Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
A Critique of New-Age Prosperity Preaching

A Critique of New-Age Prosperity Preaching

Last updated on: November 1, 2021 at 3:06 pm by Matthew Distefano

A Critique of New-Age Prosperity Preaching 2021-11-01T15:06:21-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I am all for thinking positively. It is true that our words and our thoughts have consequences, for good or for ill. Thinking that the worst is always going to happen can induce dread and anxiety, both of which are not good on our bodies.

That said, I am growing more and more tired of folks who think that everything comes down to intention. For just about every one of life’s issues, they will associate a thought pattern. Here’s how one of these so-called spiritual gurus frames things:

“My personal opinion is that in most instances, it is not about luck. It is about energy, our personal power, our ability to attract into our life that which we manifest, that we deserve and feel worthy of.”

To my mind, this is nothing but a new age version of the Deuteronomistic theology of “this for that.” It’s a quid pro quo minus the Christianese. It’s “if you are righteous, you will be blessed; but if you’re wicked, you will be cursed” without the need for a god.

What this creates is disillusionment. If something goes bad, it must be because my energy frequency wasn’t high enough. They may not put it in so many terms, but that’s how it is presented. Again, here’s that same spiritual blogger:

“All vibrations operate at high and low frequencies, within us and around us. If your vibration is low it will be evident; it’s simply a matter of bringing awareness to your situation and then working on rectifying it. Perhaps money no longer flows, your health is poor or you feel surrounded by negative people. When your vibration is high however, this is that beautiful sense of living in the flow. Here you may be inviting inspiring people into life, jumping out of bed each day full of optimism, things may be progressing particularly well in business, perhaps your bank balance has never looked so good!”

Again, there is nothing wrong with optimism. There is nothing wrong with jumping out of bed and getting down to business. I try to do that every morning. In fact, this morning I knocked out a 20-minute core workout before getting my daughter up and ready for school. And I’m glad I did because it was awesome, and I feel awesome.

Vibration status: Epic!

But if you are going to constantly present this as a quid pro quo scenario, you are going to cause a lot of mental and psychological harm. Because here’s the rub: You can be optimistic, positive, always cheery, and full of “high frequency energy,” and still get sick. You can manifest whatever the hell you want and still struggle to make ends meet. You can be the first in the gym, the last to leave, love everything about your work, drink 100 ounces of water a day, and still suffer from anxiety, depression, GI issues, and a whole host of other issues.

Of course, these “life coaches” will likely admit that. Only if pressed. But it’s never something they talk about frequently. It’s always presented as an anomaly. The norm, in their minds, is that if you do these 8 things (whatever their program is centered on), you’ll suddenly find yourself killing it at work, crushing it at the bank, rocking your newly discovered chiseled abs, and ridding yourself of every known disease the cosmos can throw at you.

This is where we need balance. Yes, discover ways in which you can become less anxious. Yes, drink less alcohol, stop smoking tobacco, and get rid of all that diabetes-inducing refined sugar. Yes, drink more water. Yes, start exercising. And yes, start meditating or journaling or gardening. But also know that if you do all these things, you still might be broke, sick, and struggling with mental health issues. That’s just the way it goes sometimes.

“Raising your frequency” and “manifesting your goals with the power of positive intentionality” only gets you so far. It’s never a substitute for scientifically-backed medicines. That’s why science tests against placebo. Because yes, placebo is real. There is always a certain percentage of the population who sees change in their lives based on thinking they will see change. But let’s call a spade a spade; that’s the placebo effect, not the 8-step program your life coach promises will change your life.

So, if I were your spiritual guru, your life coach with the fancy website, here’s what I might say to you.

Think positively. Don’t dwell on the negative. Eat your veggies. Work out a lot. Drink more water. Skip the booze. Do some guided meditations. These will all help you out, but you will still get sick. When you do, see a medical doctor. When there’s a pandemic, get a vaccine. If you still have anxiety and depression after implementing my steps, that is not surprising. Find a good licensed therapist. As a licensed service coordinator, I can help with that. Take all my advice with a grain of salt because I still have some mental health issues. I’m still working through my own shit, and no amount of vibration raising will fully alleviate that.

Now, isn’t that a solid program? Yes? Then sign up at patreon.com/mjdistefano. It’s only $9,000 for 12 sessions, but if you refer a friend, I’ll take off $50. You can’t beat that!

Vibration status: Next level!

If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms:

Also, if you’ve been digging my work on here, and want to see me be able to continue writing as close to full-time as humanly possible, please take a look at my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/mjdistefano. Even $1 a month helps bigly!!!

About Matthew J. Distefano

Matthew J. Distefano is an author, blogger, podcaster, and social worker. He lives in Northern California with his wife and daughter You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

October 27, 2021

Why Do Bad Things Happen? Spoiler Alert: I Don't Know

Next Post

November 3, 2021 How To Perform An Abortion According To The Bible

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian festival celebrates the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles (as symbolized by the Magi)?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Advent Lent Pentecost Epiphany

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »