Faith equals increased cash. At least that is what you think if you agree with
purveyors of what some call the gospel of prosperity.
Faith equals increased cash. At least that is what you think if you agree with
purveyors of what some call the gospel of prosperity.
The gospel of prosperity goes something like this. If you believe in God and
trust Him for financial prosperity, your financial condition gets better and
better. The more you believe, the more you prosper.
“Blessings” are seen almost exclusively in terms of material wealth.
Gods favor means God putting more material wealth in your possession.
Non-tangible blessings, such as peace of mind or better personal relationships,
are lagniappes of the primary blessing of more money.
Some purveyors (to call them preachers is a shameful misuse of this marvelous
word) of this pop gospel add some other stipulations. One would have you “speak
your prosperity” into existence. The combination to unlock the safe holding
your gems of prosperity is speaking it aloud in faith. Faith in this scheme
is believing really hard, without doubting, that you will get what you want.
Certainly, one of the stipulations for receiving Gods blessings is the
speaker receiving your money. The rationale for why this must be done varies
from purveyor to purveyor, but the message is always strong.
These purveyors do not present their core message of believe-to-get and give-to-get
as bluntly as above. They dress it in all kinds of God-talk and religiosity
– not too much; just enough to give it legitimacy for believers. Some
of them even speak from a pulpit of a church. But careful listening determines
that in their presentations, financial prosperity gets center stage, while taking
up ones cross in obedient service never gets a mention.
Sin does not get as much as a mention; that would be too negative and negativism
is an enemy of gaining financial prosperity. They teach that if you do not receive
significant financial rewards, the problem is negative thinking and a lack of
steadfast belief that your ship is pulling into the harbor.
Presenting the Bible as little more than a workbook for getting rich ranks
as sheer heresy. Heresy is a strong overemphasis on one particular aspect of
Christian belief, and that is what is at work in the gospel of prosperity.
Certainly, Gods blessings upon his children may include financial betterment.
But financial well-being does not come as a direct blessing but as the fruit
of disciplined stewardship and hard work that Christians present to God as a
love gift.
The Bible is far more intent upon believers giving up money and recognizing
their spiritual poverty and need than experiencing an abundance of financial
wealth.
If what the purveyors of the gospel of prosperity teach were actually what
the Bible teaches, the truth would be universal. Truth knows no national boundaries,
cultural limitations or time restraints. Why, then, are Christians around the
world suffering? Some suffer extreme poverty, others starvation, others persecution.
Do the boundaries of the United States restrain to American soil what the purveyors
teach are biblical promises of the financial blessings of God?
Jesus Christ did not come to earth to be a financial advisor or to be the empowerment
for material wealth. When He talked about money, it was about the dangers of
having an abundance of it and the responsibility to use it for more important
purposes. His example of wise financial management was the poverty-struck widow
who gave all of what little she had to the church. In one of His teachings,
Christ had the rich man sitting in hell and the beggar sitting in heaven, a
strong warning not to judge ones well-being according to his or her financial
asset sheet.
According to the purveyors of the gospel of prosperity, Jesus Christ was not
successful in His faith. He died penniless and even lost the coat off his back
doing what He believed God wanted Him to do.
One wants to say to the purveyors of the gospel of prosperity, “Get real.
Either preach the real gospel, or stop using religion as an effort to add legitimacy
to your school of “Thinking Yourself Rich.” One strongly suspects
the only ones who realize financial gain from their teachings are the teachers.
Meanwhile, the world goes begging for the real Gospel.