Gospel of Health and Wealth: A Heresy

Last updated on: September 14, 2015 at 5:01 am by Scot McKnight

Gospel of Health and Wealth: A Heresy 2015-09-13T19:48:27-05:00 Scot McKnight

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.

In my own theological and spiritual journey I have not been involved in those who embrace the gospel of health and wealth, but I have read some of them, I have watched them on TV more, and now have seen an exceptional, no holds barred critical evaluation in Roger Olson, Counterfeit Christianity: The Persistence of Errors in the Church.

I strongly recommend this book as a good church library book, a good book for pastors, and an excellent primer for students to learn about the history of heresy.

Here’s Olson’s capsule summary, which I reformat for emphasis of the separable points:

It has many names and faces, but most scholars of religion call it the “Prosperity Gospel” and the “Gospel of Health and Wealth (GWH).

It has two main and very different manifestations: (1) a king of “New Age” positive thinking rooted in the nineteenth-century quasireligious movement called “New Thought,” and (2) a neo-Pentecostal, charismatic religion touted by television evangelists that revels in miracles. …

For both, God is a kind of cosmic vending machine who must provide health and wealth to all who have “positive faith” expressed in words of faith — spoken affirmations or declarations that create reality through divine power.

Both treat prayer as magic without realizing it.

Both deny God’s sovereignty and put God and his power at human disposal.

Both elevate health and wealth to the status of ultimate goods.

Both claim to be Christian while distorting biblical, historical, classical, orthodox Christianity to the point that it is unrecognizable (154).

Strong words indeed, and this set of lines in Olson is filled out with good exposition in the pages that follow.

The foundation of the GHW are these four Bible references, but before I get there I do think Olson needs to note that these verses are ultimately connected — if not grounded in — the themes of Deuteronomy 28 and its parallel in Lev 26-27. That is, obedience leads to blessing while disobedience leads to curses. If the former blessing involves health and prospering, the latter cursing involves sickness and poverty. I could be wrong about the GHW but I think I’m right about the source of this thought.

Anyway, Olson knows his stuff — as one who grew up near this kind of thinking — and points us to four major Bible references: Jeremiah 29:11, Malachi 3:10, John 10:10, and 3 John 2. (Hover over the texts and they will appear.) Ramp them up with some televangelists stories and some personal testimonies and some financial reward and you’ve got a compelling case for belief in the GHW.

Olson comes back: “The gospel is not about physical health and financial prosperity; it is about God’s mercy, forgiveness, and inward transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ” (158). Indeed, he points to the apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh as disproof of the GHW.

He names the names — the originators and precursors and the modern-day exponents:

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby
Mary Baker Eddy
Charles and Myrtle Fillmore
E.W. Kenyon
A.B. Simpson
Aimee Semple McPherson
Oral Roberts
Kathryn Kuhlman
Kenneth Hagin Sr
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland.

A good and judicious book, Roger, a good and judicious book.

Orthodox

Previous Post

September 14, 2015

Wise Words (from a long time ago)

Next Post

September 14, 2015 Micro-aggressions: A New Morality?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 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 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 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 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group believes in the doctrine of transubstantiation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Catholics Baptists Protestants Pentecostals