I think by now we know to stay away from the name it claim it pastors who taught that if you give $10 to church, you’d give triple back. We likely know to be leery of the churches that emphasize the blessed life without acknowledging that whole suffering part Jesus talks about. But there’s a new prosperity gospel, and I gotta say, it’s pretty enticing and more subtle than you’d expect.
How do I know? Because I’ve fallen for it.
While reading Getting Over Yourself by Dean Inserra, I was kind of shocked by the subtle ways it has snuck into my life. My church wasn’t necessarily preaching it but some of the books I was reading or Instagram accounts I was following did essentially preach this modern prosperity gospel.
It was just helpful enough to seem…well, helpful. And there were enough partial truths to identify for it to feel ok. But then it started getting obvious that this wasn’t just a few tips and tricks to get out of setbacks. Those tips became gospel, and the tricks became the way to salvation, and those setbacks replaced our grievous sins.
So, what is the new prosperity gospel?
I want to share some key quotes from Inserra that I hope will help define it better so that when you see it, whether in your church or in the content you consume, you’ll know.
First, Inserra says, “This new teaching is not centered on overnight rags-to-riches stories or immediate physical healing, but rather on the idea that God is ‘in my corner’ waiting to give me my ‘breakthrough.’ The new prosperity gospel comes with the messages of ‘God-sized dreams’ and a ‘vision’ that God has for your life, which includes finding your ‘destiny’ and ‘reaching your true potential.’ No longer is our depravity the actual tragedy. Now, the cardinal sin is failing to achieve ‘God’s best’ for oneself.”
This hits close to home, doesn’t it? The number in the top 100 list of Christian books that talk about “God’s best” or vision for our life is pretty high. Just take a look for yourself. You might think I’m being nitpicky, but here’s why this is important:
If we expect the American dream version of the gospel and it doesn’t happen, what will our view of God be? Will we think He lied (though He promised suffering, we just didn’t want to see it)? Will we think He didn’t care (because we believed giving us a flashy purpose was His way of loving us)?
So, let’s discuss 5 factors (curated from Inserra’s book!!) that point to a new prosperity Gospel.