Today, I dropped by Dr. Michael L. Brown’s Facebook page, Ask Dr. Brown, and the question of the day had to do with what is “right or wrong” with the so-called prosperity gospel. So I decided to post my thoughts here, as well.
Personally, I find almost nothing that is “right” with the prosperity Gospel, because it is so tied up with the presumptuousness of Replacement theology. And there is much about it that is wrong. I’ll try to be brief.
The prosperity gospel is no gospel at all, because it reduces relationship with the living God of the universe to a “what have you done for me lately,” materialistic “devotion in exchange for a payoff in this life” exchange. This is not what Messiah Yeshua preached.
His parable of the rich man and Lazerus makes it clear that those who receive wealth and comfort in this life, and fail to share it with others, will not receive good things in the world to come.
It’s underlined by his Olivet sermon, in which he teaches “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.”
Not to mention the fact that the prosperity gospel fails to wrestle seriously with the problem of suffering in this present age, dismissing all such things as “the just results of sin.”
Tell that to a survivor of the Holocaust, or a family who has lost their child to a serial killer’s rampage.
The prosperity gospel is truly no gospel at all, because its “good news” is the lie that relationship with God in this life promises nothing greater or more meaningful than … material reward in this life.
Meaningless! Insincere. Unserious. And untrue.
There’s no “good news” to be found there.
Excellent!!! Agreed on the summary.