My views on the prosperity gospel
I have organized my arguments against the prosperity gospel into the following points. If you or your patients are struggling with the conflicting experience of illness and the health claims of the prosperity gospel, I hope my research will enlighten you.
Index
1.Prosperity gospel is a business
2. Christ died to make you rich& healthy?
3. Christians cannot fall sick?
4. No healing = No faith?
5. A lack of evidence.
6. Magical Words
7. A false worship
1. Prosperity gospel is a business
Prosperity gospel preachers are a mix bunch. There is no fix theology. They cannot be understood as a denomination, i.e. some are better grounded in basic bible doctrine while others can hold unconventional views. And they are also not one happy bunch. Allies and rivalries do exist among them.
It is easier to understand prosperity gospel churches as businesses. The focus of a business is profit. People are a source of income. Therefore the objective of a prosperity gospel church is to grow a bigger church and to increase the tithing yield of the church member. Preaching, bible studies, worship and all church activities are tools to reach the end point of profitability. 2 Corinthians 2:17 is the end point and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is the means to achieve this end.
So when it comes to topics of wealth and health, all gospel preachers tend to hold similar views. They will quote many bible verses to prove the legitimacy of their teachings.
Cultwatch provides a good account on the business practices of prosperity gospel preachers. The techniques describes bears great similarities to a popular prosperity gospel church in Singapore. See
http://www.cultwatch.com/howpastorsgetrich.html
or download it here
I have organized my arguments against the prosperity gospel into the following points. If you or your patients are struggling with the conflicting experience of illness and the health claims of the prosperity gospel, I hope my research will enlighten you.
Index
1.Prosperity gospel is a business
2. Christ died to make you rich& healthy?
3. Christians cannot fall sick?
4. No healing = No faith?
5. A lack of evidence.
6. Magical Words
7. A false worship
1. Prosperity gospel is a business
Prosperity gospel preachers are a mix bunch. There is no fix theology. They cannot be understood as a denomination, i.e. some are better grounded in basic bible doctrine while others can hold unconventional views. And they are also not one happy bunch. Allies and rivalries do exist among them.
It is easier to understand prosperity gospel churches as businesses. The focus of a business is profit. People are a source of income. Therefore the objective of a prosperity gospel church is to grow a bigger church and to increase the tithing yield of the church member. Preaching, bible studies, worship and all church activities are tools to reach the end point of profitability. 2 Corinthians 2:17 is the end point and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is the means to achieve this end.
So when it comes to topics of wealth and health, all gospel preachers tend to hold similar views. They will quote many bible verses to prove the legitimacy of their teachings.
Cultwatch provides a good account on the business practices of prosperity gospel preachers. The techniques describes bears great similarities to a popular prosperity gospel church in Singapore. See
http://www.cultwatch.com/howpastorsgetrich.html
or download it here
cultwatch.com-cultwatch__how_pastors_get_rich.pdf | |
File Size: | 93 kb |
File Type: |
Businessweek wrote an article on Edir Macedo a prosperity gospel preacher in Brazil
Macedo is worth US $1.2billion. This article discusses his church practices and especially his business empire built on his gospel. See
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/edir-macedo-brazils-billionaire-bishop
Or download it here
Macedo is worth US $1.2billion. This article discusses his church practices and especially his business empire built on his gospel. See
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/edir-macedo-brazils-billionaire-bishop
Or download it here
edir_macedo_brazils_billionaire_bishop_-_businessweek.pdf | |
File Size: | 941 kb |
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2. Christ died to make you rich and healthy?
Prosperity gospel claims the atonement of Christ results in both spiritual & physical healing of the believer and being free from poverty. Prosperity gospel likes to quote Isaiah 53:4 ‘and by his wounds we are healed’ to say we can be free of physical pain and suffering .
Isaiah 53 4-5
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Now look at
1 Peter 2 :24
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
By leaving out the bulk of Isaiah 53:5 it does seem that because of the physical death of Jesus, we are healed of our pain and suffering mentioned in verse 4.
From the complete reading of both verses it is clear the Jesus died for our sins. And indeed we will be healed ultimately when we receive our resurrection bodies described in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57. He did not die so we may become healthy or rich in our earthly life
Putting the gospel in a bigger perspective, let’s look at the cost of following Jesus. In the days of Jesus the cross was a sign of ultimate punishment and horrifying death. Jesus told his disciples to carry the cross. Jesus himself carried the cross and died on the cross.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Jesus meant that following Him meant earthly suffering. Eternal life is free but discipleship is costly. Prosperity gospel has distorted the work of Christ on the cross. The cross in the prosperity gospel has become a plus sign to earn more money or a heal sign for health.
3. Christians cannot fall sick?
Some prosperity gospel preachers claim believers should not be sick
Read John 9:1-7 on Jesus comments on a man born blind. Sickness itself is not a sin. Sinful acts can sometimes cause sickness but not always.
From my previous article “Medicine as a ministry”
“However not everyone seeking to be healed for a physical ailment will be of healed of it. Sometimes the healing is spiritual, emotional or healing of relationships. Not being healed physically should not be confused with unanswered prayers or that God’s promises are not fulfilled. For example someone who is stricken with a terminal illness prays to God and is restored in his relationship with God and his family. Sometimes to continue in suffering is God’s will for our growth. Paul’s thorn in the flesh is a classic case.”
Biblical examples of godly people who were very sick
Genesis 27:1 Isaac was nearly blind. He could not differentiate the faces of his children. He was blind for the last 50 years of his life. Isaac was 130 years old when Jacob tricked him into given him the birthright blessing. Isaac died when he was 180 years old
Job physical sufferings
1 King 1:1David was old and weak
2 Kings 13:14 Elisha the prophet suffered and died from illness
2 Timothy 4:20 Trophimus was so sick that Paul left him behind during his journeys
Philippians 2:27 Epaphroditus was so ill that he almost died
1 Timothy 5:23 Timothy had stomach problems and other frequent ailments
2 Corinthians 12:7-8 Paul and his thorn in the flesh
Galatians 4:13-14 Paul had an illness
So this begs the question to the prosperity gospel preachers themselves. What would they die of? Some preachers will give the example of Moses
Deuteronomy 34:7
Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.
Prosperity gospel preachers believe Christians will die like Moses. Not from sickness or accidents. They will be healthy till the day God calls them home. However history tells a different story. Here is a website detailing examples of prosperity gospel preachers and their families stricken with illness.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/sick.htm
Or download the pdf version here
deceptioninthechurch.com-sick_healers.pdf | |
File Size: | 61 kb |
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4. No healing = No faith?
Some prosperity gospel preachers believe if there is no healing then there is not enough faith. Or maybe there is no genuine faith. The theology that follows is that if a person does not have enough faith to be healed then he does not have enough faith to be saved either. Some preachers make this point obvious while others skirt around this issue
Benny Hinn
“When Israel came out of Egypt. God performed an incredible miracle, and that is when He healed all of Israel. The Israelites were all healed when they ate the Passover. When people are saved, they ought to be healed at the same time. The reason so many are not healed, they’re not out yet”
Look at
Romans 3:22
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
We are saved because we believe. Not because we are physically healed or able to display any of the fruits of the spirit and definitely not because of our works. If anyone preaches this equation not healed = not saved, he preaches another gospel.
5. A lack of evidence.
The authenticity of the bible is backed with evidence. The amount of evidence supporting the bible is staggering. God invites people to check Him out Psalms 34:8 and that He does not lie. Numbers 23:19.
There is no objective evidence that being a Christian vs other religions results in a better chance of recovering from a physical illness or lesser chance of being stricken with a deadly disease. Being religious follower in any of the world’s major religion (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism ) is not a major risk factor causing or reducing the prevalence of major disease (cardiovascular disease and cancer ). And neither is it a frontline treatment modality. Experienced doctors would also realize that Christian patients are no better off in mortality and morbidity compared to non-Christian patients. And in all disease outcomes, there will always be some patients that will do well despite the odds. The religious patients will attribute it to their gods or prayers or miracle healing. The non religious patients will attribute it to a healthy lifestyle, supportive family, positive thinking and luck. Because the lack of healing is obvious, it is a problem for the prosperity preachers. Most preachers will flaunt their massive church tithing, grand buildings, the rich and famous among their congregation. But there is not one of these churches who will conduct a disease survey to prove that the prevalence of major illnesses is lower in their midst or the rate of miraculous physical healings is high. Miracle healings often quoted as individual testimonials. And they usually deal with ill defined symptoms (headaches, myalgias, infertility). In cancer patients’ testimonials, it is difficult to differentiate if there is a miracle healing has taken place or the patient is in remission.
When prosperity gospel preachers are asked for evidence of healing in their congregation, they will usually boast that many were healed and some will boast of the dead being raised. But often there is very little real medical evidence. In Evidence based medicine concept, individual patient testimonials would not be counted as a reliable source of evidence. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence-based_medicine. There is no prospective study ever done by a prosperity gospel church on the relapse rate of patients who had testified of healing. And I think such a study won’t be done.
Todd Bently is a charismatic preacher who conducts regular healing sessions. Once he challenged the media to investigate his claims. ABC news approached him and could not find any real evidence of miracle healings.
ABC news on Todd Bently
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/FaithMatters/story?id=5338963&page=1#.UYpup7WnB8E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZERtv9aHQU
ABC newson Todd Bently | |
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Below are 2 non religious websites that provides scientific review of faith healing
Cancer.org website has a short discussion on faith healing and the medical evidence for it. It refers to research that suggest that cancer patients would have better outcomes if they had sought medical treatment instead of just relying on faith healing.
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyandspirit/faith-healing
Articles from www. cancer. org
faith_healing.pdf | |
File Size: | 125 kb |
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placebo_effect.pdf | |
File Size: | 219 kb |
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The following article from quackwatch.com is written by a doctor who probably does not believe in miracles or prayer. But it is still a worthy document to read because it is a logical critique of miracle healing and refers to medical research done on faith healing. There is a lack of medical evidence that faith healing promotes physical healing. The author argues that a physically healing should be an occurrence that can be scientifically documented. I agree with him. For example, the blind can see, the deaf hear, or the paralysed walk again.
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/faith.html
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/faith.html
quackwatch.com-some_thoughts_about_faith_healing.pdf | |
File Size: | 65 kb |
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6. Magical words
Prosperity gospel believes sickness can be healed by faith with the correct words and positive thinking.
Favorite mis-quotes on faith from prosperity gospel preachers
Matthew 15:28 & Luke 17:6
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 21:21
Matthew 25:31
John 14:12
Favorite mis-quotes on power of the word - both good and bad words
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 12:18
Ephesians 4:29
Matthew 12:36
Matthew 15:18
John 1:1
John 8:31-32
Romans 10:8
Please use Rift tagger to read through these verses.
Using a template of a typical motivational message, and peppering them with some these verses in correct sequence, it is easy to deliver a message that says Christians need to have a high self esteem and think positively. Some prosperity preachers stretch this idea that even God Himself used faith in His own words to effect creation. They will quote just every creation in Genesis 1 was preceded by 'God said'
Compare having faith in words and positive thinking with the practice of magic or occult
Definition of MAGIC by Merriam Webster
a. the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
b. magic rites or incantations
Can you see the similarities? Misquoting bible verses and redefining them is Satan’s style of speaking in half lies. It is the same way snake spoke to Eve in Genesis 3:1-4 and Satan to Jesus in Matthew 4:5.
7. A false worship
Prosperity gospel is growing. But big numbers does not mean God is blessing the movement. Very often God uses the opposite which is being small and weak to demonstrate His sovereignty.
Here are some examples
Only Noah and 7 other members of his family were saved from the great Flood. The rest of humanity was wrong about the coming rain.
God choose Israel, a small nation as a testimony to the world Deuteronomy 7:7
Only Joshua and Caleb survived to enter the promise Land. (Out of about 2 million Israelites exiles from Egypt)
God told Gideon to systematically cut down from 32000 to 300 men to launch an attack on the Midianites. In Judges 7:2, God gave His reason for this cut back.
I believe that the prosperity gospel church is the church of Laodicea ( Revelations 3:14-18). I also believe that one interpretation of the 7 churches of Revelations refer to a chronological timeline of the 7 most prominent church of the ages. Following this interpretation the prosperity gospel church has been prophesied as the last prominent church before Christ returns.
An expansion of this interpretation of this chapter can be found at
http://www.versebyverseministry.org/resource_library/bible_studies/revelation_2011/
The message of the church of Laodicea starts from time 28:44
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Or you can download the pdf version here.
The message for church of Laodicea starts from Page 8 |
I myself have benefited from the verse by verse ministry podcasts. I find the messages well grounded in scripture. I would recommend listening to their other messages.
Final Words
Not everyone attending a prosperity gospel church is seeking for wealth and health. There are many Christians who want to worship God will attend these churches because of their size and popularity. I believe the gospel of salvation is found in these churches because they still point to Christ. But growing up with prosperity gospel is like being among the thorns and choked by them in the parable of the Sower. (Matthew 13)
Final Words
Not everyone attending a prosperity gospel church is seeking for wealth and health. There are many Christians who want to worship God will attend these churches because of their size and popularity. I believe the gospel of salvation is found in these churches because they still point to Christ. But growing up with prosperity gospel is like being among the thorns and choked by them in the parable of the Sower. (Matthew 13)
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law " Deuteronomy 29:29
A study of medicine with evidence from the bible
This website is the sole property of Dr Benjamin Cheah
Materials excluding links on this website are not copyrighted. They may be reproduced and distributed without fees.
This website is the sole property of Dr Benjamin Cheah
Materials excluding links on this website are not copyrighted. They may be reproduced and distributed without fees.