Prosperity Gospel

I had no idea that this term actually exists; "prosperity gospel". But it does. It's a subject I don't know too much about, obviously, but when I heard this story about an American televangelist "seeing the light", I immediately knew this is worth sharing.

_{Image by brett jordan - source: Flickr}

We live in dire times. Contradictions are accentuated and polarization grabs hold everywhere; income-inequality has reached historical heights, nations and superpowers are fighting trade-wars that can lead to conventional wars, within and between national borders the resurgence of the significance of the nation-state is felt in increasing tension between racial, religious and ethnic divides, citizens are pitted against their governments and all the while we're blindly heading toward ecological disaster after ecological disaster. The neoliberal ideology that is the cause of much of this mess shows no sign of backing down, for it's the winners of that game who still shape public opinion. Their gospel is the one that says we need more freedom in the market, and less government regulation, and that your success as well as your failure in the economy is 100% your personal responsibility, and produces self-help gurus who give speeches and write books telling you that you're the sole master of your destiny.

This gospel of extreme individualism has expanded into the church in the form of the televangelists I think we've all seen before, even if only in a Hollywood film. They became infamous for claims they made about being able to perform miraculous healings, healings that proved fake when investigated. But the "prosperity gospel" is a specific form of televangelism:

Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success, or seed faith) is a controversial religious belief among some Protestant Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth. Prosperity theology views the Bible as a contract between God and humans: if humans have faith in God, he will deliver security and prosperity.

The doctrine emphasizes the importance of personal empowerment, proposing that it is God's will for his people to be blessed. The atonement (reconciliation with God) is interpreted to include the alleviation of sickness and poverty, which are viewed as curses to be broken by faith. This is believed to be achieved through donations of money, visualization, and positive confession.
_{source: Wikipedia}

That's the neoliberal ideology with a divine accent. You personally need to believe, and prove that you believe by living like a good Christian, and by donating to the church. These televangelists are self-help gurus invoking the power of God and the contributions of their unquestioning followers, many of which are very poor and give their savings as a desperate effort to better their lot in life. The video shows one of these TV preachers telling his audience that he's sick and tired of abusing the Word of The Lord to make a buck, and that this practice is the exact opposite of what Jesus and The Bible want from God's children; to turn the other cheek, to love thy neighbor, to honor your parents and so on. It is suspect though that this move comes after he's been raking in the dollars for years; he's a multi millionaire... Even if that's so, I believe we should be grateful for this being said out loud by someone who's right in the middle of it.

_{'Prosperity Gospel' Televangelist Flips & Scolds Fellow Charlatan Pastors!}

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