Is the Prosperity Gospel Recession Proof?
Posted on June 29th, 2008 by catalyst into the Prosperity Doctrine categoryThis is another installment in my occassional series on the financial status of the United States.
Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein shares his thoughts on the future of our economy:
This thing's going down, fast and hard. Corporate bankruptcies, bond defaults, bank failures, hedge fund meltdowns and 6 percent unemployment. We're caught in one of those vicious, downward spirals that, once it gets going, is very hard to pull out of.
Pearlstein recently won the Pulitzer, precisely because he predicted that our nation was in financial trouble. And Steve doesn't blame Republicans or Democrats, he blames the American people for living a lifestyle beyond their means.
And in my mind the "prosperity doctrine" is just another byproduct of America's prosperity entitlement mentality. That somehow Americans believe God wants everyone to be rich, and God wants everyone to live a lavish lifestyle. I think we're going to find out real quick that this simply isn't true.
It's also one of the positives I see in this Recession. The curtain is being pulled back on the prosperity gospel, and more and more people are recognizing it for the fraud that it is. And perhaps people will stop going to church to learn how to be rich, but instead will start attending church to learn about the Love and Grace of God.
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June 29th, 2008 at 11:33 am
That’s something new to ponder - I haven’t thought of it going beyond the doctrine itself being wrong.
Maybe the severe financial shaking is the only thing that will help us once again open the door to God, for us and for the world we’d like to reach.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Is the Prosperity Doctrine Recession Proof?
Time will certainly tell. Let’s see if or when hard-working Americans lose the money they earned magically ends up in all the Word Of Faithers bank accounts who don’t have to do a dang thing to get it other than declare they are the manifest sons of God. What’s that scripture they quote about a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous?
Talk about The Entitlement Generation. Come to Jesus folks and you too will be ‘under the embrella’ of God’s protection entitled to benefit from the pain of your neighbor’s sudden loss. (who for some reason God doesn’t like as much).
June 30th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
If you check out Justin Peter’s site: (http://www.justinpeters.org) please be sure to see “demo.” This is an overview of his seminar exposing the WoF movement/prosperity gospel and is excellent!
Justin spoke at my church and comes highly recommended by my pastor, Dr. John MacArthur.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Very good presentation. W of F is a effed up doctrine for sure. Click here to check it out
July 12th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Oh and by the way…how can anyone believe anything that guys like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Myles Munroe, Creflo Dollar or Oral Roberts say? Why are their so many dumb ass Christians buying into this crap? I mean Gloria Copeland saying we have the power to dissipate tornados, Creflo Dollar saying we are gods, and Myles Munroe saying God can do nothing on earth without humans giving Him permission! Where do they get this stuff? What a bunch of total freaks!!! And look at all those people sitting in the audience agreeing to this heresy? This is a 100% perversion of God’s word. We really need to expand this website to take these guys down. A 21st century reformation is beginning and God is calling more people up to stand up and fight back. I hope and pray God will use me to help destroy this garbage.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
ex-CBS,
Dig your militant spirit … if you are going to war with them just don’t take a jack knife to a tank fight!
… um …I think the answer is contained in the question.
Nothing incites the flesh more than a good ‘ol prosperity sermon complete with God paying out 12:1 on offerings tonight .. expect a bless’n!
Don’t dismay ex, narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and few there be that find it. Stay on the narrow road.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
What about Todd Bentley, the latest and greatest ‘revival leader’ — he’s an angel whisperer/ he talks to Emma the Angel and of Portals of Heaven and 3rd heavens complete with spirit guides etc — and all the charasmania conference kings and queens are flocking to Lakeland Florida for an impartation from The Latest Himself from Fresh Fire Ministries.
THEN the self-appointed Prophetic big shots fly down there to jump on the bandwagon to validate him. Sheesh. Is Peter the Wagner the President of the Body of Christ that he can endorse or not endorse?? Who made him the Leader??? He’s not MY leader. He’s a joke. I thought he was moving to Canada. Wish he would or take all these weirdos with him to the Next Galaxy.
Talk about gullible and a manifestation sidelining counterfeit. It makes my blood boil. If ‘Revival’ is ever to come it won’t be through these guys or through us (as we are now). History tells us it comes to people who are seeking the Lord Himself and His holiness in pureness of heart and motives.
Note: I emailed you RP about it but so far you’re not touching it, but it’s your blog. (sorry Catalyst, I don’t have an email address for you)
July 13th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Aw, my bad, I linked you to the wrong website in my previous post since I didn’t look it up first to verify the correct address. Todd Bently’s
Strange FireFresh Fire website is actually this one . You can see a vast difference between the two websites. One looks sincere and nonassuming and like the poor guy is just trying his best to serve the Lord in his way; the other looks like a SHARK!Btw, did I tell you they now have ATMs available at the Todd Bentley shows so you can just go withdraw money for the offerings? Someone on this blog mentioned that Frank did that or was thinking of doing that.
July 13th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
This website is doing a pretty good job of examining the world of Odd Bentley.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Quotes from William A. Dembski is research professor of philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Disgusting. We have to stop these morons. They are destroying lives.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Cool Anna, that’s where we read up on the exploits of Odd Bently — Wow, there’s alot on that blog about all sorts of oddness that’s morphing into something quite “un”natural. Granted, God is into doing supernatural stuff since HE is supernatural but He isn’t into charging $40 per prophecy and definitely not into having women disrobe for ‘a word’ — although that would be Bob Jones, Bentley’s mentor, who is known for that little indiscretion. And I doubt God is into having ATMs on the premises so His people can gullibly give their money to false prophets. Jesus needs to run through there with his whip of wrath like he did with the money mongers in the temple back in the day!
Ex-City Business Slave said:
Couldn’t agree more! They discredit God’s good and perfect gifts by using His name for their own fortune and fame.