For the first time in more than a decade, televangelist Kenneth Copeland sat down for a wide-ranging interview with popular Gen Z influencer Bryce Crawford.
Following the interview, Copeland’s granddaughter says the conversation may signal a new chapter for one of Christianity’s most recognizable and polarizing ministries.
Copeland, who turns 90 this year, spent three hours with Crawford in what Courtney Copeland Acuña, chief marketing officer of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, describes as an unscripted, agenda-free conversation rooted entirely in Scripture.
Expressing why the elder Copeland has not done an interview in such a long time, Courtney stated, “My grandfather has never enjoyed interviews. He’s not great at them as people can see from the ‘Inside Edition’ interviewer when he’s been stopped. He’s not really been great at apologetics. It’s not a gift that he has.”
“His whole stance for the last two, three decades has been, I’m just going to let my message and my word speak for itself,” Acuña continued.
Rather than force it, Copeland adopted a different philosophy entirely. When asked how he handles media criticism, his answer was characteristically direct. “I don’t listen to the praise, and I don’t listen to the hate,” Courtney quoted him as saying. “I just keep my head down and do my job.”
That posture softened when Acuña, who previously ran her own podcast branding business before returning to help the family ministry, was connected to Crawford’s manager through a mutual friend. Having observed Crawford’s interview style and his willingness to engage respectfully with those he disagrees with, she said the decision came quickly.
“It was an easy yes at first,” she said. “The closer we got to the date, the more nervous I got — you put your 90-year-old grandfather up for an interview, you get a little nervous.”
Her nerves proved unfounded. Crawford, who built his following documenting his own Christian faith journey, pressed Copeland repeatedly on the so-called “prosperity gospel” — a label the ministry did not create for itself and has complicated feelings about.
“We didn’t label ourselves the prosperity ministry,” Acuña said. “We just believe that what the Bible says is true.”
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She noted that her grandfather defines the word prosperity using its Greek roots — “nothing missing, nothing broken” — a definition he returned to throughout the conversation. Crawford, for his part, acknowledged the encounter left him rethinking his own Bible-reading habits.
“Bryce’s biggest takeaway was, ‘I think I need to read my Bible more,'” Acuña said. “He was reading the same Bible every single day and taking away a completely different message.“
Despite theological differences, Acuña said both men left the table with mutual respect — and her grandfather left energized.
“He called me the next day and said, ‘All right, I want Bryce to come back. We’re going to do two weeks of the broadcast. I’m going to teach that boy how to pray,'” she recalled, laughing.
She also noted that her grandfather is excited about bridging generational gaps in the faith.
“He’s skipping like three or four generations down to get to Gen Z from where he’s at,” she said. “He has no ego. He’s thrilled at the idea of people like Bryce going out, even if they don’t agree on everything, and getting people saved.”
For Copeland, the deeper takeaway transcends theology. “When you get to a point where you can’t have a civil conversation and hear each other out,” she said, “we’re doomed.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
