prosperity gospel

There is an interesting article in the newest Time magazine about the so-called Prosperity Gospel. I sent the article to my Sunday school class. Basically, the argument turns Jesus's preaching on its head by arguing that God wants us to be prosperous in the here and now. It takes a misreading of John to get to this, in which Jesus tells the disciples that he came that we may have life and have it abundantly.

I am reminded of Jesus's teaching about those who fast and do so by not shaving and looking miserable so that everyone will know what they are up to. They have already received their reward. And I wonder if those who distort God to chase riches haven't received theirs as well.

I wonder how well prosperity theology works in the bad times. How do you handle life's inevitable downturns. How do you handle growing old, getting sick, losing the people close to you? I know how the preachers handle it - they count on society to hide and ignore the sick and poor and dying. That is why we have prisons and nursing homes after all. They make their millions from the people in their primes; after all, they are earning all their money then, and they sell them on invincibility and prosperity and never mind what Jesus actually meant or had to say about the dangers of wealth throughout his ministry.

Anyway, off to bed....