Pentecostal Pastoral Leadership and Global Missions — Unit 6: Prosperity Teaching: Its Forms, Appeal, and Critics

Key Verse

"Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." (1 Timothy 6:6-8, NKJV)

Learning Objectives

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Name the main forms of prosperity teaching and say where they are found in the Pentecostal and charismatic world.

2. State the case for prosperity teaching as its supporters make it, including the Scriptures they use.

3. Explain why the message appeals to many people, especially the poor.

4. Give the main biblical and pastoral criticisms made by conservative classical Pentecostal bodies.

5. Describe a pastoral response that keeps faith, generosity and God's provision without promising wealth.

The Voice of This Unit

This unit is written from inside the classical Pentecostal tradition. Prosperity teaching is a hard subject, because it has grown up in our own family of churches. We first describe it as its supporters would describe it, in words they would recognize. Then we give the critique that the classical Pentecostal bodies themselves have made. We come down on the side of Scripture as the classical bodies read it. We ask you to be fair to brothers and sisters whom we believe to be mistaken, and to remember that "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

What Is Prosperity Teaching?

"Prosperity teaching" is a name used by critics and sometimes by supporters. It is also called the prosperity gospel, the health-and-wealth gospel, or Word of Faith teaching. In its strong form it teaches that God wants every believer to be healthy and wealthy in this life, and that faith, spoken words and giving are the way to receive these gifts. Its supporters usually say that they simply teach the full blessing of God.

The teaching is not one organization. It is a set of ideas that has traveled through many churches, television programs, books and conferences. Some leaders hold all of it. Many pastors hold only a part, and they may not use the name at all. For this reason a pastor must listen carefully and ask what exactly is being taught before answering.

Four common forms

Word of Faith. This form teaches that believers can receive what they claim by confessing it in faith. In the United States the evangelist Kenneth E. Hagin was a leading teacher of this message. Historians still debate how much he drew from earlier writers such as E. W. Kenyon.

Seed-faith giving. This form teaches that a gift of money is a "seed" that God will return many times over. Oral Roberts made the phrase "seed-faith" well known. The giver is told to expect a harvest, often in money.

Success and breakthrough teaching. Here the message is that Christians should expect promotion, business success, a house and a car. It is often heard in cities among people who want to rise in the world.

Soft or mixed forms. Many pastors teach that God blesses obedience and that giving brings blessing, without promising riches. Their language of "blessing" and "breakthrough" may sound like the strong forms, yet their meaning is different.

Where it is found

Prosperity themes are heard in North America, and they have also spread widely in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Scholars such as Ogbu Kalu and J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu have written about African Pentecostalism, including this theme. The Pew Forum's Spirit and Power survey (2006), done in ten countries, found that many Pentecostals in those countries agreed that God will grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith. So the question is not a foreign one. Pastors in Latin America and Africa meet it every week.

The Case as Supporters Make It

A fair student must be able to state a position so well that its holders say, "Yes, that is what we mean." Here is the case in their words and with their Scriptures.

God is good and generous. Supporters begin with the goodness of God. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). They say that God did not create poverty and sickness, and that a Father who loves His children wants to bless them. Paul wrote, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

The apostle John prayed for prosperity. They point to 3 John 2: "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, even as your soul prospers." If an apostle prayed this for a friend, they say, we may pray and expect it too.

The blessing of Abraham belongs to us. God promised Abraham, "I will bless you" (Genesis 12:2), and Abraham was a rich man. Galatians 3:13-14 says that Christ redeemed us so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles. Supporters read this blessing to include material good.

Christ became poor so that we might be rich. They quote 2 Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."

Faith and words have power. Jesus said, "whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mark 11:23). Proverbs says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). Supporters conclude that believers should speak faith and not speak defeat.

Giving is sowing. They cite Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you," and Malachi 3:10, where God invites His people to bring the tithes and see whether He will "open for you the windows of heaven." Paul said, "He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6). They teach that generous giving opens the door to God's supply.

Poverty is not a virtue. Supporters say that a church that glorifies poverty has no good news for the poor. They say that believers should work, plan, save and expect God to bless their work.

Why the message appeals

We must be honest about its power. It speaks to people who live with fear of hunger, sickness and debt, and it tells them that God is on their side. It gives hope, dignity and a reason to try. It tells a poor woman in a crowded city that her life is not a mistake. Researchers who study Pentecostal churches in the poor world, such as Miller and Yamamori, have noted that conversion often brings changes in habits: less drinking and gambling, more discipline in work and family. Some believers really do rise out of poverty after joining a church. Testimonies of this kind are real and are told with joy. Where the state fails the poor, a church that promises hope fills a real need.

The Critique from the Classical Pentecostal Bodies

The classical Pentecostal denominations, including the Assemblies of God in the United States, have published official papers that criticize the strong forms of prosperity teaching. Gordon Fee, a respected Pentecostal New Testament scholar, also wrote strongly against the health-and-wealth message. The criticism is not that God never blesses, but that this teaching has bent Scripture and harmed people. We give the main points, one by one.

1. It reads the Scriptures out of their setting

Third John 2 is a greeting. Letters in that age often opened with a wish for good health. John was not announcing a promise of wealth to every believer. The Old Testament blessings in Deuteronomy 28 and Malachi 3 were given to Israel as a nation under the old covenant, with the land, the temple and the law. We cannot lift them out and place them on every Christian as a guarantee. Second Corinthians 8:9 speaks of the grace of Christ, who gave up heaven's glory. In the same chapter Paul is asking the Corinthians to give to poor believers in Jerusalem. The "riches" in that verse are spiritual, since the passage is about generosity toward the needy.

2. It makes faith a tool to control God

Pentecostals believe in faith. We pray for the sick and expect God to act. But in the strong form of prosperity teaching, faith becomes a force that makes God obey our words. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and gives as He wills. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, "not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42). To pray "if it is Your will" is not weak faith. It is the faith of Jesus.

3. It cannot explain the suffering of faithful people

Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn in the flesh, and the Lord answered, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul described hunger, cold and danger in his service (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Hebrews 11:35-38 speaks of faithful believers who were tortured, who wandered in deserts, and of whom "the world was not worthy." Jesus Himself had no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58). If wealth and health always follow faith, then Paul and these saints lacked faith. That conclusion is false and cruel. Our tradition believes strongly in divine healing, and we teach it in Course 3, but we do not say that every sick or poor person has failed in faith. The friends of Job made that mistake, and God rebuked them.

4. It warns us too little about money

Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). Paul warned, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greed, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:10). The Lord rebuked the church in Laodicea, which said it was rich and in need of nothing (Revelation 3:17). The New Testament calls us to contentment, as in our key verse, and to give. It does not teach us to chase riches.

5. It turns the gospel toward ourselves

The center of the gospel is the cross, forgiveness, new birth and the hope of Christ's return. Jesus said that anyone who would follow Him must deny himself and take up his cross (Luke 9:23). When the chief hope is a bigger house, the message has moved from Christ to ourselves. Our tradition has always taught the "Full Gospel" of Jesus as Savior, Sanctifier, Spirit-Baptizer, Healer and Coming King (see Course 2, Unit 3). Prosperity teaching tends to drop the Coming King, for it hopes for the kingdom now.

6. It can harm the poor and enrich the leader

Poor families have given money they needed for food and school fees, because they were told that God would multiply it. When no harvest came, they were told that they lacked faith. Believers have been wounded twice, first in their purse and then in their conscience. Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:18-23 thought that the gift of God could be bought, and Peter rebuked him sharply. Paul reminded the Ephesian elders of his own example: "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel" (Acts 20:33), and he quoted the Lord Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Pastors who live in luxury while the congregation is poor give a poor witness, and the temptation is real for all of us. Unit 5 of this course and Course 4, Unit 10 deal with safeguards.

7. It does not match our own history

The early Pentecostals were mostly poor. They did not see poverty as a sign of God's displeasure. They saw the Spirit fall on servants and maidservants, as Joel promised. Their joy was in the Spirit, in the nearness of Christ's return, and in a changed life. Many gave up comfort for the mission field. The classical bodies say that the prosperity message is a departure from this heritage.

A Fair Answer to the Best Points of the Supporters

We should not answer every claim with a flat "no." Three things in the supporters' message are true, and a wise pastor will say so.

First, God is good and provides. Jesus taught us not to be anxious, because our Father knows our needs (Matthew 6:31-33). Believers may ask for daily bread and trust Him for it.

Second, generosity is commanded and blessed. Paul wrote, "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). We give because of grace and love. We do not give as an investment to force a return. A gift to the Lord brings a blessing, but the blessing is God's to choose and may be joy, peace, provision or a share in the work.

Third, poverty is not a virtue, and we should work to help the poor, as Unit 7 shows. Wealth is not a sin either, and many godly believers have been rich and used their wealth well. What Scripture condemns is trusting in riches, or loving them.

Pastoral Application

A young mother in your church works in a market stall. Her husband is out of work. A visiting preacher told the congregation last Sunday that anyone who gives a large offering "as a seed" will see a miracle in thirty days. She gave the money she had saved for rent. Three weeks later nothing has changed, and she comes to you in tears, believing that her faith has failed.

A wise pastor first listens and does not scold her. He tells her that God has not abandoned her and that her faith is not the cause of her hardship. Second, he opens Scripture with her. He reads Philippians 4:19 and Matthew 6:31-33 about God's care, and 2 Corinthians 9:7 about cheerful giving, which cannot be forced from the poor by promises. Third, he acts: the church helps with the rent from its benevolence fund, and he helps her look for work for her husband. Fourth, he speaks privately and gently with the visiting preacher or with the church board about how offerings are taught. He does all this with respect, since the preacher may be sincere.

Summary

Prosperity teaching includes Word of Faith, seed-faith giving, success teaching and milder forms of "blessing" language. It is heard in Africa, Latin America and Asia as well as North America. Its supporters say that God is good, that 3 John 2 and the blessing of Abraham promise prosperity, that faith and words have power, and that giving is sowing. It appeals to the poor because it offers hope and dignity. The classical Pentecostal bodies answer that it reads Scripture out of context, treats faith as a means of controlling God, cannot explain the sufferings of faithful believers such as Paul, warns too little about the love of money, moves attention from Christ to ourselves, harms the poor and enriches leaders, and departs from our own history. We keep what is true: God provides, generosity is a joy, and poverty is no virtue. We teach contentment with godliness and we care for the poor.

Further Reading

• J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity (2013).

• Ogbu U. Kalu, African Pentecostalism (2008).

• Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism (2007).

• Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Spirit and Power (2006).

• Gordon D. Fee, God's Empowering Presence (1994), for Pentecostal exegesis of the Spirit in Paul.

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