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The Daily Tar Heel

Preaching prosperity gospel not Christian

A crowd of more than 9,000 gathered last August for a Christian conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Those headlining the conference focused on teaching the “prosperity gospel,” a doctrine that promises abundant financial blessings from God in exchange for your own generous giving to a pastor or ministry.

Looking at the economic state of the world, it’s easy to imagine the appeal of such a promise, but the message is a sham and a reckless Christianized distortion of the American dream.

The prosperity gospel is a complete departure from the message of love and sacrifice Christians claim to believe. And, most notably, from the teachings of Jesus, whom they claim to follow.

This so-called “doctrine” is an unfortunate blending of American culture with the teachings of Jesus.

The false teaching is hypocritical and contrary to the life of the homeless and penniless Jesus as described by the Christian faith. A man who would be completely out of place in much of the American church.

The American Dream, such an integral part of the culture of the United States, has slowly made its way into American Christianity.

Many Christians have grown to believe that the “prosperity gospel” is solid theology and that the buying and selling of God’s blessing has biblical credibility.

However, a cursory glance at the words of Jesus is all that is needed to expose the teaching for what it is: a scam. Jesus’ teachings explicitly spoke to the idea of prosperity by asking, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole word and forfeits his soul?”

Jesus did not promise his supporters a comfortable American lifestyle complete with a white picket fence and a house in the suburbs.

Instead, he warned that whoever desired to be his follower must “deny himself and pick up his cross daily.”

How can anyone claim to follow a man whose life was lived with “no place to lay his head” and ended in execution, and yet live a life focused on wealth accumulation and comfortable living?

Christian leaders in poorer countries, unaccustomed to the luxuries Americans enjoy, do not preach prosperity theology.

However, the propagators of the teaching, whether they are dishonest televangelists broadcast across the country or well-meaning missionaries, are exporting the gospel of money to the world’s poorest places and to people who cannot afford to be duped by false doctrines.

John Piper, one of the most vocal opponents of the prosperity gospel, summed up the destructive message saying, “Believe this message and your pigs won’t die and your wife won’t have miscarriages. And you’ll have rings on your fingers and coats on your backs.”

Rather than selling the less fortunate a “gospel,” Christians should be giving their own time and money and energy to help them. Donation-free.

If Jesus were alive today, he would probably have some harsh words for the Christian leaders spreading false doctrine, just as he spoke against the religious leaders in his own time.

Ryan Lee is a freshman English major from Lewisville. Contact Ryan at leery@email.unc.edu.

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