Responding To Your Feedback: Part 10 (The Prosperity Gospel)

Every so often I receive comments on my blog posts and emails from readers who want to share their input on what I have written. Although many are supportive and friendly, plenty of others are critical, mean-spirited, inaccurate, or some combination of those attributes. On occasion, I do not respond to emails or approve comments because I don’t see how the exchange could be edifying. All that said, I would like to acknowledge some of these comments and emails when it seems appropriate. “Responding to your feedback” posts will be written directly to the author, but I will keep the individual anonymous by assigning him/her a nickname.

The Comment For The Day

Today’s comment was left on my post entitled “Comfortable Christianity is No Christianity at All.” The concern the commenter has doesn’t appear to be with the topic of the post. He took issue with one statement I made about a couple of pastors, and though his comment was related to a small part of my blog post, he has opened up an incredibly important conversation.

I will refer to the commenter today as “Optimist” because he seems to see the best in others.

*I am presenting the comment with no editing.*

“Your writing and experiences are very Helpful. I am also blessed by the wake-up call it presents to a life set apart from sin and set apart to God.

However, I worry that you are quick to label othe ministers as “False Teachers” from my understanding and analysis of the teachings of T D Jakes and pastor Dollar, your assertion couldn’t be further from the truth. Being blessed with material things doesn’t necessarily amount to comfortable Christianity neither does lack of life’s essentials make one a more spiritual Christian.

You may need to approach others’ teachings with an open mind. You may also disagree with some of their views as some may with yours. But, that would not make either them or yourself a false teacher. There are absolutes in biblical doctrines and Christian teachings which determine the credibility of Christian teachings.

I am just a bit concerned that you may be dismissing people whose teachings and Christian beliefs you may not have studied comprehensively.”

Responding To Your Feedback

Dear Optimist,

Thank you for your comment. I can’t properly convey how much I appreciate your gracious tone and kind words to me. Your comment is a solid example of disagreeing with someone in a respectful way. (Everyone else reading along, I hope you noticed this, too.)

Responding To A Prosperity Gospel Supporter: Point #1

“Your writing and experiences are very Helpful. I am also blessed by the wake-up call it presents to a life set apart from sin and set apart to God.”

Thank you. I hope to encourage believers, especially women, to turn from worldly things and closer to God. I wonder, though, if you noticed that the two men you defended in your comment do not promote turning away from the world because they teach the prosperity gospel. You may not have noticed these men promote a love of things that will simply burn up one day and serve us no eternal good. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.

Responding To A Prosperity Gospel Supporter: Point #2

“However, I worry that you are quick to label othe ministers as ‘False Teachers’ from my understanding and analysis of the teachings of T D Jakes and pastor Dollar, your assertion couldn’t be further from the truth. Being blessed with material things doesn’t necessarily amount to comfortable Christianity neither does lack of life’s essentials make one a more spiritual Christian.”

I have to agree with you about some of this. We could take a vow of poverty and live with practically nothing, and that wouldn’t make us better Christians. In similitude, we could have many material things and heaps of money, and that wouldn’t make us bad Christians. On the other hand, there are warnings about wealth and love of money in the Bible.

A Rich Man

Let’s turn our attention to the Rich Young Man (Mark 10:17-31). This young man asked Jesus “how to inherit eternal life,” and after insisting that he had kept all the commandments, he heard something that saddened him to the point of walking away from Jesus.

“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Mark 10:21-22 (ESV)

Jesus understood the rich young man’s heart and revealed it to him in one sentence. He said he wanted eternal life, but he was unwilling to part with the treasures of this world. As he saw it, Jesus’ offer wasn’t better than what he had accumulated for himself. A few verses later Jesus gives us one of his most memorable word pictures recorded in Scripture.

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Mark 10: 25 (ESV)

Here, Jesus warns that being rich can hinder someone from going to Heaven. It sounds a little classist at first, but consider the rich. They often deeply care for their possessions and the power that comes along with wealth. For some, wealth and “stuff” make up a large part of their personalities. Money is their idol, and they live to serve it.

Moreover, think about how the world sees wealthy people. They are seen as blessed by God or as having proved their worth through making so much money. Their money, however, will not gain them access to Heaven. In fact, that money has no spiritual meaning at all.

Can the rich be saved? Yes, but they can’t save themselves. Just like everyone else, the rich need to humbly follow the Lord Jesus and forsake all idols. But this isn’t possible without Christ.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

So, Optimist, material things and money are fine, but men like T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar emphasize those things and mix them into their faith. Wealth, as they see it, indicates God’s will playing out in someone’s life, special blessing, and that individual’s strong faith.

Responding To A Prosperity Gospel Supporter: Point #3

“You may need to approach others’ teachings with an open mind. You may also disagree with some of their views as some may with yours. But, that would not make either them or yourself a false teacher. There are absolutes in biblical doctrines and Christian teachings which determine the credibility of Christian teachings.”

What does “open mind” mean to you? If you mean that I should be willing to hear someone out, then I agree wholeheartedly. I don’t want to shut someone down because I think I know what they’ll say. We should all make it a practice to listen to people who see the world differently so we can understand them better. Hey, we might even find we don’t disagree at all.

On the other hand, if “open mind” means accepting someone’s viewpoint no matter what, then I need to respectfully disagree. T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar are deep into the prosperity gospel which teaches that God wants us to be rich and healthy. In fact, those are seen as signs that God is blessing someone. And how do they get the blessings of wealth and health? Well, give to the pastor, of course! Better yet, buy him a jet plane!

Along with giving, congregants are taught that their faith, positive thinking, and declarations will lead to money, health, and success in other areas of their lives. You can read a little bit about this topic in my post called “Taking a Look at Happy Lies and New Thought.”

Teaching lies about God and what He desires for His children is messing with one of the absolutes in Christianity you mentioned. We can’t serve God or grow in Christlikeness if we don’t understand Him. T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar are liars, and we need to tell other Christians so they don’t follow these hucksters. Most importantly, we should point people to God’s Word to see what He has to say about money.

Love God Or Money

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

Money, in the prosperity gospel, is an idol that is at odds with Jesus. We need to choose who or what we will worship, and a pastor who teaches us to focus on money is leading people astray.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’”

Matthew 8:20 (ESV)

Again, it’s all right to have money and possessions, but we see no indication that either were a priority in Jesus’ life. He modeled how to serve and obey God, and He taught us what we need to know about walking in faith. Optimist, where is His teaching on accumulating wealth? The only money-focused “follower of Jesus” who comes to my mind is Judas Iscariot…

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

Optimist, can you honestly tell me that the prosperity gospel portrays Hebrews 13:5?

Responding To A Prosperity Gospel Supporter: Point #4

“I am just a bit concerned that you may be dismissing people whose teachings and Christian beliefs you may not have studied comprehensively.”

Optimist, you did it again. This is a great ending, and I feel compelled to thank you one last time for how you approached this disagreement. Oh, how I appreciate your kind and loving approach!

All I can do here is assure you that I am not spouting off about people and teachings with which I’m unfamiliar. That doesn’t mean I don’t get things wrong, but I do take time to research before sharing my thoughts.

You used the word comprehensively, and it has led me to a theory about you. I have often encountered Christians who are mad at me for criticizing a pastor or teacher because some of their teachings are good. “Sure, he says that we can manifest the new car we want by declaring it is ours, but he also teaches the importance of the older women teaching the younger women.” One correct teaching doesn’t erase an egregious one, and people ought to be warned if they are following someone who will lead them further away from God and biblical teaching.

I recommend reading about Word of Faith. I think it will help you see the errors in the prosperity gospel’s teachings.

Final Thought

Optimist, I appreciate your comment and approach, but I ask you to be as open-minded as you suggested I should be. Look into the repercussions of what T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar teach. Consider how much God resembles a magic genie within the prosperity gospel, and look for clear scriptural support for the idea that God intends for us to be healthy and wealthy. You’ll have a lot to ignore, though.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

John 15:18 (ESV)

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Philippians 3:8 (ESV)

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”

2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?’”

Luke 9:23-25 (ESV)

How about the rest of you? What would you say to Optimist about the prosperity gospel?

Image courtesy of Thought Catalog via Unsplash.