Prosperity Theology: Gospel or blasphemy?
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams
To many "Prosperity Theology" or "Prosperity Gospel" represents nothing more than praying to God for money. The prosperity doctrine is gaining in popularity thanks to engaging televangelists like Joel Osteen and books and movies like "The Secret."Believers in this doctrine often preach that those whose finances are bad just haven't had enough faith in God. Those who can't seem to lose weight just aren't praying hard enough and thinking thin thoughts. You can have anything you want if you pray hard enough and believe that you can have it.
But that amounts to blasphemy for many devout followers of God and the Bible. People don't become sick because they lack faith in God. Hard times don't come upon us because we don't believe in God enough or want prosperity enough.
Add to this the fact that the high-profile evangelists are often seen raking in millions of dollars, and you've got a huge problem on your hands. Aren't those evangelists proof that God blesses the faithful with money? Those on the other side say the evangelists are exploiting the weak and vulnerable with this "you can have it all" gospel. People want to believe that their lives can improve, and exploiting religion in this regard is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
Beware: These sketchy teachings go by many different names, including health and wealth theology, prosperity gospel, word of faith, name it and claim it, and many others. Yes, God will bless those who live right and believe, but prosperity theology takes the Bible out of context and misleads believers.
Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-31-2007 @ 2:42PM
MARGO said...
I HAVE VERY LITTLE MONEY COMPARED TO MOST PEOPLE. YET IF I HADNT BEEN TAUGHT THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW GOD WANTS US TO HAVE PROSPERITY AND THIS IS PROVEN IN HIS WORD, I WOULD STILL BE HOMELESS AND PENNILESS AS I WAS SOME TEN YEARS AGO. I BELIEVE THE WORD OF GOD AND APPLIED THE PRINCIPLES TO MY LIFE AND SAID WITHIN MYSELF , 'GOD SAID HE IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS",,SO I WILL BEGIN GIVING TEN PERCENT OF MY INCOME TO THE WORLD OF MINISTRY AND NOT TO ONLY ONE OF THEM BUT SEVERAL . AS I DID THIS, THE TRUTH OF GODS WORD BECAME ALIVE TO ME, AND I INCREASD MY GIVING AS HE GAVE ME INCREASE. TODAY I AM TRUTHFULLY DOING QUITE WELL, AS I DO OWN REALESTATE, SEVERAL HOMES, SEVERAL CARS, AND ALL QUITE NICE ONES, AND I AM BLESSED FINANCIALLY ABOVE AND BEYOND ALL I CAN THINK OR ASK. GODS WORD IS TRUE AND YOU MUST ALLOW HIM TO BLESS YOU BY BELIEVING HIM. I DID AND AM SO THANKFUL I LISTENED TO THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNED AND BEEN TAUGHT THIS TRUTH. NO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT IT WILL HAPPEN IF YOU BELIEVE AND DO WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS TO DO. I AM PROOF. THIS IS TRUTH, MARGO
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12-31-2007 @ 3:11PM
brian said...
The apostle paul said "having everything yet having nothing". Peter said "silver and gold i dont have, but what I do have i give to you in the name of the lord Jesus Christ".
Our blessings in this world are spiritual, and eternal life in the next. The greatest people in the bible including the lord were not rich. GOD wants you to be blessed, but I dont see a theology of riches through money!
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12-31-2007 @ 3:36PM
KC said...
Most criticisms of Christianity that get exposure in the NON BELIEVING MEDIA come from non-believer "Experts" pointing at excessive behavior by misled "Christians".
The truth is that God works with common sense and His Biblical instructions are ALWAYS rooted in LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT balanced with WISDOM
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12-31-2007 @ 6:10PM
jc said...
What an awful (and backwards) person you are at your core to write such a piece about prosperity. How dare you burst the bubbles of people trying to right the old beliefs set upon us by controlling and manipulative religions (not God)? I for one (and I know I'm not alone) think it is totally appropriate for religious teachers to not only teach prosperity, but to be roll models for wealth. Further, "Since when is it wrong to be compensated abundantly for services you provide to others?"
I'm quite thankful that this topic is finally being addressed in a big way as all of my business life (39+ years) I've marveled at the poverty among believers in God.... seems that the more devout they appeared to be, the poorer they were. All the while clinging to their poverty as if it were some God appointed or sin a virtue. It is not virtuous to be poor, and that is not what God wants for anyone. To believe otherwise is to believe in a cruel God, not a loving one. We are all spiritual beings having a physical experience.... being on this planet... you need money. Go back and read the Old Testament and read about all of the wealthy men and women of God. They had their mansions and wealth ON THIS EARTH.... and they had wonderful relationships with God!!
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12-31-2007 @ 6:25PM
Tracy Coenen said...
I have no problem with people being compensated or earning a good living from providing goods or services. What I have a problem with is praying for money. For focusing on greed and money above all else. For telling people that if they don't have money, it's because they aren't faithful enough. That is blasphemy.
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12-31-2007 @ 6:37PM
Scott said...
The prosperity movement is a sham for one basic reason - God never promised wealth in exchange for prayer, faith, or anything else. The same can be said for good health and the "faith healing" scam - God never promised good health. JC, yes it is quite obvious God has different plans for different people, including poor health, financial struggles, and numerous other negative worldly considerations. To think otherwise is just plain ignorance. Did you skip half the Bible and only look for the mansions? Your comment that it is "not virtuous to be poor" is curious. A person's virtue has no monetary value, though apparently you think otherwise. Your terms "awful" and "backward" certainly fit -just not where you believe. As for people making money, I tink there is nothing wrong with a great income or wealth. I'd like to make as much money as I can this year, and it would be great for God to bless me with that, even though it is by no means a promise. Getting wealthy by distorting the Bible and God, as many of the prosperity preachers do, simply puts them in the same category as Lay and Skilling from an earthly perspective.
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12-31-2007 @ 9:38PM
Jay said...
Respectfully, I think the initial critic is missing the point. While there are conditions over which we do not have control, there are a lot of others which can be affected by attitude and actions, and these can be improved by attention to faith based biblical principles and affirmations. Money is the least important aspect of Joel Osteen's preaching. I think he, like Norman Vincent Peale before him, ring most true with people who struggle with sub-acute anxiety and respond to perform better with positive affirmations and better relationships with those around them. Is it blasphemy for Joel to recommend complimenting your spouse and children? Or developing better habits? I think that if one is at peace at home he or she is likely to do better at work. Moreover, the secular proof of the validity of positive thinking is college basketball. The same players win more at home than on the road. I think a good church should surround parishoners with positive "home crowd" effect implicit in faith. Though money should not be the goal, it should be a likely coincidence often associated with church participation, that people who are positively charged by their religion, and seek to uplift others in words and charity deeds, and as a result are better focused with honest hard work in their field of endeavor, and are not wasting their money or physical well being on addictive substances or destructive behaviors, likely will do better in all aspects of their life.
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1-07-2008 @ 5:31AM
web j said...
It's blasphemy, IMO. To be christ-like is not to wear frozen hair, have purposefully running mascara, or passing the plate to pay for air-conditioned doghouses. We are to love our neighbors. That's how we love ourselves, by showing respect. A type of 'pay-it-forward' plan, if you will. Not for the promise of rewards, but purely for the reason that it is the right thing to do. We should also remember that "all is vanity, and chasing of the wind" when it comes to the collecting, loving, and craving of mere material things.
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