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The Prosperity Gospel Veil
Being a resident in Atlanta, surrounded by the likes of Creflo Dollar and Bishop Eddie Long, destain for the prosperity gospel runs pretty deep. Its still amazing to me that these men, and others around the country, have some of the largest congregations in the country, yet preach a gospel of unfulfilled promises. Its a gospel that not only distorts scripture, but flies in the face of 2000 years worth of interpretation. Even Creflo has come out and said that Jesus was never poor. I don’t know how theologians missed that point all this time. He must be much wiser than them. Here’s Joel Osteen preaching a very standard prosperity gospel message:
“See, too often we accept things: defeat, mediocrity, rejection, addictions. People tell me, “Joel, that’s just who I am.” But with all do respect, that’s not who you really are. You are a child of the most high God. He has paid the price so that we may be totally free. That means free from bad habits and addictions, free from fear and worry, free from discouragement and depression, free from poverty and lack, free from low self-esteem. God wants us to be totally free. Scripture tells us to take hold of ALL Christ died and rose again for. It all starts right here. You have to know that you not only have a right to be free, but that God has already empowered you with everything you need to overcome. You need to start seeing yourself the right way. You are not a sick person trying to get well, you are a well person fighting off sickness. God made you healthy and whole.
Our original state is total freedom. If you’re going to be free, you need to know who you are. You’re not just anybody, you’re a child of the most high God. He has breathed his very life into you. You have his royal blood flowing through your veins. Its the blood of a champion. You’re not ordinary, you come from great stock. Your heavenly Father spoke the worlds into existence. Long before you ever got here, He was thinking about you. Let me assure you that He didn’t create you to be average. He didn’t create you to barely get by, to have all kinds of things holding you back. You have to get the right vision. God created you to be totally free, to have peace in your mind, to walk in divine health, to have good relationships, to have plenty to pay your bills. God created us as victors and not victims. Fight the good fight of faith. Know who you are, the seed of Abraham. You have rights and privileges. One of those privileges is total victory. We’re supposed to be unquestionably free. That means free in our mind, free from worry. We’re not all upset, because we know God is in control. He has us in the palm of His hand. Free from poverty and lack. No matter what the bank account looks like, I know I am blessed and cannot be cursed. Whatever I touch is going to prosper and succeed.” – Joel Osteen
Whatever happened to Jesus being born into a poor family, having no where to lay his head, having relationship problems such as friends denying or betraying Him, leaders hating Him, and a whole race of people calling for His crucifixion? What about Paul always having a thorn in his side, likely related to some health problem? How about Job being blameless, yet God allows his life to come crashing down around him and his health to deteriorate? Here’s a video by John Piper based off a message he preached that just offers the exact opposite of the message Osteen and others preach every Sunday to their flocks of lemmings:
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But aren’t there some things we can find in common with our lemming family and friends? I think there needs to be. Of course we don’t agree with everything Pastor Smiles says, but is he not still a genuine brother? Can’t we confront them face-to-face like all the other denominations, trying to explain our beliefs in messy spirituality instead of some perfect and free spirituality? We really don’t have all the right answers or the right questions anyways. We can be sincere, but we can also be sincerely wrong.
i have always struggled with the prosperity gospel, because it doesn’t match up with what i read in the NT. Jesus said we would have trouble in this life, that our families might disown us, that we take up our cross (figuratively and literally in some cases)… none of that seems to gel with the prosperity gospel.
to daniel’s question above “is he not still a genuine brother?” i am not sure, apostle Paul would say that as long as the gospel is preached, regardless of motive, that is a good thing. where i run into trouble with dollar and osteen, is that i don’t hear the gospel being preached… i hear osteen say things like “Jesus wants you to achieve total victory” in finance, health, family, and any other venture that you invest in. i don’t hear “die to yourself, go into all the world, pray for those who persecute you, consider others better than yourself.” I don’t hear “jesus is the way to reconnect with the God that created you” I hear “Jesus is a great way to make your business better.” in my opinion, that is not the gospel, it is false teaching, and therefore i would not call him a brother.
do i have all the right answers or questions, i don’t think so… but Jesus is the answer, and His teachings are what i follow. in doing so i see a life of sacrifice and generosity, not one of wealth and power.
Jeremy is 100% correct. If Dollar and Osteen and others who preach a similar message, would allow themselves to be accountable to scrutiny, cease and assist the empty promises theology – twisted scripture and repent, we would then find common ground as broken sinners 100% dependant on the finished work of Christ. Be assured, compassion and forgiveness are available to Dollar and Osteen and others when they will repent and stop making and distributing their cool-aid.
We are called to accountability and warned in James 3 that teacheds will be held to higher standards. 1Timothy we are warned about false teachers. We should not be chastized for echoing those warnings in scripture and modeling as well as holding fast to the high standards set by Christ through Peter, Paul and the apostles.
For the world to see any formation of Christ….
within the frame work of our society the world has to see Christ through the church
For individuals to see Christ …
all they need is to see another individual to observe Christ in that person
I think the responsibility ..is laid on both peoples shoulders ..
I think that more than any time in our world and culture that people need to see how…. we relate …and our response is…. to others in our church and daily lives
Jesus said by their fruits ye shall know them….. so we have to be bearers
of that kind of fruit as a collective group of people ….That’s how the world sees Christ in us
The world is not looking for so much perfection in us …
as much as they are looking for answers out of their own imperfections…
aren’t you glad the church is full of imperfect people?
We are all imperfect.. none of us are of the status where we are perfect or in a group where we would be classified perfect.
So we have to look at this and examine… OUR..LIVES through the knowledge and nature of the
perfect Christ Jesus
Cultures today have seem bent on perfecting a ministry as a profession rather than perfecting the person.. that the minister could be …
or the person that the ministers preaches at….
when it is all said and done …..all will pass away but what you have in your heart with Christ will make the difference
For the balance of our life we should be interested in how our walk is with god rather than how well we have a ministry or church that’s perfect..
the ministry part will align itself with our walk once we start doing what Christ has commanded believers to do.
As we increase in the knowledge of the gospel.. isn’t our goal, whether layman, minister, preacher, priest, or reverend .. to increase kingdom growth?
A what… (BMW, house, hunger, poverty, depravity, Money) wont keep you out of heaven
A who… or a who… influenced by a what…. may keep a person from the kingdom …… so it’s best to watch who you influence or who influences you.
Just a thought Chris…
Being from the reformed church … How do you feel about Robert Schuller