I always enjoyed listening to Joel Osteen who is a Senior Pastor of a Huge Mega Church called Lakewood in Houston,TX. I liked his ability to tell captivating stories and always thought he was a talented motivational speaker. But Joel is also regarded as one of the nations highly touted Prosperity Pastors.
What is Prosperity Gospel and When Did It Come About ?
This form of ministry became famous in the last few decades thanks to a number of high profile Pastors. But it can really be traced back to two who are noted for starting it back in the 1980s... Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. They were at the top of their game with wealth and riches preaching that God would grant prosperity and abundance, including truckloads of money to propel a lavish lifestyle, to all those who were faithful and committed Followers of God's word. Their empire toppled after Jim was convicted of financial fraud. And lost much of the material wealth he and Tammy had acquired.
Many Prosperity Ministries Still Thriving Today...
As a matter of fact Pastor Dollar took his 'gospel of wealth' to new heights in 2014 as he launched a big fundraising campaign to get his congregation and followers to pay a whooping $60,000,000 for a new Gulfstream G650 jet. He advise that they pitch in and commit to giving at least $300 to the campaign so he could secure his new jet.
So what does ole Rob think about all this ??
I will politely defer this to a recent article written by a bright young woman who spent a number of years doing her doctoral studies on the Prosperity Gospel when she was 25 yrs. old at Yale Divinity School .She interviewed many televangelists and attended their Mega churches. She even admits that she experienced her own sort of Prosperity..
No matter how many times I rolled my eyes at the creed’s outrageous certainties, I craved them just the same. I had my own prosperity gospel, a flowering weed grown in with all the rest.
Married in my 20s to a lovely Mennonite. Then a baby in my 30s. I won a job at my alma mater straight out of graduate school. I felt breathless with the possibilities. It was a certainty, plain and simple, that God had a worthy plan for my life. I wanted God to make me good and make me faithful — with just a few shining accolades along the way. I was willing to accept some setbacks but thought each one would also serve as a step forward; any hardships would be only detours on my long life’s journey. I believed God would make a way.
I don’t believe that anymore.
Unfortunately, she has been stricken with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Her Life is completely on hold and is very uncertain. Needless to say, her questions about God and his plans for her are many. As well as the rationale of the Prosperity Gospel and how it does not always work for everyone.
Her article is really a good read and makes you think about God, Life, Mortality, the unfairness of Life to different people as well as the big question mark about "Abundance Preaching " .
===> Prosperity gospel ..the good, the bad , the ugly
Okay, okay I will tell you what I think...
I believe that telling people there is a surefire guarantee to wealth, happiness, and health if they are faithful in Following God's word is.. well complete nonsense. I believe these Prosperity Theologians have found they are very talented and skillful showmen who are good at separating people from their money. I'm not saying they are necessarily evil ( as I said I have listened to Osteen) but they have built highly profitable businesses in the name of Religion ..... and whether they meant to or not have taking advantage of people who in many cases are in desperate situations .
As for me I think I will hold on to my wallet and just give DIRECTLY to my Churches food pantry and just hold back Funds for my preacher's newest learjet !
Sincerely,
Robert
