All Nine Chapters - Index and Summary Chapter 1 - Introduction To The Prosperity and The Word-Faith Gospels.
Chapter 2 - Alleged Biblical Support For The Prosperity Doctrine. HERE
Chapter 3 - The Never Mentioned Verses. HERE
Chapter 4 - Uninformed People in The Scriptures? HERE
Chapter 5 - The Word of Faith Doctrine and New Thought. HERE
Chapter 6 - Joel Osteen - The Blind Leading The Blind. HERE
Chapter 7 - How Words Precede Form. HERE
Chapter 8 - God and Money. HERE
Chapter 9 - The Crown Without The Cross? HERE
Introduction - The Prosperity Gospel
In Jesus' day, many believed that wealth was clear evidence of God's blessing and that the wealthy would automatically be in the kingdom. By implication this meant that the poor were either doing something wrong or were being punished for sin. The Pharisees, who certainly looked down on the less fortunate, were lovers of money (Luke 16:14).
And nothing has changed - at least not in many churches. The Prosperity Doctrine is the belief subscribed to by millions of Christians, that although Christians should keep one eye on Heaven, God doesn't want His people to wait until then have the best of everything including good health and material possessions in the here and now. He wants believers to be healthy, wealthy, and happy in this life. Many of the 'ministries' commonly associated with the Prosperity Doctrine are one-man shows and the 'one man' is showing his or her age. As of writing Kenneth Copeland born in 1936 is about 86, as is John Avanzini. Fred Price is about four years older. Marilyn Hickey is now 92 and Joyce Meyer is 80. Jesse Duplantis is about 74 while Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen are the 'babies' of this group - both being around 60 or 61. Ed Young is also around 62, Kevin Gerald and Joseph Prince are both around 60 whereas Steve Furtick is a mere 43. However, the Prosperity Doctrine mantle has been assumed by a different breed of cat that may not make any blatantly stupid statements like the ones made by Copeland, Duplantis, Dollar etc. (below), but are prosperity teachers nonetheless - Ed Young and Steve Furtick come to mind with plenty of others behind them. The pitch hasn't changed but has simply been worded differently - "Success", "God's Favor" and "Dreaming Bigger" seem to be the new buzzwords. The degree of shamelessness and Scriptural manipulation remains the same. See The New Breed of Wealthy Celebrity Pastors With Plenty of Style and Little Substance. HERE
Jesus Was a Rich Man
In support of their doctrine many prosperity teachers make the bizarre and unsubstantiated claim that Jesus was not exactly poor. They would have us believe that He lived in a big house and wore garments fit for a king. Also that the first thing on Jesus' agenda was to get rid of poverty because God is not going to come back for a church in debt. Jesse Duplantis even claims that if you are not "anointed" you will stay poor.
Joyce Meyer
A Time magazine article also quoted Joyce Meyer as asking, "Who would want to get in on something where you're miserable, poor, broke and ugly and you just have to muddle through until you get to heaven?" [01]
Jesse Duplantis "Would you like to know why some people, including ministries, never get out of poverty? Its not because they aren't smart; It's not because they don't have windows of opportunity. It's because they're not anointed. If you're not anointed, poverty will follow you all the days of your life. His first objective was to get rid of poverty" [02] (Emphasis Added)
See The Anointing
The word "anointed" has become the most overused, overworked, misunderstood, misinterpreted term in the Pentecostal and Charismatic arenas. Who really are the Lord's anointed? Although this statement was made a long time ago up to the time of writing (September 2023) his organization is selling a DVD called "When Will We Yield to the Anointing of Wealth?" [03] Creflo Dollar once went as far as to state that Christ is will not come back for a church in debt. "God is coming back for a church without spot or blemish so he is not coming back to a church in debt ... this revival must take place before Jesus can come back he cannot come back for a broke church, he cannot come back for a sick church, he cannot come back for a church that is in debt that would be against his word, I'm coming back for a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle so that means there's going to be some quick transference going on." [04]
In fact, Creflo Dollar as much as said so - He wrote (Emphasis Added) "When we pray, believing that we have already received what we are praying, God has no choice but to make our prayers come to pass. . . . [05]
TD Jakes
According to Jakes, Jesus had to have been a rich man in order to have supported his disciples and their families during his ministry He "employed" 12 people to help spread his message and asks why, if Jesus' cloak hadn't been unusually valuable, Roman soldiers would have gambled for it at the crucifixion? Jakes adds that " The myth of the poor Jesus needs to be destroyed, because it's holding people back. [06]
Well nothing has held Jakes back. In 2004 he graduated from a luxurious seven-bedroom home complete with swimming poolvto a 14,346 sq ft mansion in Tarrant County Fort Worth, TX for $5,575,000. The home comes complete with Multiple Staircases, Smart Home System, Vaulted Ceilings, a Wet Bar, covered Porch(es), a Gazebo/Pergola, Greenhouse, Guest Quarters, Stable/Barn, Storage Building, Tennis Court, and a garage that can house 7 cars. See The New Breed of Wealthy Celebrity Pastors With Plenty of Style and Little Substance. HERE John Hagee (Emphasis Added) "Jesus was not poor ... Jesus had a nice house! John 1:38 says that Jesus turned to those that were following him and said, 'Come with me.' And they said, 'Where dwellest thou?' He said, 'Come and see.' And Jesus took that whole crowd home with Him to stay in His house. That meant it was a big house! Jesus wore fine clothes! John 19:23 says, 'He had a seamless robe.' Roman soldiers gambled for it at the foot of the cross. It was a designer original! It was valuable enough for them to want it!... And then there are Christians that have a poverty complex that says, 'Well, I feel guilty about having nice things.' Jesus didn't!" [07]
Fred Price The whole point is I'm trying to get you to see - to get you out of this malaise of thinking that Jesus and the disciples were poor and then relating that to you - thinking that you, as a child of God, have to follow Jesus. The Bible says that He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. That's the reason why I drive a Rolls Royce. I'm following Jesus' steps. Fred Price. [08]
Casey Treat: In 2009, Debbie Willis a Board member of Casey Treats' Christian Faith Center in Federal Way WA. wrote to the Federal Way Mirror on the topic of the pastor and money. In it she stated that (Emphasis Added) Compared to Heaven, Jesus was not rich, but compared to earthly standards of his time, Jesus was not poor. He had a trust fund provided to him by the Magi (Kings) who brought him gold and other gifts when he was a young child in honor of his birth. Jesus had a treasurer. [09]
BTW, Christmas cards notwithstanding the Magi were not kings. See Footnote I More about this "trust fund" in Chapter 2.
Seed-Faith
One version of the prosperity gospel was popularized by Oral Roberts. As the story goes, one day he randomly opened his Bible to John's third Epistle, and the words "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2 NASB)" jumped out at him. He and his wife were greatly excited by this verse and he claimed that it opened his mind.
This is an outstanding example of a doctrine built on verses hopelessly wrenched from its context. See 3 John 1:2 on the next page)
The Lord also allegedly told Roberts to build a university which Roberts did and soon developed the concept of seed faith still popular today. Donations made to to his organization were "seeds" that would thrive and grow, and that God would multiply what ever was given and return immensely more to the donor. Although, it is easy to see why it would appeal to the less fortunate, the whole seed faith idea was (and is) nothing more than a cash cow for whatever organization promotes it. As an article on Grace to You points out, It generated untold millions for Roberts' empire and was quickly adopted by a host of similarly-oriented Pentecostal and Charismatic media ministries. The Seed-Faith principle is the main cash-cow that built and has supported vast networks of televangelists who barter for their viewers' money with fervent promises of "miracles" - invariably described in terms of material blessings, mainly money. [10]
Time Magazine's Devastating Statistics
The sheer number of churches preaching the Prosperity doctrine, and the size of some of those involved, drew the attention of Time Magazine not so long ago. Their September 2006 cover story called Does God Want You to Be Rich? was described by Albert Mohler (ninth president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky) as "fair, balanced, and devastating".
Time stated that according to their own poll (Emphasis Added) 17% of Christians surveyed said they considered themselves part of such a movement, while a full 61% believed that God wants people to be prosperous. And 31%--a far higher percentage than there are Pentecostals in America--agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money. [11]
An Example of How It Is Said To Work
Time Magazine's write-up began with a story about one George Adams who lost his job at an Ohio tile factory in October of 2005. Upon which "the most practical thing he did" was go to a new church, moving his family including four preteen boys to a suburb of Houston from where he attended Joel Osteen's mega-church in Lakewood. Inspired by the preacher's insistence that one of God's top priorities is to shower blessings on Christians in this lifetime - and by the corollary assumption that one of the worst things a person can do is to expect anything less - Adams marched into Gullo Ford in Conroe looking for work.
To cut a long story short, it wasn't long before Adams was on his way to a six-figure income. The sales commission helped pay the rent, but as the story went, (Emphasis Added) Adams hates renting. Once that six-figure income has been rolling in for a while, he will buy his dream house: "Twenty-five acres," he says. "And three bedrooms. We're going to have a schoolhouse (his children are home schooled). We want horses and ponies for the boys, so a horse barn. And a pond. And maybe some cattle." [12]
But what if God had little or nothing to do with it and Adams was a superb salesman who found his niche selling cars? Besides which, although we do hear from some who claim that God has done some wonderful things in response to their faith or monetary donations (seeds) why are the number so low? Surely after hearing variations on the same message week after week many more of Osteen's congregation should be extremely wealthy. Are they? Nor are we ever told of those who sent their their last dollar to the church suffering extreme financial hardship in the process but never received anything in the return. George Adams is not the only kind of believer in the Prosperity Doctrine....
Some Just Want Reassurance.
All too often those that buy into these promises do so out of desperation. Kate Bowler, assistant professor at Duke Divinity School, recently diagnosed with cancer, hit the nail on the head when she wrote (Emphasis Added)
It is true that the prosperity gospel encourages people — especially its leaders — to revel in private jets and multimillion-dollar homes as evidence of God's love. But among the less well-heeled believers, I sensed a different kind of yearning, one that wasn't entirely materialistic. Believers wanted an escape: from poverty, failing health, and the feeling that their lives were leaky buckets. Some people wanted Bentleys, but more wanted relief from the wounds of their past and the pain of their present. People wanted salvation from bleak medical diagnoses; they wanted to see God rescue their broken teenagers or their misfiring marriages. They wanted talismans to ward off the things that go bump in the night. They wanted an iota of power over the things that ripped their lives apart at the seams. [13]
Blessings For a Buck:
Note that when tele-evangelists make extravagant promises about God repaying the "offerings" many times over, they are doing today exactly what the Catholic Church did in the 16th century - running a business in the name of God's blessings - a practice sparked the reformation.
(The original story about Martin Luther posting his thesis on the door of Wittenberg castle is
the stuff of legend not historical accuracy See Martin Luther
Universal Application?
But here is something to think about.
Every single Biblical doctrine or promise has universal application whether the believer lives in a one room hovel or shops at Bergdorf Goodman. It has to be as effective in the slums as it is in the suburbs.It has to work in third world countries as much as it does in the west. Although the AOG is terribly and dangerously wrong when it comes to Tongues as a Second Blessing (it is not only anti-Biblical but has much in common with occult practices), the Assemblies of God make a very valid point when they ask... Does the teaching have meaning only for those living in an affluent society? Or does it also work among the refugees of the world? What application does the teaching have for believers imprisoned for their faith by atheistic governments? Are those believers substandard who suffer martyrdom or grave physical injury at the hands of cruel, ruthless dictators. [14]
Introduction - The Word-Faith Movement.
However, while they trundle along on parallel tracks, the point has to be made that the prosperity gospel is not necessarily synonymous with the Word-Faith doctrine.
Most prosperity teachers imagine their doctrine originates in the Scriptures however, the Word of Faith movement has taken the Prosperity doctrine to a far more sinister level. Word of Faith teachers do not refer to faith as a person's belief in and reliance on the power of God, but teach that the words themselves have "creative power". Thus what a person believes and says determines his future. For example, in their Bible Commentary on Mark 11 (specifically verses 23-24) Andrew Wommack Ministries says (All Emphasis Added) faith is released by speaking words. Notice that speaking is emphasized three times in this one verse, and the Lord commands us to believe that what we say will come to pass. We are to believe in the power of our words. Failure to believe in the power of words won't keep this law of God from working. The last part of this verse says, "He shall have whatsoever he saith." If we receive this instruction and begin to speak words in faith that line up with God's Word, then we will have the positive results that follow. But if we refuse this lesson and continue to speak words of doubt, we will eventually believe them and have the negative things that these words produce. [15]
This entire concept stems from the New Age belief called the "Law of Attraction". In other words, 'like attracts like' which means a person can attract positive or negative conditions into their lives depending on whether they focus on positive or negative thoughts. In fact, Word of Faith teachers instruct believers to start believing and confessing that they already have whatever it is they want. If a person wants money, he is to confess that he has money even if he is as poor as the proverbial church mouse. If he wants healing he has to confess that he is already healed even though he may yet be unable to get out of his wheelchair. On the other hand, the believer who lacks faith and acknowledges the negative is guilty of a self-fulfilling prophecy - He will stay sick if he confesses he is sick, and will stay poor if he confesses he is poor. Exactly what Joel Osteen, one of the most popular 'pastors' in America claims in his best selling book Your Best Life Now (Emphasis Added) Words are similar to seeds. By speaking them aloud, they are planted in our subconscious minds, and they take on a life of their own; they take root, grow, and produce fruit of the same kind. If we speak positive words, our lives will move in that direction. Similarly, negative words will produce poor results. We can't speak words of defeat and failure yet expect to live in victory. .. When you say something often enough, with enthusiasm and passion, before long your subconscious mind begins to act on what you are saying, doing whatever is necessary to bring those thoughts and words to pass. [16]
The Word-Faith doctrine and its links to the occult have been covered in more detail in chapters FIVE The occult roots of Joel Osteen's doctrine including his word for word quotes from occult authors is covered in Chapters FIVE and SIX. They are a MUST READ. This, in effect, means that God has surrendered His sovereignty and the believer is calling the shots. The teaching that believers are to confess rather than to pray for things is not found anywhere in the Bible but, much to the contrary, has its roots firmly embedded in the occult. In fact, make absolutely NO mistake.. by applying exactly the same principles matches and even exceeds the gain that "Christian" ministers promise. In light of which are we to believe that this teaching emanating from pulpits across the land is from God? There is something else we need to bear in mind. If God wants His followers to be rich and healthy, then it is fair to assume that the giants of the Old and new Testaments must have had some idea as to how to go about it. So what we should and will do is travel back in time and see if we can find some evidence of "Positive Confession" and whether it is true that negative statements result in negative results - both bedrock principles of the Word-Faith movement. See Chapter FOUR
Footnote I - The Magi
The English word "Magi" is a transliteration of the Greek magos, either derived from the Latin magi, plural of magus - "magician, learned magician" or Old Persian maguš. According to the New World Encyclopedia
"The word Magi refers to a class of ancient Zoroastrian astrologer-priests who once lived in the Persian Empire." [17]
They go on to say Since the passage in Matthew implies that they were observers of the stars, most conclude that the intended meaning of magos is "astrologer-priests." Indeed, John Wycliffe's (c. 1330–1384 C.E.) translation of the Gospel reads not "wise men" but "astrologers" because in ancient times "astrology" encompassed both astrology and astronomy. [18]
In the book of Acts magos is rendered sorcerer. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer (Gr. magos) , a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (Gr. magos) (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. (Acts 13:6-8 KJV) [PLACE IN TEXT]
Continue On To Chapter 2 - Alleged Biblical Support For The Prosperity Doctrine. Prosperity teachers commonly make the claim that Jesus was a rich man therefore His followers are are entitled to the good things in life. Additionally, they appeal to a number of Biblical passages that convince many that their teachings come straight from the mouth of God Himself. But does it? Was Jesus a rich man, and do the Bible passages they quote prove that God wants us to be rich? HERE
End Notes - Chapter 1
[01] Time Magazine. Does God Want You To Be Rich? David Van Biema And Jeff Chu Sunday, Sep. 10, 2006. Part 3 of 8.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448-3,00.html
[02] Jesse Duplantis. Voice of the Covenant magazine p.5 Nov. 1997 [03] Jesse Duplantis Ministries Jesse Duplantis Ministries. https://www.jdm.org/product/97/when-will-we-yield-to-the-anointing-of-wealth [04] Creflo Dollar. Changing your World, March 27, 2000 [05] The first part of the quote was posted on his Twitter account in 2016 -
https://twitter.com/creflo_dollar/status/708985985711759361. The entire quote is from Errors of the Prosperity Gospel by David W. Jones Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
https://www.9marks.org/article/journalerrors-prosperity-gospel/ [06] Kaylois Henry. Bishop Jakes is ready. Are you? http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/bishop-jakes-is-ready-are-you-6406265 [07] John Hagee, Praise-A-Thon, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), November 5, 2004 [08] Ever Increasing Faith on Trinity Broadcasting Network, December 9, 1990. [09] Jesus, money, Casey Treat and helicopters | Federal Way letter to the editor, Jan. 17.
http://www.federalwaymirror.com/letters/jesus-money-casey-treat-and-helicopters-federal-way-letter-to-the-editor-jan-17/ [10] John MacArthur. Measuring Oral Roberts's Influence. Friday, December 18, 2009. https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B091218 [11] Time Magazine. Does God Want You To Be Rich? David Van Biema And Jeff Chu Sunday, Sep. 10, 2006. Part 2 of 8.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448-2,00.html [12] ibid. | 
