No Jesus! No Gospel!
1 Corinthians 1:23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology
Also known as, “Prosperity Doctrine,” “Health and Wealth,” “Name It and Claim It,” or “Blab It and Grab It” (the latter term tends to be used by those who criticize this teaching).
The prosperity teaching is an aberrant doctrine, largely promoted by the Word-Faith movement.
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Here’s how it is sold: God wants you to be rich (and/or healthy), but He can not bless you unless you first send money (also known as a “seed-faith offering”) to whichever televangelist or teacher tells you about this scheme. Perfected by Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Benny Hinn the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, et al.
The teaching is part and parcel of ‘Positive Confession,’ one of the doctrinal pillars of Word-Faith theology.
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The faith movement has proven itself to be a divisive force splitting churches, dividing families, and leaving a trail of broken spirits and bodies belonging to those who believed that all they had to do was confess with their mouth and God was obligated to obediently perform. The God of the Bible is not some divine bellhop who jumps at the exercise of our faith. He is the sovereign Lord who works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11), and, when it pleases Him, graciously takes into account the faith of His children.
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The so-called positive confession movement has done a great disservice to the body of Christ by paving the way for the errors of the born-again Jesus, the "little gods," and the dominion theology doctrines. In the end these things will come to nothing, because, as the Lord has reminded us, "Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me....I am the first and I am the last, and apart from Me there is no God" (Isa. 43:10, 44:6).
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The Lord Jesus Christ died once for all, offering one sacrifice for sin forever. Nowhere does the Bible teach that He ever suffered in hell or that men may become gods. This is Mormon theology, cultic theology, and Christians should beware when they hear it. This theology divides and does not unite the body of Christ, and must be avoided at all costs (Rom 16:17; Tit 3:9-11).
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The results of this small 'prosperity' departure from scriptural truth, amongst other things, are enormous:
It changes the nature of giving from what should be a selfless, charitable or compassionate act, to a selfish one - we are now giving, in order to get.
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It actually teaches the congregation to love money. In fact, it gives official church sanction to the desire to be wealthy.
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It turns God into a spiritual poker machine. How many families have I seen, pouring money into the church coffers, not because they want to bless the poor or are moved by the Spirit, but because they are expecting a jackpot!
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In the end, the few who receive the jackpot (and there are always bound to be a few) are put up on the pulpit to give their 'testimony'. The many who didn't, keep quiet, because there must be something wrong with their relationship with God. Those who go bust, leave the church.
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Initially, Prosperity Doctrine draws a subtle link between you giving to God and God giving to you. It then promises financial security as a result of giving to God, a parallel to the charismatic thinking: if you're good, you'll never get sick. At the extreme stage it has people borrowing money to give to a specific 'God representative', in anticipation of receiving a hundred-fold return.
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Once they start on the prosperity path, few pastors can turn back and they slowly become entrenched in deeper and deeper levels. It is a seduction leading to addiction. One of the great contradictions of the Prosperity Doctrine is this: The preachers who tell us that we should have the faith that God will come through on His promise to pour finances from heaven into our pocket, obviously don't have the faith themselves to believe God will provide finances for their own churches. If they did, they wouldn't have to play these mind games with their congregations.
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Some pastors claim they only want to be prosperous, so that they can be a blessing to others (I only want a Mercedes so I can drive friends to church in comfort!). Assuming for a moment they have truly conquered their 'flesh' and only want wealth for purely altruistic reasons (ha, ha), it would still be grossly irresponsible to assume that everyone listening to their preaching has reached that same idealistic plateau. And if they haven't, they are leading them astray.
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I want to go to church and come out feeling challenged, edified, deeply moved, encouraged, knowing I have met with God personally. When I hear the prosperity doctrine, I feel sad, angry, deflated, sickened, cheated, conned, or at least as if someone has tried to con me. If I, as a full-on Christian have that reaction, how must non-Christians feel?
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There is now a latest doctrine, fast spreading through the charismatic churches. It says you must not criticise your leaders/pastors under any circumstances, even if they're wrong, because it generates division and undermines their leadership. This new doctrine is simply an extension of the prosperity doctrine, designed to allow them to continue the heresy.
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Jesus Himself was never reticent about criticising the religious leaders when they had lost the plot, even to the point of calling them names: 'brood of vipers, serpents and hypocrites'! What Jesus hated most was the hypocrisy of turning the house of God into a money-making business.
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The only material thing Jesus taught us to pray for was 'our daily bread'. God doesn't need our money to make things happen according to His will - He is the God who fed thousands with just a few loaves and fishes.
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