Space For Doubt

The term prosperity gospel is most likely a familiar term to most readers. This term is an umbrella term which encompasses a number of ideas that equate sincerity/vitality of one’s Christian faith and associated actions with material, career, life, relationship, and health success.

Most people think of Joel Olsteen, his private jet, and his calls for his congregants to give more so they too can become prosperous. However the root of this thought goes much deeper, and is much more damaging.

This ideology is not just pro positive things. Inevitably it paints negative things, a failure to receive a blessing, a health crisis, a loss of a loved one, etc, as symptoms of a lack of connection to God. How could it not?

I know I covered this somewhat in my post on Blame and Credit, but I want to go deeper here. To show more examples of what this looks like. To show examples of just how damaging that can be.

Over the last week I’ve been saving screenshots of Instagram posts that just leave me shaking my head.

Here’s a fine case of what I’m talking about. If you do [Thing that makes God happy] enough, and with enough faith, then you will get [Thing that you want]. Not only get the thing in fact, but get more and better things than you lost.

How flawed. How hurtful! Yes, tell that mother that has lost her daughter to a virus, “if you just surrender to God, He will give you something better than your daughter.”

Would you have the gumption to say this to that Mom? Does she lack faith that she so far has been getting the opposite of the thing?

As a very young boy, a friend of mine died from leukemia. Should those parents feel drawn towards or away from a God preached to them with these words?

I guess maybe all but the last line would still be fine. Do those parents feel thankful for the loss of their child?

And what does that look like? Letting God take control? How does that differ from what a God fearing person is most likely already doing?

Is it avoiding the debt collectors phone calls? Is it quitting your attempts at a job search because “God is in control”? Is it not worrying about saving any money because God is in control, His plan is perfect, so why should one worry?

This is a serious question I have. What exactly does it look like to let God take control? Give me detailed specific things. Explain it to me like I’m five! Other than fancy platitudes, everyone I’ve ever attempted to pin down for an actual answer on this question has wound up looking like a deer trapped in headlights.

Letting go of worry is definitely worthy of all attempts. Especially worry about that which is beyond your control. It feels false to write these words because I am by nature a highly anxious and worrying individual so I inherently know how hard it is to give up worrying. Still, what amounts to patience, is something we SHOULD pray for in abundance. Inner peace is an underappreciated thing.

The more you think about this one, the less it makes sense.

It’s natural to want to know the future. There’s no harm in wanting to know what comes next. If you start to obsess over it then sure, that’s not a great outcome either. Wanting to have control over your own future is what motivates us to better ourselves. It’s why we go to school, take care of our hygiene, exercise, and eat well. We want to stack the deck in favor of our future. Is that wrong?

Moving on, are we assuming every choice we’ve previously made has been in line with God’s will? Thus we are exactly where His ideal path for our life is? Well that doesn’t really check out either.

Go talk to the Ukrainian family who’s earthly possessions, and some family members, were lost in the Russian shelling. Tell them God has them exactly where He wants to them be. Tell them to not worry about the future.

Would you be so tone deaf and brazen as to do this? Surely this seems absolutely barbaric.

Here is an example of some the most harmful theology I’ve seen. This time coming straight from the SDA church’s mouthpiece.

God simply wants to test your faith to show you where you stand. So I guess if my faith is tested and I lose my job, a family member, or suffer an illness, God is simply showing me where I stand and apparently it’s not in good place. I have some work to do!

Also…God is sending faith tests? What exactly does that mean. Again, explain it to me like I’m five.

• Is failing to get to work on time due to a train, a faith test?
• Is getting put on a performance improvement plan at work due to a terrible boss a faith test?
• Is losing a spouse to a disease a faith test?
• Is not being to afford groceries a faith test?
• Is feeling depressed and discouraged a faith test?

What damage this does! To the one being proselytized to, how do you think this line of thinking lands? Do you suppose they mull it over and think “You know, that sounds like something I want a part of right there”?

“Oh all that bad stuff in life is just God testing you. He wants to make sure you trust in Him only. So He’s going to make it a point to send you faith tests where you suffer a lot to show you how much He loves you!”

That is bananas. No atheist will sign up for that God. No millennial or GenZ that has left the church, will return to serve that God. I will not serve that God.

I have enough saved screenshots to write a post 10x this long, but by now I’m hoping you get the point. Our view of God has been flawed for a long time. Let’s look at why that might be.

Who/what stands to gain from people willingly “suffering for Christ”? Is it the person? Or is it the institution that can maintain less than helpful policies, sometimes even abusive policies, that are just accepted by one conditioned to suffer? One conditioned to blame their misfortunes on divine origins and not systemic causes, is one who won’t attempt to change those systems.

Is it the person, or the selfish leaders that benefit from policies that permit a more hands-off approach to helping? After all God has it all under control. Why should I intervene on a human level? I got mine and you’ll get yours if you’re only faithful enough. Remember humans, the church needs your actual money, but if you need money, you need to ask God.

This prosperity gospel concept is a ledge of pride to stand on. A divinely privileged platform to look down on others from. A privilege we acknowledge isn’t for everyone, while ensuring the system which makes it so, is not challenged.

Adherence to and promotion of the prosperity gospel line of thinking, is an adherence to a belief system in which that mindset is required for its survival. It’s to give license to abuse and rampant selfishness. That system needs to die. When it does, outreach efforts will be far more successful. The hurting and lonely souls will finally have a God that makes sense to them.

Peace.