Catholics Adopt ‘Open Heaven’ Concept

Some Catholics have begun spreading the "open heaven" concept, a teaching originating from the non-Catholic Word of Faith movement. According to Father Thomas Buffer in The Catholic Times, proponents of this idea suggest that those who walk under an open heaven have access to healing, financial blessings, and supernatural power.

The teaching traces back to Presbyterian missionary John A. MacMillan, who wrote in The Authority of the Believer that Christians share in the full authority of the risen Christ. MacMillan taught that instead of asking God for things, believers can command heavenly power, suggesting that God obeys when believers speak words of command. Preacher Kenneth E. Hagin later helped popularize these teachings, which view heaven primarily as a source of power.