praxistheologia.com

I have been struggling recently with trying to identify the proper language to describe the insidious rise of prosperity “gospel” preaching in congregations I am close to. Today, during the Gardner C. Taylor lecture, Brad Braxton, hinted at the ideal language. He referenced a type of preacher that he called Materialistic Preachers as holy dope dealers. Drug dealers selling a dope, a drug that is not the Gospel, not good news, but insidious enslavement to materialism and consumerism clothed in the sheep-skins of religious language.

Furthermore, Braxton correctly identifies the prosperity “gospel” as a form of neo-colonialism. Whereas, colonialism sought to politically and directly control the lives of the colonized through forced labor, slavery and forced economic ties to the colonizing country, neo-colonialism attempts to bind not just one race, but all races to the colonizing force of capitalism. No longer must the colonized march to the war drums of north-western european nations, but rather the drum beat of buy, buy, buy.

The prosperity “gospel” pushes the idea that financial and material prosperity, as judged by our happiness, is a blessing from God that is inexorably tied to our fidelity in giving to the Church. In a very real sense, this turns the real Gospel, the gospel of life-giving hope, into the first hit, which is of course free. After all, the prosperity “gospel” churches do not ask the unchurched to give. Ultimately, the only ones who prosper from the “prosperity gospel” are those whose pocketbooks are lined with the cash of the faithfully duped. As Braxton pointed out, if the images of ourselves and our leaders do not resemble that of our creator, there will be trouble in paradise.

The obvious question is then how to disarm these drug dealers? A Just say no campaign against the “prosperity gospel?” or a powerful lived example of the gospel at work? Obviously, I’m not opposed to a “Just shut the hell up” campaign against drug-dealing-preachers. On the other hand, I do think that a community of disciples living the Gospel would do more than disarm the drug dealers.