Day 4 - 25 Days of Christmas
Hello everyone! This is a follow up of my previously posted post, because I have removed it. The book I am reading is by Joyce Meyer, and it was recommended to me by a friend. From what I have read thusfar, the book does not preach wrong theology, but I have not read the whole book, so I am unsure if it will.
I do not research people often, because I honestly don't really find joy in learning about people who aren't dead. I know that sounds really morbid, but I really enjoy learning about true crime, murders, ancient civilizations, and studying them. When it comes to people who are alive, it sometimes can become just gossip, especially in a time when social media can blow things completely out of proportion. That being said, my friend reached out to me regarding Joyce Meyer being a televangelist that promotes the prosperity gospel. After researching for a bit, I decided to take my previous post down, because I don't want that post to affect others in their understanding of our relationship with God.
As I've said, as of right now, I don't see anything theologically wrong about the book, but it could also just be the topic (empowering women in a Godly manner) being a very uplifting topic in general. I guess before going into it, I should rewind a bit and explain what the prosperity gospel beliefs are. The basic idea of the prosperity gospel is if your relationship with God is good, there should be no suffering, and you will be rich; suffering and being poor is a result of not having a good relationship with God. Because of this, those who are "strong" in their faith require that those who are not strong in their faith to invest in learning from them how to be "stronger". This means investing, in faith, by attending their talks and conferences, spending money on their products, and learning how to earn money through having a good relationship with God.
2 Super Major Problems 1. The entire Bible is about people suffering for the sake of God. Yes, sometimes it is because of their sin, but suffering does not mean you are far from God. How you deal with that suffering is what determines the strength of your relationship with God. None of us are perfect; sin is within all of us, and it is what causes suffering in ourselves and others. That is why we need Jesus Christ. The prosperity gospel is preaching that we can reflect God's presence in our lives by giving to (their) church and earning more money... to invest in (their) church.
2. Sometimes God does bless us through great finances. Of course, tithe. Of course, attend conferences and retreats that may cost money. Of course, donate. Of course, desire to learn more. But the difference between what the prosperity gospel teaches and what is truth is that God doesn't ask for a monetary value. God asks for priceless faith. In the parable of the widow with the two copper coins, she gave all she had! And as the fat cats with abundant money laid down just a portion of their fat wallets laughed at her meager offering, Jesus loved on the widow and praised her faith. (Matthew 12) The prosperity gospel very blatantly teaches the opposite.
With this in mind, I felt it best to delete my Day 4 post :) I hope that you all have a great night~