Making Merchandise of Christians ? Prosperity Gospel Blight

Anyone who has read their Bible would have to concede in principle at least that it does say that God loves to bless his children. It also does promise that if we are giving individuals we should expect to have many wonderful blessings returned to us as a result. These promises are unquestionable. Christ said that if we gave that men would give to us good measure pressed down and running over, Luke 6:38. The principle here is not in question; it is the use, and or rather the misuse of this principle that causes all the trouble. Anyone trying to prove that the Bible does not promise God's blessings to the generous giver would come up woefully short. So how does this doctrinal new kid on the block, the abundant life gospel, succeed in the wake of its highly suspect proponents and their methods?

The first thing today's prosperity gospel lacks is universality. Can this gospel be preached to everyone in any place throughout the world? The answer to this question is a simple, no. Other than in the United States and Western Europe this gospel is impossible to preach and in large part it is mocked. Americans make up about one sixth of the entire worlds population yet they consume almost fifty percent of the world's food. Even in the burgeoning economies of Europe, China, Japan and South Korea it is common knowledge that America is still number one in wealth and waste. Why has the country that already has the most, become the birth place of a gospel that says we should be getting even more? As two thirds of the world sends its children to bed each night with hunger pains, we are asking God to give us the money to go to an expensive spa to lose weight. One prosperity gospel preacher was recently called out on the carpet for spending ten thousand dollars a night for a lavish hotel suite in Indonesia. By contrast a missionary magazine tells of the humble pastor in some third world country who is rejoicing over a new bicycle he has been given. Now he can pedal around to make his visitations that cover an area of about twenty five square miles. Prosperity then, is figuratively in the eye of the beholder. That the prosperity gospel cannot be preached in every place is proof that it is not the real gospel. The real gospel is that Jesus Christ came into the world, spoke words that give life, died for the sins of the world, rose from the dead and promised to return to the earth and judge the living and the dead. This can be preached everywhere, at anytime throughout the world and it will produce the same effect that it has now for twenty centuries.

In seminary an old professor once told his class that his church was praying for him that God would keep him humble while they would help by keeping him poor. This is one extreme and another is a new book offered by a TV evangelist entitled?How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted. What is wrong is that something is missing. The missing element in the pop Christian doctrine of the abundant life is?balance. It would be hard to balance the book just mentioned against the well known saying of Christ derived from the beatitudes?Blessed are the poor Mt 5:3. Balance nevertheless is what this doctrine is calling for. That God has not always promised a blessing in kind is balance John 14:27. That much of the promised blessings were not a material blessing at all is balance Romans 14:7. Carefully checking the motive of our giving is also balance. Are we giving to get? You may as well keep it! God does care why you're giving. He may notice the figures scribbled on a check but He is still checking the hearts and trying the motives of believers.

America is a success worshipping society that thinks that being rich, powerful or famous is the sign that one has made the heights. That this notion is so pervasive is reflected in our preoccupation with those who have achieved these lofty goals. In India a Guru is a Gandhi like figure, in America they could be a Wall Street investor. Regardless of what they actually are is a matter of perception which is often given precedence over reality. What is clear is that we are continuously questioning, prodding a probing our success icons for information about the keys to their success. From late night television to the New York Times Bestsellers list the line breaks forth replete with all the memoirs, tips, secrets and how to manuals of the rich and famous. Now Christianity has its own success gurus who seem ready to tell us their secrets as well. Unfortunately that secret usually comes in only one flavor. Send me, my ministry and my programs your money to get God to bless you. Many of these ministries are indeed doing wonderful things for the poor and the promotion of the gospel so we can't put them all in one big heap. What we can do is be a lot more prayerful about where we send our funds and why. While we are praying let us not forget that someone as close as next door may need our help right now.

Rev Bresciani is the leader of a non-denominational ministry in the New Orleans area. He has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote, Hook Line and Sinker or What has Your Church Been Teaching You, published by PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book recently released by Xulon Press entitled An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ. Rev Bresciani has his own website at americanprophet.org

---

What Did I Do To Deserve This?

"You must have done something awful for this to happen... Read More

The Fruit, the Whole Fruit, and Nothing but the Fruit

Once we become a new creature in Christ, we are... Read More

Serving

Some people may ask how do we serve God and... Read More

Can Jewish Americans Still Have Devout Catholic Friends?

America is dividing again. Jewish Americans are finding it hard... Read More

The Occult

"Christianity posits the realization of human freedom not here on... Read More

The Basics of Salvation Through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

The one key central message of the entire Bible is... Read More

A Poor Man, With Rich Mans Dreams

Matthew 19:17-19:23A Poor Man, With Rich Mans Dreams Have you... Read More

Prophetic Ministry: Affirmations From Scripture to Teach Us Who We Are In Christ

To learn who you are in Christ, you must know... Read More

In The Beginning Christ!

As I was doing my studies, the Lord put something... Read More

The Catholic Obsession with Martyrs and the Question of Pain and Suffering

The Catholic Church is kind of like a forest sometimes.... Read More

White Sun - Tao of Heaven; What is Wisdom?

To be awakened to the realization of one's True Self... Read More

Moslem America Conclusion

Isaiah 55:7-55:9Moslem America conclusion Let the wicked forsake his way,... Read More

As the Old Year Fades, So Does My Memory

Memory is a very tricky thing, at least for me... Read More

The Gospel Of Convenience

The subject of this document is so unpleasing to the... Read More

Money And Religion: How Christians Are Being Misled

Today's Christian Evangelists, Teachers, and Preachers Are Grossly Misleading America... Read More

Conclave: Electing a New Pope

Upon the death of the Pope, a monumental sequence of... Read More

2nd Coming of Jesus

In this first verse, God says He will allow all... Read More

Gays and Lesbians Attempt to Distance Themselves From Catholic Priests

There is a new term being thrown around "phenophilia", no... Read More

Story of Solomon

Without question, the greatest story in the Bible of someone... Read More

Bible and Kabbalah: The Hardening of Pharoahs Heart

There is continuous creation, out of the new ideas discovered... Read More

Development of Liberal Theology: An Overview (Part 3)

As senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of New... Read More

Sins and the REAL Demons

We all must know that the Catholic Church has used... Read More

War in Heaven

This next event, a war in heaven, will not be... Read More

Jesus in Wales

The next few days were as hectic and exciting as... Read More

The Unjust Steward

In my opinion, this story has two very powerful spiritual... Read More

Letters from Christ: the Calligraphy of the Spirit

Their reasoning must have been, "This is the precious gospel... Read More

Moslem America ,Part 1

Daniel 12:7-12:12Moslem America ,Part 1. Aljazira, is the propaganda machine... Read More

A Worship Leader is a Spiritual Leader

This article is for worship leaders. And as such, I... Read More

A Time of Suffering

As the clock ticks down to the fateful day of... Read More

Jesus as a Philosopher

Why does every one believe that Jesus is the son... Read More

Living Proof: We are Living in the Days of Noah

A familiar phrase used in Bible prophecy is the term... Read More

Are You Doing the Good Part?

Just compare yourself to these two sisters.Even though they were... Read More

Mexican Catholics Forgotten

Many Mexican and Latin Catholics are dismayed that the Cardinals... Read More