Prosperity theology is a
perverse distortion of the Gospel that transforms the message of Christ
into a message of secular salvation through wealth and prosperity.
Scholars of the movement have studied why it is that poor,
disadvantaged, and disenfranchised people seem so drawn to a false
gospel that leaves them poor but makes their preachers wealthy. They
seem to find encouragement and hope, even a source of pride, in a pastor
who preaches prosperity and lives in ostentatious wealth, even as they
contribute their own meagre funds.
The Bible is clear in warning against false prophets who preach false
gospels, and those who would use spiritual authority for their own
wealth. The world is scandalized by the false promises of prosperity,
and believers in Christ should be just as scandalized about this false
promise. But Christians should be far more concerned about the eternal
consequences of prosperity theology — it’s false promise of salvation
through financial abundance, of health and wealth through the exercise
of “seed faith.” Missing from the prosperity gospel is the message of
salvation through faith in Christ alone — a salvation that makes every
believer unspeakably wealthy in the grace of Christ, but does not
promise earthly riches or unblemished physical health.
Writing in the “Houses of Worship” column in The Wall Street Journal,
DeForest B. ["Buster"] Soaries, Jr., pastor of the First Baptist Church
of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey, writes of the scandal of the
prosperity gospel and its popularity among African American churches:
The prosperity gospel — the idea that God guarantees truly faithful
believers physical health and financial wealth — is not new. But cable
and satellite television broadcasting have turned prosperity preachers
into celebrities that have followings similar to musicians and movie
stars. A movement and a theology that once seemed like an aberration
among black churches now appears to be mainstream.
He writes further..........
Teaching that desire for more material possessions is a sign of one’s
religious piety is simply offering a justification for crass
consumerism. Prosperity theology elevates greed to a virtue instead of
leaving it as one of the seven deadly sins.
Of course, it is much easier for clergy to preach this gospel when they
are living proof that the “system” works. Hence the celebrity-like
lifestyles of so many religious leaders. The fact that the people most
likely to do well in the prosperity gospel movement are the people at
the top suggests that it is all an ecclesiastical pyramid scheme.
Soaries seems mostly concerned in this article about the false promises
of wealth and the economic effects of these teachings on African
Americans. All Christians should share his outrage, and know that
prosperity theology is found among all races and ethnicities. The
television screens are filled with their messages and heresies.
But the central problem with prosperity theology is that it is a false
gospel. The prosperity preachers do not promise too much, they promise
all the wrong things.
Of course, The Wall Street Journal is an interesting place to find an
article on prosperity theology. The editors of that famous newspaper
know what leads to financial wealth — that is their business — and they
know that prosperity theology leads into deeper poverty.
It’s only those at the top who drive the expensive cars and ride in private jets.