Prosperity gospel... what does it say about the poor?

Jon, prosperity gospel is a gross distortion of Jesus' promise to provide for our needs. Its proponents have taken verses meant to promise *spiritual* riches and interpreted it to mean material wealth. As my professor of modern church history used to say "make Jesus your choice...you'll get a Rolls Royce!" (He was being facetious.)

Liberation theology, with all its problems and faults, is to me more biblical than prosperity theology.

There is very little in the "prosperity" Gospel that is of Jesus. If you are a member of the Body of Christ then whatever situation your in you must live it in truth. Bishop Fulton Sheen used to say that poverty is not a curse but it's only a mystery. Having said that though there are definitely some instances where a life of sin will drag a person down into poverty. The best thing is to just have enough for your own simple life and enough to share with the Church and others in need but not too much which can lead to temptation.

We have our favorites, and since we are made in the image of God, it is reasonable to assume He would be most favorably inclined towards those "on His side" especially when they are clustered together and helping each other.

That being said, it is not OK to amass goods while allowing others to suffer. We are all called as brothers and sisters to share our goods with one another.

The main point of all this prosperity business however, is to recognize what constitutes true value. God's ways are not our ways. Jesus when talking about praying for things answers with what is the greatest gift.

Luke 11:13

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

This then is true prosperity: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

God alone is enough.

Let nothing upset you, let nothing startle you.

All things pass; God does not change.

Patience wins all it seeks.

Whoever has God lacks nothing:

God alone is enough

- St Teresa Avila

peace

I guess the prosperity gospel would expect those less fortunate peoples of the world to buy a plane ticket to go see Joel Olsteen.

There's a pretty good book on this basic idea called Failing America's Faithful. It gets into politics a little, but basically asks what happened to the community work churches used to do.

This is one of my biggest problems with any of the "Churches" of today. How can any Minister, Preacher, Priest or whatever drive a BMW, Rolls Royce or any other high dollar automobile while working for the Lord? I always thought you give everything up to work for the Lord? But it seems so many of them gain and gain and gain? But what about the poor people in their ministries who cannot afford to eat or pay their light bills but continue to give their last $5 in church on Sunday because the Preacher has convinced them that is the only way they will get their "payday". The "prosperity gospel" has grown wings and is flying all over the congregations. It has gone way overboard and is ridiculous. It is running good people away from the church. Most of them intelligent people who can in the bat of an eye see through the what is truly going on.

What happened to listening to the word of God and gaining the knowledge of God? Going to church has now become keeping up with the Joneses and keeping our Preaches/Ministers/Priests in the glamorous life. Something has definitely gone astray. I've been seen it. It is quite disturbing and it only continues to get worse. The MEGA churches. When will it end? When will it go back to the simplicity of the word and glory of God? Someone needs to put the brakes on this thing and now!!!!

What did Jesus mean by "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit' "? Surely material poverty does not ipso facto translate into spiritual wealth. And of course, you would think that poverty of spirit would be what was to be avoided, right?

Jesus spoke Aramaic, a very "poor" language of maybe a 6,000 word vocabulary, much of which was devoted to fishery, the dominant industry and husbandry of his people.

(modern English has about 800,000 words, more than a hundred times what Aramaic had to work with). He simply had no available words for the kind of inner "self-confidence", emotional well-being, and mental enlightenment which are components of His "Kingdom of Heaven". Thus, he had to use parables and metaphors, because his conceptions exceeded the cultural vocabulary of his time.

This is my own interpretation. I hope it helps. Most people, even scholars, tend to ignore the huge limitations that language places upon human thinking.

You question, the lie.. God if there is a God, has put us on this earth, not to prosper, but to be tested for an after life if one exists..Your life and everything in it is TEMPORARY, and none of this can you take with you when you die..Jesus the prophet told the rich to give all they have to the poor and follow him.. They went away disheartened, for they had much..The Hypocrite so called Teachers of today, seek only wealth from the simple thinking, honest people,who wish to do right...This Prosperity Gospel is contrary to all that is of God and his purposes.. Jesus told his disciples "Take nothing with you, stay in places of those who welcome you,,and preach the gospel of the Lord.. Not,,, Go to where you can prosper,, buy yourself fine robes and build great churches,, and amass great wealth and material things.. I piety the teachers of this ''SHAM" way of thinking, and know that while they prosper from this farce,and the poor and in need of help remain without ,,these false prophets deserve the worst kind of punishment, that should be given!! For what you have done to the least of thy Brethren,, you have done to me!! The words of Jesus not mine..... SOLOMON

I've never heard of the prosperity gospel.

Prosperity probably means the ability to be open to God and the ability to give love in the name of God.

I think to read the Bible word for word is not going to bring you a real understanding of it. It is so much deeper than just literal.

Those that amass the material things just don't have the ability to give yet. They will figure it out someday, they don't know the true meaning of happiness.

I have a major problem with the Prosperity Gospel, and will make no attempts to mask my own diss on it.

I've seen it pushed hard on one of those daytime infomercials cleverly disguised as a preacher show, namely Robert Tilton. There's little along the lines of soul saving and loving of God and man. The entire program is about as inspirational as the fundraising phone desk slots they air on PBS.

The Bible based preaching is limited to tales of the great patriarchs in the O.T., who were rewarded by God for their service with long years of life, great herds and flocks, large tracts of land, lots of servants, wives, and children. The implication is that if you serve God - by calling in right now with a thousand dollar contribution (always pushing the thousand dollar gifts), you'll get financial rewards from God.

They cut to mini-documentary testimonials (and I wouldn't doubt they're more like mockumentaries.) I remember one with an East Indian man who had trouble finding a job for months, then he saw the show and mailed in his last thousand bucks, then he got a job offer. There was also a black lady, an elderly widow on her last dime in danger of losing her home to foreclosure. She sent Tilton her last thousand bucks, then somehow came into a windfall. Disgusting, eh? Sucking the final pittance from the hopelessly poor and unemployed in the name of God.

By the way, I was taught in Catholic high school that God rewarded the early Biblical figures with long and rewarding lives because when they died, they couldn't get into heaven yet since Jesus had yet to die and redeem us by his blood. (After death, they would be held in wait at a resting place the Jews call Sheol. When Jesus descended to the dead in the Creed, that's where he went.) From the true Christian perspective, those times are over, and many a blessed soul lives in poverty and builds an eternal treasure in heaven. Pray for those who scam riches in the name of a "prosperity gospel".

I don't always agree with the prosperity gospel teachings. I believe that God wants our spirits to prosper. (Which means growing in our relationship with God.)

Too many people love money more than God.

Paul wrote to give as you prosper. Jesus said to give your possesions to the poor and needy whenever you are able to. I'm sure you remember the parable of the good samaritan. We need to remember that all the stuff we have while on this earth , God provides for not only ourselves, but to others also, especially the ones who don't have the luxuries we do. Actually, all the things we have in this life belong to God. We are just borrowing it to do His work and to glorify Him. He can very easily take away what we gave us if he has to.