Who’s he going to dig into first? You’ll have to wait til the next chapter to find out.
First of all, I have to get a good grasp of what Prosperity “Gospel” is all about. I don’t know everything about it. I go to an actual Bible believing Church. I have to find the info!
Prosperity theology has been criticized by leaders from various Christian denominations, including within some Pentecostal and charismatic movements, who maintain that it is irresponsible, promotes idolatry, and is contrary to the Bible.[3] Secular as well as Christian observers have also criticized some versions of the prosperity theology as exploitative of the poor. The practices of some preachers have attracted scandal and some have been charged with financial fraud.
Prosperity theology views the Bible as a contract covenant between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, God will deliver security and prosperity.[4] The doctrine emphasizes the importance of personal empowerment, proposing that it is God’s will for people to be blessed. The atonement (reconciliation with God) is interpreted to include the alleviation of sickness and poverty, which are viewed as curses to be broken by grace and faith.
There’s a branch of Christianity that promises a direct path to the good life. It is called by many names, but most often it is nicknamed the “prosperity gospel” for its bold central claim that God will give you your heart’s desires: money in the bank, a healthy body, a thriving family, and boundless happiness.
The article is fine, but I would very much hesitate to call this a branch of Christianity. The whole purpose of this movement is to confuse and take advantage of people. God Himself, does not want that.
When comparing the biblical Gospel and the prosperity gospel, we can see a stark difference. First, we can go directly to the Scripture, find the biblical Gospel, and see it clearly defined. Remember, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Nevertheless, the prosperity gospel takes Scripture out of context in order to say something it does not.
The prosperity gospel or health and wealth message was made famous in the late ’80s by teachers such as Kenneth Copeland, Fred Price, and others. However, it does have roots that stretch back to the ‘50s. This teaching, popularized through Christian TV and radio, has now been exported across the globe and, I would argue strongly this message is now the face of modern-day western Christianity.
This new health and wealth message is sly. For example, let’s look at the following verse: Deuteronomy 8:18, “but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”
Proponents of the prosperity gospel will say, “See, it’s right there, wealth is a promise from God.” However, if you simply back up a few verses we can see the context of this verse and the audience. God is speaking to the children of Israel and giving them a warning to remember Him and keep His commands when they enter the promised land. In writing on this verse, Warren Werisbe stated, “How easy it would be for Israel to become proud, to forget how helpless they were before the Lord rescued them, and to think that their success was due to their own strength and wisdom—and that they deserved it!” Why bring this up? Well, this promise was not made to those in the new covenant, nor was God directly speaking to those in the church age either. He was dealing directly with the children of Israel, under the old covenant, and declaring what He expected of them in coming into the promised land.
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Again, looking at the distinctions between the biblical Gospel and the prosperity gospel. The health and wealth message promises the whole world to the detriment of your soul. Fredrick Price, in his book High Finance: God’s Financial Plan, wrote: “We need to realize that prosperity is the will of God. It is God’s perfect will that everyone prospers in every area of life. Primarily, we are dealing with material and financial prosperity because it has to do with tithes and offerings.”
However, the Scripture teaches, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). The question for prosperity gospel adherents is, “Did Jesus teach that the result of His death, burial, and resurrection was immense wealth, health, and a life free of suffering for his followers?” In fact, this is a great question to those we are ministering to as well, to help them discern between the biblical Gospel and the prosperity gospel.
Here’s some helpful videos.
Weird. I can’t claim anything. God is not subject to anything. It’s not Star Wars.
Nobody who preaches prosperity gospel will ever admit they are preaching anything different than regular God fearing pastors. This is why it can get tricky.
That’s enough of a start. In the next chapters we’ll learn about the people behind the deception and exactly why they want to keep it going, rather than submit to the actual truth of God’s Word.
Just in case you forgot, God is in control all the time, and He always knows what He’s doing. We don’t always get to understand it, but that doesn’t mean God is doing anything wrong. He can’t do anything wrong. He’s the one with the plan in the first place. We’re supposed to be rich in God. Not necessarily rich in possessions or getting healed exactly when we want to. God makes all things beautiful in HIS time, not ours. God gives us what we absolutely need, not what we think we want at a given second.
I could rabbit trail about this forever. I was supposed to finish this chapter a paragraph ago.