Theology of the Prosperity Gospel

Editor’s note: The following post arises from small group reflections from The Rise of Global Christianity, 1910–2010, taught by Dr. Todd Johnson at Boston University in the Fall of 2010. Lead by doctoral students, the small groups discussed lectures given by Christian scholars in various disciplines, including significant changes that have occurred in global Christianity over the past 100 years.

On the evening of October 6th, the class turned to a discussion on African Initiated Churches as an example of “Independent” Christianity. Nimi Wariboko, originally from Nigeria and now professor at Andover Newton Theological Seminary, attempted to describe the reasons for the widespread growth of African Independent Churches.

A large part of Wariboko’s lecture focused on the theology of the Prosperity Gospel and its resonance with the African view of reality, so our small group opened by reflecting on the Prosperity Gospel.

The initial reaction came from a student that explained that Wariboko’s presentation was helpful, because, “Prosperity Gospel—that very phrase—produces a knee-jerk negative reaction within me that says, ‘That’s wrong!’ However, I thought it was interesting to hear how the Prosperity Gospel is rooted so deeply in the African worldview. It was a helpful reminder to slow down, and listen to what is happening historically and culturally before making a judgment.”

Another student broadened the conversation: “I think the Prosperity Gospel is a similar phenomenon to what we have in Korea. For instance, the Full Gospel Church preaches something similar to the Prosperity Gospel. So, this is not just an African story, but a Korean story as well. Traditional Korean religion continues to shape the form of Korean Christianity. The challenge is discerning is Gospel and what is not.”

A new perspective was introduced with a student interjecting, “Prosperity is not a problem, but the results of prosperity are a problem.” She continued by explaining that prosperity can lead people to have faith in themselves, and their own economic success. The Prosperity Gospel can distract people from focusing on the core of the Gospel to focusing on its benefits.

The conversation suddenly shifted when a student asked a pointed question, “How much is Christianity a Western religion?” The group was reluctant to answer, fearing that it was a dangerous question, but finally someone tentatively argued that it is not a Western religion. It did not start in the West, nor is it limited to the West. Another student added, “I think people have associated in with the West, because it entered Korea (for instance) through Western missionaries; however, as Korean missionaries take it to new places in the world it might be considered an Asian religion!” In a compromise, a student suggested that demographically Christianity is not a Western religion, but theologically it remains tied to the West.

With time running out, one student asked to share her thoughts on the lecture. “I think the speakers presentation was heavily influenced by colonialism,” she began. “However, Africans are not the only one with a colonial legacy. That happened in many places.” She continued, “With the collapse of colonial powers, the issue of contextualization has become important. It is easy to blame Western missionaries for failing to contextualize Christianity, but that is not really fair. No one can go beyond his or her own culture. We may try to reduce the influence of our culture, but we can never fully escape it.” She concluded by appealing for some generosity towards missionaries who transmitted their culture with their faith.

Once again, our time expired, and the conversation was left hanging in the air.

Daryl Ireland, discussion moderator