Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Dangerous Distortions of the "Prosperity Gospel"

What's wrong with the prosperity gospel, alternatively known as health and wealth teaching, word of faith, name it and claim it, and so on?

Well, besides the dramatic absence of a biblical foundation (and that, by the way, is no small problem), the prosperity gospel promotes confusion, guilt, selfishness, worldliness, the exploitation of innocents, and an ugly tarnishing of the Church's reputation.

Here are a couple of articles from a blog introduced to me by a missionary friend, Doug Nichols. The blog is called 9 Marks and I've found it of interest and value. You may too. Anyhow, here are the two articles dealing with the effects of the prosperity gospel.

* “Money: An Instrument for Blessing, Not an Indicator of It” by John Onwuchekwa.

* "Do You Know What Your Missionaries Actually Teach?" by Sean DeMars.