Christians: What is your take on the prosperity message that is being preached?Agree, disagree, neither? Why?

Answer 1

I don't believe in the basic emphasis of it--that God wants His children to be very rich and financially prosperous. I think He wants His children well-taken care of, and He's a good Father, but He doesn't want spoiled brats for kids either. I think that one of the tenets of the prosperity message as you refer to it (or the Word of faith movement as it's also called) is that a Christian has the power to speak a condition into existence simply by speaking it. That isn't true. God answers prayer, but He answers according to His will, not ours. He may choose to entrust a large sum of money to one of His children because He might have a purpose for that or He might not do that. It's up to Him. He is more interested in our becoming like His Son Jesus and glorifying Him with our lives rather than in making us comfortable. There have been many (probably millions) of true Christians over history that have been financially poor and yet rich in spirit.

Answer 2

Disagree with it completely, utterly, totally. It treats God like a magic piggy bank. Its proponents make the same mistake as the "why doesn't God heal amputees" crowd when dealing with the "whatever you ask in prayer shall be given" passages by mistaking them for low context messages and thus absolute when they are high context messages. A good example of a high context message, for those unfamiliar with the distinction between it and "low context", is one many people see every day, a "speed limit" sign. Almost all of us if we were on a street where the posted speed limit was 25 m.p.h. and saw a firetruck pass us by going much faster than that on its way to a burning house would conclude not that the driver was breaking the law, but that there were some unstated exceptions to the posted speed limit.because we have a high degree of knowledge about context behind the sign. Likewise, Jesus' audience would have understood that prayer was not meant to be an "open sesame" for riches.

Answer 3

Absolutely disagree. Prosperity theology is unbiblical. The problem is, it's popular because people like to hear about how their life is going to be perfect. If they say the magic words and do the magic rituals, they'll get rich, all will be right with their world, they'll finally be happy. It's easy.

True Christianity--if you have two coats, give one away; "blessed are the poor"; the one who stores up treasures on earth have already received their reward--is a religion of generosity and sacrifice. Of giving (and not just to the church, but to the food pantry down the block or the Katrina relief fund, or the famine relief fund, or to fight AIDS, or whatever cause you believe in) because it's right, not because of what it will get you. Karma is not a Christian concept.

True Christianity, truly following Jesus, is hard. There are some wealthy Christians (CEOs, etc.) who "reverse tithe." They live modestly, on 10% of their income, and give the rest away. I'd like to see those who preach a prosperity gospel do this. Joel Osteen, how about stepping up to the plate?

Answer 4

If you refer to the Health and Wealth gospel that is commonly agreed upon by well balnced believers to be heresy. However, the scriptures they use are in the Bible and can not be ignored. There is healing today,there is no way around these scriptures, but if every believer was meant to be healed Heaven would be empty. I pray for healing when I feel the prompting of the holy spirit,then I leave this in God's hands. I have experienced that sometimes people get healed and sometimes not. As for prosperity the same applies there are scriptures regarding this in the Bible that can not be ignored. In an over-reaction to those that feel every believer should be wealthy we don't want to ignore the practical scriptures regarding wealth. I came to Jesus in a community overseas that was studying Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and Cry Justice by Ron Sider coming from my hippie perspective of books like "The Love Of Possession is a Disease With Them" by Tom Hayden my perspective is slanted I admit. Go straight ot the Bible with your specific concerns in a topical study to find out what God says,just pray first for Him to open your heart to his answers for you. Some people need to get out of a poverty mindset and God may have something different to say to them than say the rich young ruler. Surprisingly the Bible has much to say about finances. Happy studying.

Answer 5

The prosperity message is blasphemy. Prosperity sermons always talk about how if you give you will receive and then the baskets start going around. They use Abraham as an example. This is nonsense. Look at Paul. I don't think that there is anyone who served God more faithfully than Paul and he was poor. Are you going to tell me that Paul was not serving God and thats why he is not prosperous? Another thing is in the New Testament when the word prosper is used it pertains to spiritual prosperity. " Verily I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enetr the Kingdom of Heaven." Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

It's actually a fine line.

Prosperity is promised. But so is heartache. Being involved with many large-scale churches, I can unfortunately assure you that the prosperity mostly goes to the leadership. (i.e. pastor, bishop, apostle, etc.)

But make no doubt, God does give promises for this life as well as the eternal. It just so happens that His road to success is different for every believer.

The great Apostle Paul, if he were in our day, would be considered a poor, church-splitting, rebellious believer who can't amount to anything successfull. Unwelcomed into any large church because of connections and affiliations from pastor to pastor. But we know different.

A general prosperity is promised, but what kind, type and time-tables is different for every single believer.

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Answer 7

I disagree with it completely. We are told in John 10:10 that we are to have the abundant life, but it never says that we are to have a life full of riches. We are to have the riches of grace that come from the death of Christ. Those are the riches we have. We are told in the Sermon on the Mount to store our treasures in heaven, not on earth. I don't think the prosperity message is biblical at all.

Answer 8

I find the message of prosperity typical to erroneous preaching. As is typical to erroneous messages, they base the message on a grain of truth, and then take away the context of it.

Where do they get that God promises prosperity? From the word 'salvation' itself.
Strong's Number: 03444
Original Word h[wXy passive
Word Origin participle of (03467)
Transliterated Word TDNT Entry
Y@shuw`ah TWOT - 929b
Phonetic Spelling
yesh-oo'-aw
Noun Feminine
Definition

1. salvation, deliverance
1. welfare, prosperity
2. deliverance
3. salvation (by God)
4. victory

So 'prosperity' is included in the meaning of the word.

And then with faith applied the expectation is to receive what God had promised. Nothing wrong with that either! But where the error comes in is the object 'faithed' for. The object faithed for is no longer God and His word, but riches, something that they put their trust in when they see it coming to them. Human nature is such that it rationalizes the material things as being from God, and that's partially true too, but the heart is divided as to who to serve more.

That's why I believe it is dangerous to the spirituality of the individual. The person then become focus on things, money being the main thing focused upon.

These people who learn this doctrine and put their trust in it are placing their expectations upon material things, and if it does not come, they are somehow not doing it right. The others in the group will tell that person that they must do this, and do that, so the focus is almost entirely carnal, with the focus being on their actions, instead of on the promise of God.

God knows the poor as well as the rich. We were not put here to make ourselves comfortable. We were put here to learn about God and what He thinks. A person on the path on the prosperity of himself does not die to them self . They predetermine their own path, something that God might not want for them.

Answer 9

The prosperity movement, is right about the scriptures, that they use to talk about prosperity, but the message that they preach is wrong. Yes we are to be prosperous, Yet a lot of the conditions aren't meet. Also God isn't going to make you prosperous if you can not handle, the prosperity.

Answer 10

It's a load of crap.

Jesus said we need to take up our cross and follow him. I personally have never known of a cross to symbolize wealth and prosperity, perfect health, or a gigantic house in the suburbs with a white picket fence.

Realistically, we need to be ready for the trials and sufferings in life, because they will come, like it or not...this is our cross.

Some Christians might be materially wealthy, which is fine. I would say the majority is not wealthy, but we should be content with what God gives us. Everything we have comes from His hand. And besides, material wealth isn't what matters. Spiritual wealth is what we should work toward.

God bless.