Thursday, August 10, 2017

Figuring out the Prosperity Gospel





There’s a dangerous but popular current theology flitting around these days that says prosperity and financial success is a direct result of one’s faith. It has been around for a while but now it is projected so subtly that one can get sucked into it, quietly. Followers of this prosperity gospel say Jesus was a rich man, and so were his disciples. So these people say that following Jesus leads to financial success. If your faith is good and true, you will be blessed with health, wealth, and happiness. But what of the recession you wonder? Yes, such blessings apply even in these tough financial times. A brochure from a prosperity gospel seminar claimed: “Regardless of the media reports, believers are not subject to the recession.”  What really bothers me is what the theology says about faith. It’s so dangerous–and completely unsubstantiated by scripture–to tie one’s financial success to one’s faith. But that’s what prosperity gospel preachers preach.

When we are introduced to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 12, God’s blessing is not dependent on Abraham’s faith. God’s promise to Abraham is simple: “Go from your country…and I will make of you a great nation” not so that they might be blessed with riches, but so that they will be “be a blessing” to others (Gen 12:1-2). But even after the Lord’s declaration, life remains a struggle for Abraham and Sarah.

Some of us want to leave our faith unexamined. We know a strong faith doesn’t lead to material prosperity, but beyond that things get murky and uncomfortable. But maybe faith isn’t about strength or weakness. Maybe faith shouldn’t be measured in strong or weak, good or bad, but in understanding, in examination. Maybe it’s the process of wrestling with faith that’s key, not whether one has it all figured out.

St. Augustine famously wrote of “faith seeking understanding.” Augustine knew there are no big lines separating faith and understanding, but that faith and understanding are part and parcel of the same thing. Knowledge and understanding occurs with faith, but faith also comes with understanding. Faith doesn’t come with an end point, but it’s a process that always on-going. A river always flowing towards our Lord.

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