What is the Prosperity Gospel, and should Christians listen to its prominent preachers?
Introduction
The Prosperity Gospel is one of the fastest-growing movements in modern Christianity, promoted by numerous television evangelists and mega-church pastors. Its message is tremendously appealing: God wants you rich, healthy, and happy, and you hold the key to unlocking those blessings through your faith and giving.
For the new Christian seeking guidance, it is vital to understand why this message—though wrapped in Christian language—is considered deeply problematic and dangerous by many biblical scholars and theologians.
Main: The Three Core Claims of the Prosperity Gospel and the Biblical Response
The Prosperity Gospel centers on three non-biblical claims about the nature of God, the purpose of faith, and the meaning of money.
1. Distorted View of Suffering (Focus on Health)
The Prosperity Claim: Sickness and suffering are always curses from Satan or signs of insufficient faith. Jesus paid for your healing on the cross, making guaranteed physical health a right of every believer.
The Biblical Response: The Bible teaches that Christians will endure suffering and persecution as part of following Christ: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). While God does heal, He uses suffering to refine faith (Romans 5:3-5) and promises perfection only in the life to come. Paul himself endured illness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
2. Distorted View of Faith (Focus on Wealth)
The Prosperity Claim: Faith is a spiritual force that you manipulate through positive "confession" and mental visualization. You "speak things into existence" (claiming wealth, a job, or a cure) to force God to grant your desires.
The Biblical Response: Biblical faith is trust and submission to God's will, not a tool for controlling Him. True faith says, "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10), not "My will be done through my powerful words." The core of faith is trust in God’s goodness, even when His answer is "No" (Hebrews 11:1).
3. Distorted View of Giving (Focus on Self-Interest)
The Prosperity Claim: Giving money to the ministry (often the preacher’s ministry) is a "seed-faith investment" that God is obligated to return to you, multiplied many times over (the "hundredfold return").
The Biblical Response: The Bible teaches that Christians are to be cheerful, sacrificial givers (2 Corinthians 9:7). The purpose of giving is to support the Gospel, care for the poor, and worship God—not to enrich oneself or test God with a demand for greater return. Giving motivated by greed is condemned, not celebrated.
Should Christians Listen to Prosperity Preachers?
The ethical and spiritual mandate for every Christian is to test every teaching against the clear Word of God.
The Command to Discern: Paul warns: “Test everything; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Because the Prosperity Gospel focuses on earthly gain over Christ's Lordship, it is considered a false gospel by many orthodox Christian groups.
The Danger to the Soul: Listening to a message that equates wealth with righteousness can lead a Christian into two destructive paths: pride (when they are wealthy) or despair (when they are poor or sick, leading them to believe God has abandoned them). It shifts the heart's focus away from the true, eternal reward.
Conclusion
The true Gospel promises eternal life, joy in suffering, and a relationship with Christ—which is the greatest wealth of all.
If you encounter a preacher whose message consistently focuses on what God will give you materially rather than what God requires of you spiritually (repentance, humility, self-denial), your wisest and most biblical course of action is to turn off the channel and seek teaching rooted firmly in the whole counsel of Scripture.
