Typically, the largest
churches and most popular preachers in America today are those who preach
"the prosperity gospel." Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer,
Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Paula White, and
others have built vast empires with their "live in abundance"
messages. They claim that it is God's will for people to be financially
prosperous.
The prosperity gospel is
diametrically opposed to the true gospel. It calls for self-denial (Luke
9:23), not self-fulfillment; it promises persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), not
pleasure; and it focuses on heavenly treasure (Matthew 6:19-21), not earthly
riches. Consider the chart below.
This is not to say that
Christians have no reason to rejoice. We have every reason to rejoice. The
benefits of being a child of God are unparalleled. However, our joy is not
motivated by selfish ambition or rank materialism. It is not about getting job
promotions or the best parking spots at the mall. Our joy is based on
spiritual blessings, not physical betterment.
The prosperity gospel reduces
God to a "genie" desiring to grant our every wish, detracts
attention from what really matters by focusing on the fleeting fortunes and
temporal treasures of this world, and appeals to the worst instincts of
mankind - "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride
in possessions" (1 John 2:16). It is a "different" gospel
(Galatians 1:6).
|
True
Gospel |
Prosperity
Gospel |
| Self-denial |
Self-fulfillment |
| Conflict |
Comfort |
| Contentment |
Enticement |
| Persecution |
Pleasure |
| Sacrifice |
Accumulate |
| Tribulation |
Relaxation |
| Best life to
come |
Best life now |
| Heavenly
treasure |
Earthly riches |
