Prosperity theology

Prosperity theology or gospel (also known as the health and wealth gospel) is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim the Bible teaches that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians. Most teachers of prosperity theology maintain that a combination of faith, positive speech, and donations to Christian ministries will always cause an increase in material wealth for those who practice these actions. Prosperity theology is almost always taught in conjunction with continuationism.

Prosperity theology first came to prominence in the United States during the Healing Revivals in the 1950s. Some commentators have linked the genesis of prosperity theology with the influence of the New Thought movement. It later figured prominently in the Word of Faith movement and 1980s televangelism. In the 1990s and 2000s, it became accepted by many influential leaders in the charismatic movement and has been promoted by Christian missionaries throughout the world. It has been harshly criticized by leaders of mainstream evangelicalism as a non-scriptural doctrine or as an outright heresy. Secular commentators have often alleged that leaders of the movement take advantage of their followers and that the movement promotes unwise financial choices.

History

Before the advent of prosperity theology, several Christian movements in the United States taught that a holy lifestyle was a path to prosperity or that hard work was ordained by God and would bring blessing.^[1] However, prosperity theology was absent from the early Pentecostal Movement.^[1]

E. W. Kenyon, a prominent early figure in prosperity theology, was educated at Emerson College of Oratory in the 1890s, which was then well known for its influence promoting New Thought.^[2] Kenyon later became connected with prominent figures in Pentecostalism and wrote about the power of supernatural revelation and positive declarations. His writing influenced leaders in the post-war healing revivals and prosperity movement.^[3]

Prosperity theology was first popularized in the Healing Revivals in the United States after the end of the Second World War.^[4] Oral Roberts began teaching prosperity theology in 1947.^[4] In the 1950s, Roberts began a fundraiser for his ministry which promised that donors would receive the money that they donated to him back from an unexpected source. He offered to return any donation that did not lead to an equivalent blessing of the donor.^[4] In the late 1950s, A. A. Allen also began teaching prosperity theology. Although Allen had emphasized divine healing up to that point, he began to teach that God could miraculously solve financial problems through faith, as well. He claimed to have had a miraculous experience in which God supernaturally changed one dollar bills into twenty dollar bills to allow Allen to pay a bill that he could not afford.^[5]

In the 1960s, prosperity became a major theme in healing revivals. At that time Roberts and William Branham criticized some of their fellow ministries, alleging that some of the fundraising tactics unfairly pressured attendees. These tactics were prompted in part by the expense involved in developing nationwide radio networks and campaign schedules.^[6] At that time leaders of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination, often criticized independent healing evangelists, in part due to their emphasis on prosperity.^[7] In the 1970s, Oral Roberts began teaching that donations were a form of "seed", that would grow in value and be returned to the donor at a later date.^[8] T. L. Osborn also often emphasized prosperity at that time. Obsorn became known for his often ostentatious displays of personal wealth.^[9] Kenneth Hagin has been credited with playing a key role in the expansion of prosperity theology. In addition to his radio broadcast and publishing enterprises, Hagin founded the RHEMA Bible Training Center in 1974.^[10] Over the next 20 years, the school trained over 10,000 people in his theology.^[11]

In the 1980s, public attention in the United States was drawn to prosperity theology through the influence of prominent televangelist ministries. Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker each ran large, well known ministries that promoted prosperity theology. However, their influence on American Christianity waned after they experienced high-profile scandals.^[12] (Bakker later renounced prosperity theology after being imprisoned for fraud.^[13])

The Neo-Pentecostal movement has been characterized in part by a greater emphasis on prosperity theology.^[14] In the late 1990s, the movement began to gain greater acceptance within charismatic Christianity.^[15] As of 2006, three of the four largest churches in the United States have been associated with prosperity theology. Joel Osteen has been credited with spreading prosperity theology outside of the charismatic and Pentecostal movements through his books, which have sold over 4 million copies.^[12] Osteen's theology has been characterized as a moderate form of prosperity theology.^[12] By the 2000s, churches promoting prosperity theology in the United States were most common in the Sun Belt. In the late 2000s, proponents of prosperity theology claimed that tens of millions of Christians adhere to a form of prosperity theology.^[16] Prosperity theology has been exported from the United States to Western Europe, as well as less prosperous areas of the world.^[17] There is no official governing body for the movement, though many ministries are unofficially linked.^[11]

In 2007, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley opened a probe into the finances of six televangelism ministries that promote prosperity theology. The six ministries under investigation were Kenneth Copeland Ministries, Creflo Dollar Ministries, Benny Hinn Ministries, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries, Joyce Meyer Ministries, and Paula White Ministries. In January 2011, Grassley concluded his investigation and stated that he believed self-regulation by religious organizations was preferable to government action.^[18] After the probe was opened, Joyce Meyer Ministries voluntarily joined the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.^[19] Only Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn cooperated fully with the investigation; the other groups provided less information than investigators had sought.^[18]

Theology

Proponents of prosperity theology cast the movement as a reclamation of true doctrine and a path to Christian dominion over secular society.^[15] Prosperity theologians teach that promises of prosperity from God to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament apply to all Christians in the New Covenant.^[20] They teach that faith and holy actions release this prosperity into the lives of Christians.^[20] They also teach that Christians have been given power over creation because they are made in the image of God. They teach that speech used by Christians, known as positive confession, can allow them to exercise dominion over all creation.^[20] This dominion is said to apply to one's individual soul as well as exterior objects.^[20] This process is often taught in almost mechanical terms.^[20] Kenneth Copeland speaks of prosperity as being governed by a set of laws^[11] and the process of gaining prosperity is often portrayed as a formulaic spiritual process.^[21] Creflo Dollar's teachings about prosperity have been described as portraying an inviolable contract between God and humanity about wealth.^[12]

Teachers of prosperity theology take a strong focus on personal empowerment.^[20] Prosperity theology promotes a positive view of the spirit and body and teaches that people are entitled to happiness and material prosperity.^[17] Physical and spiritual realities are both seen as one united reality that cannot be separated.^[17] Prosperity theology teaches that all Bible-believing Christians are entitled to physical health and economic prosperity.^[21] They view the Atonement as a removal of sickness and economic lack as well as spiritual corruption.^[21]

The teaching is often based on non-traditional interpretations of certain Biblical verses.^[21] Prominent verses used by prosperity adherents include:

• Malachi 3:10 - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows".^[12]
• Matthew 25:14-30 - the Parable of the talents^[16]
• John 10:10 - "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly".^[12]
• Philippians 4:19: "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches of glory in Christ Jesus".^[21]
• 3 John 2 - "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers".^[4]

Kenneth Hagin has maintained that ministries in the prosperity theology movement hold to most of the primary tenets of evangelical theology.^[8] However, mainstream evangelicalism has consistently opposed prosperity theology.^[16] Many ministries that teach prosperity theology have had a bitter relationship with many other Christian groups, including others within the Pentecostal and charismatic communities.^[15] Many prominent evangelical leaders, such as Rick Warren, Ben Witherington III,^[12] and Jerry Falwell,^[22] have harshly criticized the movement, sometimes alleging that it is heretical false teaching.^[12] Warren has alleged that prosperity theology promotes the idolatry of money. Others have argued that many of the teachings of Jesus indicate a disdain for material wealth.^[12]

Simon Coleman of the University of Toronto has speculated that prosperity theology is drawn from the New Thought movement rather than the Bible, though he admits that the connection is sometimes unclear.^[23] Critics of the movement often assail promises made by its leaders, claiming that the broad freedom from problems they foretell is irresponsibly broad.^[15] Michael Catt has argued that Prosperity theology has little in common with traditional Christian theology.^[24] Others have alleged that the focus on giving large donations to churches is abusing the faith of parishioners in order to enrich church leadership.^[25] Apologists for the prosperity movement often note its ethnic diversity and claim that there are a variety of different views within the movement.^[12]

Socioeconomic analysis

Though the movement has drawn many followers from the middle class, it also has become popular among the poor, many of whom seek personal and social advancement.^[20] In the United States, prosperity theology is most popular in exurbs and urban areas. It has seen significant growth in black and Hispanic churches and is particularly popular among immigrants to the United States.^[16] In Exporting the American Gospel: Global Christian Fundamentalism Steve Brouwer, Paul Gifford, and Susan Rose speculate that the movement was fueled by a prevailing cultural disdain for liberalism in the United States, beginning in the 1970s.^[15]

Hanna Rosin has argued that prosperity theology has emerged due to broader trends in the United States, particularly the economic optimism of the 1950s and 1990s. It has also been compared the historic idea of manifest destiny.^[16] Marvin Harris has argued that the degree of focus on the material world is a symptom of the secularization of American religion. He also characterizes it as an attempt to fulfill the American Dream using supernatural power.^[17] Although many churches that promote prosperity theology also hold seminars on financial responsibility, Catherine Bowler of the Duke Divinity School has alleged that the churches often offer poor advice. Rosin has also argued that adherents of the prosperity gospel may have contributed to the housing bubble that caused the financial crisis of 2007–2010. They maintain that home ownership has been heavily emphasized by those who promote prosperity theology and that reliance on divine intervention caused many to make unwise financial choices.^[16]

See also

• Liberation theology
• Abundant life

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Coleman 2000, p. 40
2. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 44
3. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 45
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Coleman 2000, p. 41
5. ^ Harrell 1975, p. 74-75
6. ^ Harrell 1975, p. 105
7. ^ Harrell 1975, p. 108
8. ^ ^{a b} Coleman 2000, p. 42
9. ^ Harrell 1975, p. 171
10. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 29
11. ^ ^{a b c} Coleman 2000, p. 30
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Van Biema, David; Chu, Jeff (September 18, 2006). Does God Want You to Be Rich?. TIME Magazine. p. 54. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448,00.html. 
13. ^ Balmer 2002, p. 44
14. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 23
15. ^ ^{a b c d e} Coleman 2000, p. 27
16. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Rosin, Hanna (December 2009). "Did Christianity Cause the Crash?". The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/12/did-christianity-cause-the-crash/7764/3/. Retrieved August 2, 2011. 
17. ^ ^{a b c d} Hunt 2000, p. 332
18. ^ ^{a b} Goodstein, Laurie (January 7, 2011). "Tax-Exempt Ministries Avoid New Regulation". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/us/politics/08churches.html. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
19. ^ Poole, Shelia (January 7, 2011). "New panel formed to examine issues around church finances". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/new-panel-formed-to-798272.html. Retrieved August 2, 2011. 
20. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Coleman 2000, p. 28
21. ^ ^{a b c d e} Hunt 2000, p. 333
22. ^ "Falwell shuns 'prosperity theology'". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. June 6, 1987. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lOJNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YIsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7197,1041092&dq=falwell+prosperity&hl=en. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
23. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 42-43
24. ^ Vu, Michelle (March 20, 2010). "Pastor: Prosperity Gospel Is Hindering Church Revival". The Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-prosperity-gospel-is-hindering-church-revival-44370/. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
25. ^ Van Biema, David (October 3, 2008). "Maybe We Should Blame God for the Subprime Mess". TIME Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1847053,00.html. Retrieved August 5, 2011. 

References

• Balmer, Randall Herbert (2002). Encyclopedia of evangelicalism. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664224097 
• Harrell, David Edwin (1975). All things are possible: the healing & charismatic revivals in modern America. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253100900  p. 105
• Coleman, Simon (2000). The globalisation of charismatic Christianity: spreading the gospel of prosperity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521660723  p. 187
• Hunt, Stephen (2000). "'Winning Ways': Globalisation and the Impact of the Health and Wealth Gospel". Journal of Contemporary Religion 15 (3): 331–347. doi:10.1080/713676038. http://www.wlu.ca/documents/6500/Winning_Ways_Globalisation.pdf