financial prosperity or guaranteed health but salvation through Jesus Christ—genuine faith trusts in God’s sovereignty, not the empty promises of self-proclaimed healers.
The Bible warns against false teachers who exploit others for their gain. It’s time to recognize the Word of Faith movement for what it truly is: a dangerous fraud that takes advantage of the most vulnerable among us. Seek out sound, biblical teaching, and place your trust in Christ alone—not in charlatans who sell miracles for a price
