Thankfully, God Saved Me From The Prosperity Gospel

Thankfully, God saved me from the prosperity gospel. My wife and I began our Christian lives in that movement. We didn’t call it that, though. Internally, we identified it as the Word of Faith movement. This is all that we knew. What was being taught didn’t seem to be out of order or unbiblical. Eventually, some cracks in the movement began to appear.

It took several different cracks to arrest my attention. I began to question the validity of the movement and eventually stepped away from it. Here’s a link to the article that contains the major issues that God used to save me from the prosperity gospel.

What Is The Prosperity Gospel

The prosperity gospel is the belief that financial abundance and divine health are the absolute will of God. Both were accomplished at Calvary by Christ. However, These two promises are obtained by faith and spoken words. When a person doesn’t experience these benefits it’s because their faith is not strong enough or their words are contrary to the promises. The prosperity gospel is a different gospel and it’s dangerous.

Roots Of The Prosperity Gospel

Many people believe that the prosperity gospel began with E.W. Kenyon. From there, it spread to Kenneth E. Hagin, Oral Roberts, and Kenneth Copeland. Copeland’s “faith tree” spread to Jerry Savelle, Jesse Duplantis, and Creflo A. Dollar.

I believe that it began long before E.W. Kenyon began mixing new-age ideas with Biblical concepts (1867-1948). I am currently reading the book, Dominion: How The Christian Revolution Remade The World, by Tom Holland. Prosperity gospel seeds were being planted in the third and fourth centuries.

Yes, Kenyon, Copeland, Hagin, and Robert are responsible for the existing mess but they had some help. There is no shortage of adherents. It has spread beyond its Pentecostal roots to Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen), Elevate Church (Steven Furtick), and The Potter’s House (T.D. Jakes).

Sometimes the prosperity gospel is overt (Copeland) and in other instances it’s less on the nose and more covert.

The Prosperity Gospel Strike One

My wife and I desired to attend a Biblical immersion in Sweden. About a half dozen of our friends planned to take a year-long Sabbatical to attend. Of course, we wanted to go as well.

The Bible college was thorough in what they expected from the attendees. We were unable to pass the financial means tests at that time. I was sharing our disappointment with a member of our church. This person shared a book title with us and said this would be a great way to correct this underlying financial disappointment.

30, 60, 100 Fold Return

I was intrigued and optimistic. The book was titled, 30, 60, Hundredfold: Your Financial Harvest Released. John Avanzini, a popular itinerant preacher in the movement, authored the book. I was an impressionable rookie Christian who wanted to believe in the impossible.

I read the book from cover to cover and immediately realized that the author was full of baloney. He laid out a nearly identical plan to a farmer and his crops. He took the seedtime and harvest concept to new levels of error.

Tithing, according to Avanzini, was the minimum. Those who did not tithe, according to him, blocked their harvest. We were giving ten percent to our church. So we checked that box.

**Here’s a link to the ultimate guide to tithing. **

He then developed a twelve-step harvest process. The more I read the book, the more I realized the unbiblical nature of his writing. The step that alienated me the most was number nine.

The Ninth Law of the Harvest: Your Expense Is Always Highest at Harvest Time.

Avanzini expected Christians to give ten percent. Then he expected a large initial offering. This offering was based on the size of the desired harvest. He then expected another larger offering right before the harvest!

Why? Farmers must pay laborers to gather the harvest.

None of this book was biblical.

This book was strike one.

Prosperity Gospel Strike Two

Kenneth Copeland provided a platform to an obscure preacher named LeRoy Thomas. Thomas had written a book titled, Money Cometh To The Body of Christ. The book was quite popular and Reverend Thomas was consistently featured on Copeland’s Believer’s Voice of Victory (BVOV) broadcasts.

I’ve always had a penchant for Biblical economics so I picked it up and read it. Every conceivable prosperity gospel error was included in this book. I read the book from beginning to end. This book was a million miles away from anything resembling proper biblical interpretation.

Things became worse, though.

One day I saw Leroy Thomas on the BVOV. His actions and the actions of those parroting him were ungodly and paganistic. Mr. Thomas would declare, “MONEY! COMETH! TO ME! NOW!” and then mimic the pulling of a slot machine lever.

This nonsense continued for a few years.

Who knows how many Christians were shipwrecked during this time of hedonism?

Leroy Thomas and his book were strike two for me.

Prosperity Gospel Strike Three

2 Peter 2:3 (NLT) In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

Errant preachers have been creating problems since the beginning of the church. Peter experienced these charlatans firsthand. It was so bad that he was compelled to include it in his brief epistle.

One such clever lie is multi-faceted. Giving begins at ten percent. It must go to the local church. Giving is before taxes. An offering is impossible unless a person gives ten percent of gross income to the local church.

**Tithes in the book of Malachi**

There is nothing wrong with a person giving ten percent unless they should be giving more. However, that number is entirely arbitrary and is not based on Biblical texts.

Word of faith and prosperity gospel preachers are united on the concept of tithing. I’ve not met one person in that movement who believes giving is by grace. Most even believe that curses fall upon those who do not give at that level and some even believe hell is the ultimate destination for non-tithers.

Alienated From Christ

Galatians 5:1-5 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Christ talked about tithing. Perhaps it’s best if we let Him shoot straight with us. Here are things Jesus said about tithing in the Gospels.

A Little Leaven, Leavens The Whole Lump

Galatians 5:6-10 (NIV) For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.  For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

The Last Prosperity Gospel Straw

I’ve heard preachers declare that a lack of tithing produces sickness. Furthermore, it’s the cause of car accidents and house fires. In one book a person dared to write that tithing would prevent miscarriages. What’s the opposite of that errant thought?

Money is the god of the prosperity gospel. Jesus, despite what Kenneth Copeland says, is not Lord in that movement. Money is what matters the most. I’m confident that they’ve helped many families over the years. However, their lust for more and more is the opposite of what Jesus taught on earth.

As such, I walked away. Sadly, the movement is cultic. Disagreement with the leaders is not tolerated. When we departed our friends remained behind. We were branded as heretics.

I feel for my friends. Many remain mired in a false gospel and they’re unaware.

James 2:10 (NIV) For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Thankfully, God saved me from the prosperity gospel. Ironically, I am positioned to give more now than when I was in bondage to that movement.

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