Dear Word-Faith Friends,

Why a religious movement that’s gained cultural prominence should take a second look at {{MORE}}

You began as a fringe movement within the Pentecostal community and made barely a ripple in the public consciousness until a handful of your proponents were exposed for financial and sexual indiscretions in the '80s. In the '90s, you faced continuous scrutiny and criticism from heresy hunters and theological watchdog groups, and several books were written deconstructing your supposed sub-orthodox doctrine.

But now, in the new millennium, you can claim victory. A cover story in the September 18 issue of TIME magazine explores your movement, asking, "Does God Want You to Be Rich?" A poll cited in the same issue of the magazine found that 17 percent of Christians surveyed identified themselves with the Word-Faith movement, and 61 percent said they believe God wants people to be prosperous.

Of the four largest megachurches in the country, three (Lakewood Church, Houston, pastored by Joel Osteen; The Potter's House, Dallas, pastored by T.D. Jakes; and World Changers Church, Atlanta, pastored by Creflo Dollar) preach prosperity theology. And that doesn't include other high-profile pastors and ministry leaders such as Randy and Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley and Eddie Long--all of whom have garnered substantial influence outside the church.

Once relegated to self-publishing your books and speaking at regional conferences and a handful of Bible institutes, you now negotiate seven-figure book contracts with New York publishers, you dominate Christian television and you have fewer critics than you did in the '80s and '90s when hardly anyone outside the church knew about you.

Simply put, you effectively adapted your teaching methods and persona to be more appealing to a broader audience. You distanced yourselves from obvious hucksters. You embraced the language of empowerment rather than greed, using terms such as "destiny", "favor", "promotion" and "increase". You harnessed media with sophistication and tact, often eschewing the pulpit theatrics of your Pentecostal forebears.

Yet your message remained consistent, and its simplicity resonated with a culture disillusioned with a God who seemed to be disturbingly unpredictable, prayers that seemed to go unanswered and a version of Christianity that seemed to have little room for three of the most venerated deities in the Western pantheon: money, health and self-fulfillment.

So, the question for you is this: Have your teachings been accepted because they have been weighed in the balances and found to be biblically sound, or because they happen to be compatible with the narcissistic longings of 21st-century Americans? You were prophetic as you reintroduced us to a God who actually hears our prayers and wants to answer them ... when you reminded us of the ability (and desire) of God to heal people of their physical infirmities ... when you encouraged us to be more liberal in giving and reminded us of the principles of reaping and sowing.

But the truth remains that your simplistic formulas for wealth transfer, divine promotion and supernatural health don't always ring true in a world where the majority of Christians in non-Western nations live in poverty. You have yet to wrestle through a biblically-coherent theology of suffering and the role it plays in a faithful Christian's life. And some of you are confused as to whether Jesus wants us to take up our cross and follow Him or discover the champion within ourselves.

Like every religious movement, you've adapted to the demands of changing times. Now it's time to adapt to the demands of an unchanging Word--to embrace the value of sacrifice, as well as success. Our culture is crying for nothing less than the same radical faith that Jesus exhibited when He assumed the identity of an impoverished, unknown, peasant-carpenter to show us what God looks like.

by Matt Green
from The Ministry Report
September 11, 2006