Mainstream media coverage of the prosperity gospel includes:
Does God want you to be rich? | A growing number of Protestant evangelists raise a joyful Yes! But the idea is poison to other, more mainstream pastors (Time)
Pastor Hinn in Nigerian money row | Whatever disappointment he felt on the first and second days of the miracle crusade, Hinn kept to himself - but he opened up with anger on the final day. (BBC News)
Black Baptists eschew 'prosperity preaching' | Thirty-five thousand Baptists are visiting Dallas this week. They represent the nation's largest African-American organization, the National Baptist Convention (WFAA, Dallas)
Pay the Lord! | The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has no visible doctrine or moral message and is almost silent on the Bible, but it believes passionately in generous "sacrifices" to the sect by its followers (Mail & Guardian, South Africa)
Our special section on Pentecostalism has more articles on the prosperity gospel, including:
Other Christianity Today articles on the Global South include:
Global Ultimatum | The larger meaning of Anglican leaders' demand that the Episcopal Church change its ways. (March 16, 2007)
"Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" | An excerpt from Philip Jenkins' new book, The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. (December 5, 2006)
God's Word in an Old Light | Philip Jenkins on how global South Christians read the Bible. (December 5, 2006)
Out of Africa | The leader of nearly 18 million Nigerian Anglicans challenges the West's theology and control. (July 2005)
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I know of people who have been absolutely devastated by someone dying because they believed 100% the person would be healed. What do we say to them? If their theology says to believe in healing and claim it in every situation so it will be done, then obviously their theology is wrong.Yet I think this is a reaction to our past lack of faith and expectation of God's miraculous. Those in poverty will often claim conversion through prosperity doctrine, so instead, for genuine and lasting conversion, they must understand there are people in the Bible like Paul--thorn in the flesh, tortured, jailed, etc etc and yet still knowing 'life in all it's abundance'. Miraculous healing, prophecy, tongues, visions, laughter, uncontrolled body actions (or parylizing) is all Bibilical, but can be also imitated by Satan, or even by our own bodies and minds. God can and does work in more miraculous ways today than it appears you have experienced, Bob. Joyce and Joel false prophets? Don't think!
Clinton
Posted: July 11, 2007 1:23 PM
I read this article and I was disgusted with what these pastors were doing in Nigeria and other African nations. It seems that this garbage gospel is exportable to those who are suffering every day. II Thessalonians 2 talks about apostasy in the last days. Just look in Scripture at those who were very wealthy. They received the wrath of God. I have seen the garbage that arises from many teachings from the Pentecostal denomination. This is also quite popular with African-Americans in America, with all of the wealth and prosperity. There is no preaching of repentance and faith with this stuff. These pastors are perverting the gospel to be pleasing to those people. The people in these congregations need to read Scripture and find out what the Bible says about those who receive wealth, especially dishonestly. We can only pray for the people in these churches and for the pastors to repent. Thank God for revealing to me past the vanity of the Prosperity Gospel.
Bob
Posted: July 11, 2007 8:39 AM
Disgusting article, but we should attack the root of the problem which is Pentecostalism itself- a movement based completely on carnality- getting riled up by loud, emotionally manipulative music, jumping around in the aisles, getting yourself so detached from your higher mind that you start babbling in "tongues", getting "slain in the spirit", crying, rolling around on the floor, seeing visions and prophecies, and all the rest of the things Pentecostals do so they can "feel" a different way. Pentecostalism isn't about Christianity- it's about making up doctrines and practices so that you can alter your mental state, like a drug user. The Prosperity Gospel is perfect for such people. Pentecostalism is the WWF of Christianity.
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