A work friend got baptized out of the clear blue on Easter. He had no plans for it, but had dropped by the church across the street, and the rest was a whirl. He’d been baptized as an infant, but this congregation takes an Anabaptist view of it. I think of it as a booster shot, and don’t feel it can hurt him. He could benefit from some direction in his life; if religion works, great.
Except…
The church is mega-ish, with about 20,000 members and 10,000 regulars. Based on my quote of him the title they are into the prosperity gospel. They want him to tithe to the full 10%, though he can barely make his rent, and according to MY Bible he should be on the receiving end, not the giving end, or at least not dogged for more than the widower’s mite.
“The pastor was up there in a $1500 suit. Or maybe $500.”
“My friend, I didn’t see it, but it was $1500. At least.”
It seems all heretical to me, but I sling heresy accusations around profligately. Wikipedia’s list of supposed Biblical support:
isn’t as paltry as the support for snake handling, but it does not come close to meaning what they say it means, near as I can tell. Or does it?
Please discuss the theological truths and falsehoods of Prosperity Theology because asking him, “Where do you get this shit?” is not a positive message.
If they actually read the Bible they might note that those Biblical figures closest to God generally lived lives of terrible hardship and died gruesomely - consider Moses and Jesus as two prominent examples (there are exceptions - Abraham and (ironically) Job end up better eventually IIRC). And certainly none of the Apostles were preaching all the way to the bank; many of them ended up martyred too.
So yes, the prosperity gospel shtick is bullshit that only brings prosperity to the preacher.
The Bible promises people they will get all they need. Nowhere does it say anyone needs a million dollars (or a $1500 suit). These are luxuries not necessities.
The Bible has numerous verses where it speaks explicitly on the subject of riches and the message is clearly against them.
Sometimes, “Where do you get this shit?”, is the best approach. If you try to engage someone on an intellectual level, then they’ll figure that there is an intellectual level to it and they’ll go out to try and find out what that is. Which of course, will bring them to the sort of stuff listed on the Wikipedia page that you referenced. Consequently, you’ll have deepened his faith, since now it has scriptural backing.
Calling stuff that is complete BS, “complete BS”, and not even deigning to give it a moment’s consideration nor argument is probably the only way to get someone to step back for a second and realize, “Wait a second…am I an idiot?” Granted, their mind might instead leap to, “Wait a second, this bozo is calling me an idiot!” And then they’ll get angry. But in either case, they’re unlikely to bring the subject up any more and, in the meanwhile, you’ve done what you can.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
I can see God not begrudging humans of material possessions and comfort. I can imagine the entity thinking, “Hey, I put humans through the ringer enough as it is. Good for them if they can still rise to the top. Good for them!” God being okay with wealth, I can understand.
But I can’t see how God could want us to be millionaires. Seems to me he’d make it a lot easier to become one, if that’s what he truly wanted.
But more that, I don’t really see what the point would be. What’s the point of heaven in the afterlife, if this life is supposed rainbows and lollipops? That’s like telling a little kid he can get dessert after he eats his ice cream.
Prosperity gospel is not only stupid, it’s self-serving evil. It convinces people there’s a direct correlation between the good fortune in their life and how much money they’ve sent up to the Lord through tithes and offerings.
If everyone is a millionaire, wouldn’t purchasing power parity and inflation make us all still just middle class? Maybe the average automobile would cost $500,000.
Definitely not the first time religious people have used the “God must want it this way” approach to justify the just world fallacy.
Modern Christianity is a hodgepodge of contradictory beliefs, often extra-Biblical. It’s a cultural badge, it doesn’t have to make sense.
I’ve been seeing more about prosperity ideology in the news lately, not sure why. The jet thing?
It’s an interesting reflection of American culture. It appears to be a transparent justification for wealth worship, yet it’s gained traction even among the poor. Do they think they’re not faithful enough? It almost seems like something a exploited peasant society would dream up, like a cargo cult mentality.
It also seems to defy the “don’t test God” principle.