Time Magazine has a cover story on "Does God What You To Be Rich?" (HT: Justin Taylor). Sooner or later the larger Christian community will take up the charge to call out these fleece agents, rather than waiting for the world to call them out. There may be nothing more destructive within the broader Christian community, and the predominantly African-American church in particular, than these Word-faith, health and wealth, prosperity preachers. Melvin Jones (pulpit-pimps.org) is doing a yeoman's job in pointing out these foolish teachers. Interestingly, the cover picture of the Time magazine has a resemblance to the website of the increasingly popular Jamal-Harrison Bryant and his Empowerment Temple.
1 comment:
Anthony,
Whilst I would completely agree with the critiques of prosperity preachers and indeed the church should be taking them on (it scares me how influential they are in terms of book sales / tv time etc etc). But I always have a slight uncomfortable feeling when prosperous reformed evangelicals do the critiquing - it seems that whilst we may not subscribe to the doctrines - we do subscribe to some of the practises.
In what I have seen (in the UK), I am sure that pastors do hold back their teaching on 'the humble lifestyle'. 'living all out for the Lord' and 'storing up treasures in heaven', so as not to upset the congregations. So we see church members go higher and higher up the career ladder (with the accompanying more and more hours at work), moving to bigger and bigger houses, with smarter and smarter cars, spending less and less time with their families and less and less time with the Lord's people and serving Him.
So whilst we must take on Osteen, Dollar etc - there is also work to be done at home..
BTW.. as for your comments on the conferences .. Amen
Sorry you've had some had some complaints, but I think it comes with the territory.
You must keep on saying these things in the reasoned, sensitive way you are, and pray for us in the UK, that the Lord would raise up brothers and sisters to do the same here.
Colin
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