Secretly believing the prosperity gospel.
Nov 6th by Jon- Tagged in:
- Guest Post
(I like to think I’m funny and have big faith until I meet people like Michael Kelly. He’s a writer with a hilarious wit but it’s his heart that struck me most. When I first met him, he told me, “I was headed down this path of being an author until my two year old son got leukemia and my priorities changed.” He’s years down the road on that journey and it’s been a great privilege to learn about the miracles God has worked in Michael’s family. Today, in further proof that big faith and big funny can live in the same person, Michael joins us for a guest post on Stuff Christians Like. Enjoy.)
Secretly Believing the Prosperity Gospel
There are a few whipping girls and boys for conservative evangelicals out there—you know, the ones where we sit down and drink non-alcoholic beverages together and talk about how screwed up the way those people think about God is. It’s a pretty distinguished list, when you think about it. Of course, there are those you expect to find: Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Brad Pitt.
But then there are also those on the “whip it” list that would only be known to the non-drinkers. And many of these people—Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar—get the nasty stick because they preach what has become known as the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel, in a nutshell, is that it’s never God’s will for you to be sick, or sad, or poor. Those with the greatest faith are also the most prosperous, and so “blessing” from God is basically incurred in a cosmic flea market. You bring the Big Guy your good stuff and He gives you some of His good stuff from the heavenly storehouse. You give money away then you gain it right back and then some. You pray with a holy handkerchief and your shingles go away.
Reprehensible, right?
Right . . . except that there’s still a piece of us that kind of likes that idea. It would, after all, be a lot easier than the whole “grace” and mysterious sovereignty issue we unfortunately have to deal with. So we keep this little piece of the prosperity theology tucked away in our treasure box, and only break it out late at night when none of our Bible-thumping buddies can make fun of us.
Here’s a few ways in which we secretly believe the prosperity gospel, but shhhhh…. Don’t tell anyone…
1. The little things.
We don’t really believe that God wants us to have our own private island. But when you’re driving around at the mall on the weekend after Thanksgiving and suddenly the space opens up right in front of Sears, isn’t there a little part of you that thinks, “Bam! Step off the Lord’s anointed one! I’ll be in and out with my BBQ tools in 10!” And in that moment, aren’t you glad you had your quiet time that morning?
2. Selective scriptural interpretation.
Sure, there were a lot of poor folks in Scripture. And some of them got their heads chopped off. But what about Abraham? That brutha was full of faith, and he got more kids than sand. And Job? Well, there is that bit about him losing everything he held precious in his life, but hey—he got it all back and then some! If they were rich, why not me?
3. Keeping track of “blessings on layaway.”
Your write that check for a missionary every month. You make out the check to the First Church of Community Riverside of Spiritual Development (campus 3). You even gave some spare change to that dude with the dog the other day. And in your treasure box, there’s a little mental checklist that waits for the ROI to come rolling in. You have been faithful with little, so…
4. The heavenly barter system.
Granted, this one kind of went out of style when we left college, but before then, we were very interested in trading God our church attendance for a new bike. Or Scripture memory for that chick’s phone number. But even though we’ve grown in these areas, we still like the thought that we can grease the divine palm with a little obedience: “Oh, street evangelism is very uncomfortable for me, God. But I know you want those people to hear about Jesus. Maybe I could be persuaded by a certain Mr. Benjamin?”
Yes, the prosperity gospel is alive and well. Fortunately for us, we can still hold onto in these small ways and yet still pick up with beating stick when the conversation inevitably turns the way of Mr. Osteen.
(For more from Michael, check out his blog michaelkelleyministries.wordpress.com or the publication he writes for threadsmedia.com)
Comments
Christ puts us back in our place when we think we've earned some sort of kick-back in participating in the witness of His glory in Luke 17:7-10.
Luke 17:7"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? 8Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"
"…if we know anything of growth in grace and desire to know more, let us not be surprised if we have to go through much trial and affliction in this world. I firmly believe it is the experience of nearly all the most eminent saints. Like their blessed Master, they have been men of sorrows, acquainted with grief, and perfected through sufferings (… See More Isa. 53:3; Heb. 2:10). It is a striking saying of our Lord, "Every branch in Me that bears fruit [my Father] purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2).
"It is a melancholy fact, that constant temporal prosperity, as a general rule, is injurious to a believer’s soul. We cannot stand it. Sicknesses and losses and crosses and anxieties and disappointments seem absolutely needful to keep us humble, watchful and spiritual–minded. They are as needful as the pruning knife to the vine and the refiner’s furnace to the gold. They are not pleasant to flesh and blood. We do not like them and often do not see their meaning. "No chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11). We shall find that all worked for our good when we reach heaven. Let these thoughts abide in our minds, if we love growth in grace." JC Ryle, Chaper 6: Growth from His book "Holiness"
I know this is an old post, but wanted to throw in that I heard Joel Olsteen preach about finding a parking spot as a blessing from God . . . from the sound of his congregations's reaction, you would have thought they were giving him a standing O . . .
[...] Do you? I’m guilty…sometimes. I’m happy for Michael Kelley pointing these things out. Below are the 4 main points. I’m occasionally guilty of point 3. Check out the full read here. [...]