The Prosperity Message Pitfall

Here is an excerpt from a letter I wrote to my brother when we were discussing the prosperity message and it’s implication for how people in the church do business sometimes.

Enjoy!

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Scripture gives a lot of great advice about handling money (don’t go into debt if you can help it, work to earn your money, etc.) but I think that’s just a gateway as far as the “prosperity gospel” is concerned.  Prosperity has grown up to be it’s own theology with proof scriptures, a devoted following, etc.  You don’t see it very often; it’s more at just a few select mega-churches than anywhere else.  But part of the rub is that the rich and powerful tend to hang with the rich and powerful.  And the sentiments of prosperity gospel tend to resonate with the conservative radio crowd.
 
Yes, illness and misfortune are often incorrectly linked to sin.  It begins with the message, “Come to Jesus and He will make you prosperous, heal you of all your diseases, give you a long life, ‘expand your tent’, etc., etc.”  Then whenever anyone gets sick or dies young (like Keith Green) it’s because, “Oh, the Lord just loved them so much He wanted to take them home to be with Him.”

Prosperity and dominion are closely linked theologies.  God gave Adam and Eve authority to rule over the earth, Satan stole it, Jesus (the “second Adam”) won it back, etc.  “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”  Well, that’s all true and good, but it’s a spiritual reality.  And in any case it doesn’t provide justification for wrong acts like failing to pay fair wages (James 5:4).  I’d lump actions which many of my fellow church mates might call good stewardship into the category of failure to pay fair wages.  Things like releasing workers before they can reach full tenure and be eligible to collect retirement, downsizing locally and then outsourcing to places without workers rights, and making 40 billion dollars in profits and then channeling all of that profit except 5 billion directly into shareholder pockets - then telling congress that you are spending billions for R&D (true, but the R&D money is accounted for in the regular budget, not from the profits.) Etc.
 
But I can see how very easy it would be for someone who’s been surrounded by the message of prosperity and dominion for years, and has traveled in circles where any talk of politics gravitates to conservative talking points of free-market-good, government-and-regulation-bad, to believe that they are actually doing a good thing and God’s work when they downsize and outsource because they think they’re ultimately bringing prosperity to our country and blessing everyone and oh, yes, the money doesn’t hurt either.

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Now, put someone with that kind of mindset in charge of a nation.  How are they going to govern?  What kinds of factors will be driving their decisions?