I subscribe to The Wake-Up Call, by Seedbed ministries. (It’s free.) The Wake-Up Call is a daily devotional that encourages the reader “to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus.”
The Wake-Up Call from this past Wednesday (June 19, 2024) has been rattling around in my head since then. Author J.D. Walt examines Acts 19 and explains why “the prosperity gospel is no gospel at all.” In fact, Walt’s writing is so cogent that I’m sharing it almost in its entirety here:
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. (Acts 19:13–16)
The word of this encounter got around quickly and frightened the Jews and Greeks in Ephesus. Note these Jews and Greeks were believers in Jesus. So why would they be afraid? Because they, too, were guilty of dabbling in these practices.
So what would the modern-day equivalent look like? It would be easy to compare what they were doing to the zodiac, tarot cards, or reading books about your horoscope.
I don’t think so. Here’s my take: I think these followers of Jesus were creating some first-century version of what we today might call the Word of Faith movement or the Prosperity Gospel.
If they operated within another religion entirely, it might not be such a big deal. The trouble is they were using the name of Jesus in a way foreign to the person of Jesus. In my judgment, this is what prosperity theology does.
Bottom line: misusing the name of Jesus. Wasn’t there a major commandment about that?
The name of Jesus is powerful, but it is not magic. The name of Jesus inspires awe and humble submission. After all, before it’s all said and done, every knee will bow to the name of Jesus.
That’s what happened that day in Ephesus. The Holy Spirit convicted them of using the name of Jesus for their own gain and brought them to a place of bowing to the name of Jesus. It led to a demonstrative repentance of burning entire libraries of books dedicated to these false religious practices.
Books that purport to be Christian but really aren’t pose far more danger than books about other religions or sorcery or anything else. In other words, it’s not Christianity’s competitors we need to be worried about, but its counterfeits.
Now I’m going beyond what J.D. Walt says about prosperity theology, and I’m going to name some names. I’ll probably step on some toes. Sorry/not sorry.
I emphasize that the following thoughts are not from J.D. Walt or from SeedBed. They are my own.
One of the preachers credited with laying the foundation of the prosperity theology is Oral Roberts. He was a struggling traveling faith healer and part-time preacher until 1937 when he picked up a Bible and read 3 John 2:2–“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
To be clear, Roberts did a lot of good, founding a Christian university and a medical center. I believe that his early ministry was authentic, but in later years, his fund-raising became suspect. In January of 1987, Roberts stated said that God told him that if he didn’t raise $8 million by March, God would call him home.
Let’s move on. There were, and continue to be, many more “prosperity preachers” and books claiming that God will make you prosperous if you simply express your faith through positive thoughts and words and make generous donations to the church.
Did you read The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life? Published by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson in 1980, it was an immediate New York Times #1 best seller. Here’s the Amazon description:
The life of Jabez, one of the Bible’s most overlooked heroes of the faith, bursts from unbroken pages of genealogies in an audacious, four-part prayer that brings him an extraordinary measure of divine favor, anointing, and protection. Readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God, and agents of His miraculous power, in everyday life.
More purveyors of the prosperity gospel? Joel Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church (in Houston), is probably at the top of the list. In October 2024, his first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, went immediately to the #1 position on the NY Times best-seller list. According to Osteen, his $50 net worth comes from his book sales. He does not receive a salary from Lakewood Church.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not implying that pastors like Roberts, Wilkinson, and Osteen are un-Christian. I actually believe that each of them has a Christian faith. But when I see the totality of their ministries, something seems off-kilter. I see red flags.
Additionally, I’m not saying that wealth is an evil thing. And I’m surely not stating that a wealthy person can’t be a Christian.
In closing, let’s go back to J.D. Walt’s article:
Beware of using the name of Jesus and those who make a living of it. It’s a thriving business with a flourishing economy, and it’s close enough to the real thing to be quite deceptive….
To be sure, Jesus loves prosperity, but prosperity on his terms and in the way of his kingdom.
For Christians, there is a kind of wealth that has nothing to do with money or possessions. Biblical wealth is when we experience and enjoy God’s blessings because we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. A poor person who knows God is immeasurably more wealthy than a rich man who worships his money.
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Robert Schuller was another of the prosperity preachers.
And I can’t remember the last time I saw Joel Osteen actually open and read from that Bible he’s always holding. If he did, he and his followers might be surprised by Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25 and Luke 18:25:
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Earthly wealth does not equate to God’s favor.
100% agree! Thank you for reading.
My good friend, the daughter of a Baptist minister, called O’Steen and his ilk, “ Jesus lite.” I think that’s a perfect description of these charlatans. Great article!
“Jesus lite”- I like it. I’m not even sure that Osteen knows what Jesus’ message is, if I’m being honest. Thanks for reading!
Enjoyed your most recent article!
Great article, Teresa. As Christians, it is our duty to call out these false teachers who attempt to lead people astray. Then those who give money and more money and then don’t have financial, career or relationship success can then blame God, when it was not God who told them lies, but people like Joel Osteen.
I would have one disagreement. I think Osteen is a straight up heretic, doing the work of Satan and is destined for the pit of hell if he doesn’t repent. He doesn’t just err in his approach, but teaches an entirely false gospel based on having success now. He uses the trappings of Biblical language, but is in total opposition to the Gospel. I am not as familiar with Wilkinson and think you are probably correct about Roberts. Scripture says we will know them by their fruit. Osteen has taught a false gospel to millions of people. That is a lot of rotten fruit.
Over and over again, Jesus takes about suffering and being hated and being persecuted. All of the Apostles were executed, except John who was exiled to Patmos. As far as we know, none of them achieved earthly wealth and “prosperity” in the sense that Osteen and other prosperity heretics preach. Jesus himself went around most of the time owning only his clothes and the sandals on his feet, depending on the generosity of others and his own miracles to supply their needs. When those needs were supplied, they were basic – enough money to pay taxes, food to feed the crowd, etc. You don’t see Jesus riding down the road in a wagon full of sacks of gold.
We are also told to store up treasures in heaven, not here on earth. The prosperity gospel isn’t just in error, it is heresy, because it is an anti-Jesus message. It is all about accumulating wealth, health and treasures for yourself for your own benefit and enjoyment. The Gospel is about working for Christ, which often includes suffering and hardship, where the reward is eternal life and serving the supreme and only God of the universe. That doesn’t mean we are in a constant state of sack cloth and ash, living in a card board box, but it does mean that we should not expect, nor are we promised earthly wealth and comfort. And every one of us in America would be considered wealthy by the metrics of time period of the early Church.
And yes, God does bless generosity from Christians. However, we do not know if that blessing is today, tomorrow, 50 years from now or heavenly. The biggest thing is the motivation for giving must be from a desire to serve and to return to God what is already His. The moment we give, not to be generous, serving others or obedient to God, but to store up wealth or “blessings” for ourselves, we have negated any blessing we might have received. Giving for the purpose of glorifying yourself or getting favor returned is not pleasing to God. Those motivations are selfish, not glorifying God.
As Jesus says, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give generously, anonymously (at least to the general public) and from your heart to serve God and bless others, not yourself. Then God will do with that what is good for you, according to His plans and His will, not ours.
You could have written this article! You hit the nail on the head when you wrote that God gets blamed when those who don’t receive earthly treasures are disillusioned. Thanks for reading! And I’d love to see more of your writing on AFNN!