Do You Know the History of the Prosperity Gospel?
By Pastor Ryan deJonge
Let us start with one of the most famous prosperity gospel preachers, Kenneth Copeland. What he says summarizes this false gospel.
He states: “If you have an abundance in your natural bank account, you can enjoy plenty of material things. If you have an abundance of faith in your spiritual account, you can enjoy plenty of everything—wealth, health, good relationships, peace, success.”
Prosperity or “Health and Wealth” or “Name It and Claim It” teachings use biblical words in their books and magazines. They use words like faith, spiritual, blessing, peace, and so on, and you can easily believe that they are teaching the truth.
But are they?
Is prosperity teaching biblical? Is the prosperity gospel the same as the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
In this article, we will look at the history and teachings of the prosperity gospel so that we can understand it better and discern the truth.
According to one author, Kate Bowler, in her book, “Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel” there are three streams that flow together to make the river of the prosperity gospel:
(1) a non-Christian philosophy called New Thought;
(2) Pentecostalism, and
(3) “The American Dream”
The first stream is called New Thought. It shows the very shaky foundation of the Prosperity Gospel. The grandfather of prosperity teaching is E.W. Kenyon. He took New Thought teaching and mixed it together with Christianity. He taught that there are spiritual laws that rule the universe and that the key to success is to understand those laws and use them for your own benefit. One of the laws is the power of words. If you speak words with a strong faith, your words can make things come true or come to life. Very sadly, Kenyon took this to mean that you can manipulate and control God by your words.
The second stream is that of Pentecostalism. Pentecostalism is a branch of Christianity that began in America in the early 1900s. At the beginning, this Christian movement focussed on speaking in tongues, believing it to be the most important sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life. In addition to speaking in tongues, Pentecostalism has also emphasized healing and deliverance from demons. But prosperity teaching took that emphasis on healing and deliverance and focussed it on material things. The gift of healing, prosperity teaching claimed, shows that God blesses His people with good health. Deliverance from demons, they said, means deliverance from poverty and economic trouble so that Christians can become rich and successful.
In the early days of prosperity teaching many Pentecostals were opposed to it. For example, the teachings of Oral Roberts, one of the early leaders of the prosperity movement, were not accepted in his own Pentecostal Holiness Church at their 1953 General Conference. However, he bought acceptance. After pledging $50,000 to his denomination, the leadership in the church began to like and accept him again. Sadly, prosperity teaching was eventually accepted and the “Health and Wealth” gospel now fills many Pentecostal churches.
The third stream of the prosperity gospel is American culture and what many call The American Dream. This dream is this: that a better life with more money and therefore more happiness is possible for anyone and everyone.
From the Bible, we learn that Jesus gave up his heavenly riches to become a servant (Philippians 2), and we are to have the same attitude as him.
Kate Bowler calls this the American “gospel.” According to this “gospel,” if you work hard enough, are smart with your money, believe in yourself, and are willing to take some risks, then you too can become famous and rich. After all, the thinking goes, many of the famous and rich of America were once poor people too.
While the American “gospel” does not include asking God for help in this process, it was very easy for American Prosperity teachers to add God in. If the so-called American “gospel” could promise more money and happiness without God’s help, they said, then certainly with God’s help there would be an even greater chance at success!
Of course, greed has played a major part in the history of the prosperity gospel. Not only do its teachings encourage believers to become greedy by asking God for wealth, but many of the teachers themselves live greed-filled lives. Kenneth Copeland is one of the most famous Prosperity teachers. He owns an 18-million-dollar home in Texas, while his church maintains a fleet of jets, including one that costs 20 million dollars.
Where does Kenneth Copeland’s money come from? From God?
Actually, it comes from the donations of millions of followers who donate and buy his books and magazines in the hope of becoming rich and happy themselves. One critic of the Prosperity movement describes Health and Wealth teachers like this: “They live like multi-billionaires off income from the poorest and most desperate people in our society.” As prosperity teachings spread, these poor and desperate people are found all over the world.
The worst part of prosperity teachings, however, is not greed and luxurious lifestyles. The worst part is that it twists, confuses and warps the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Kenneth Copeland lies when he says, “The gospel to the poor is that Jesus has come and they don’t have to be poor anymore!”
This is deceptive.
This is fraudulent.
This is not according to the Bible.
From the Bible, we learn that Jesus gave up his heavenly riches to become a servant (Philippians 2), and we are to have the same attitude as him. Paul speaks against greed, and calls it idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Paul’s own lifestyle was a model of modesty and contentment (Acts 20:33-35), and he calls believers to the same modest lifestyle (1 Timothy 2:9; Hebrews 13:5).
But what about 2 Corinthians 8:9, where the Apostle Paul says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich”?
Prosperity Gospel teachers love to point this text out, so we need to consider it carefully. First, we should notice that Paul is speaking here about giving away wealth and possessions, not about receiving them. He highlights the example of Macedonians who were generous even though they were poor. Second, the wealth that Paul is speaking about is the wealth of spiritual blessings, the kind of riches that he speaks about in Ephesians 1, where he says that we have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), which he also calls “the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not that Jesus has come to give us lots of money and possessions, to bless our greed, or to allow us to live healthy, wealthy lives on earth.
The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus has come and paid the penalty for our sins, sins like greed and envy.
Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered on the cross and died because God the Father is terribly angry with these sins. It is only when we repent of these sins and believe in Christ’s atoning sacrifice for us that God the Father forgives our sins and receives us as His children. And those who love Christ, really love HIM, and Him alone, are willing to give up earthly riches, fame, and even good health in order to serve the Kingdom of Christ and bring glory to God.
So, is the prosperity gospel biblical?
No. The prosperity gospel has much more to do with greed, materialism, and idolatry than it does with gospel of Jesus Christ, and those who promote it are promoting demonic lies that lead many astray from the true riches of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.