Bankruptcy of Prosperity

She said, “If I just say it, if I speak the words, God will give me what I need.”

I wanted to contradict her but I didn’t have the heart. She was so convinced that God wanted to bless her and all she had to do to receive this wonderful blessing was to ask for it. And, of course, she is right. God is in the blessings business. It’s just that I believe she has misinterpreted what a blessing from God really means. Like many, my friend is convinced that if one has faith one will receive material benefits from God. My friend wanted a job and so she asked God for it and she expected to receive it. The reason she was discussing this with me was that she hadn’t received anything yet. My friend’s philosophy is referred to today as the prosperity gospel. But I sense the rise of a new hucksterism, with new P.T. Barnum’s preaching the word to a rapt audience.

Joel Osteen is one of the biggest proponents of the prosperity gospel. I read his recent book and he does qualify his teachings with cautions; sometimes we need to wait, sometimes we run into problems, etc… But he told one story that captured his belief in God the sugar daddy. His wife saw a mansion and fell in love with it. They couldn’t afford to buy it at the time and the good reverend told his wife so. She asked; won’t God give us this house if we ask for it? Joel replied, if we ask I believe that God will. So they prayed for that house and today they live in it. Apparently those who ask receive. As long as the recipient inherits a multimillion dollar ministry from his dad, receives a six figure salary and secures book contracts with major publishers.

I’m probably being unfair to the very right reverend Osteen. But his point is clear and repeated often in his book. Ask and you will receive. And when he says ask, he is talking about the things of this world; cars, mansions, money etc… The fact is that not everyone is in a position to be blessed with that million dollar house, or that sleek roadster. And he should know this.

So what is the problem with the prosperity gospel? What is wrong with the idea of God sitting on his throne with the gold crown and the white beard, dolling out mansions and movie contracts? Why can’t we petition our loving, caring, all powerful, Father in Heaven and get what we want?

We certainly can petition God, because God does help us in this material based life. When discussing Though Adjusters, The Urantia Book says that our spiritual helpmates are concerned with our material prosperity here on earth (1204.1). God is interested in everything that plays a part in our spiritual growth, and that includes the daily challenges of this world. Spiritual advancement does help us with our work on this planet (1211.4). Though it doesn’t guarantee success, a person who is spiritually progressing is better able to cope with the challenges of life. However, the book warns us that prosperity does not endure and wealth can obscure spiritual vision (1822.1). All in all, the book is not against prosperity and says that our Father in Heaven wants to see us successful in our material ventures.

The Urantia Book also makes it very clear that God does not directly interfere in the normal workings of our lives. Jesus pointed to the Book of Job and said that “God is no respecter of persons” (1662.4). He said that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. This means that God has put into place the natural actions of this world and that they occur according to his wise and farseeing purposes. God does not step in and prevent natural accidents from happening. The rain falls on everyone and so do natural disasters. If we are in the path of a tsunami God does not save us. If we make a bad business decision, God does not correct us. Jesus said that prosperity and success does not indicate God’s favor. He pointed out that if the wealthy were really recipients of God’s blessings, why were so many of them rejecting his message? And why were so many of the poor and downtrodden entering the Kingdom of Heaven? (1830.3). Jesus condemns the prosperity gospel of Moses’ time by saying; “I declare that such beliefs are superstitions”. This alone should put an end to the prosperity gospel in the minds of every Urantia Book reader.

The Urantia Book talks about the keys to success in material life. It simply is hard work and intelligence applied to what the book calls “well organized channels” (1779.2). What this interesting paragraph means is that old adage, success follows success. If I am a turn of the century blacksmith making horseshoes, the rise of the automobile is going to put me out of business regardless of how hard working I am, intelligent I am, or how much faith I possess. Some jobs go away and others prosper depending upon the opportunities that the flow of time present. If one is a programmer for Microsoft one can become wealthy. If one is a maker of wagon wheels, opportunities for wealth creation are slim.

These teachings in The Urantia Book are pretty much common sense based. God the eternal Santa Claus would mean that all faithful people would be wealthy. God the emergency responder would mean that prayer would cure all ills, including death. None of this is true, and at some level we all know it. And yet, in present day America, many people are absolutely convinced that success in life is a birth right and that possessing faith equals immediate material benefits. What this translates into is a thriving theological industry that promises success in all ventures/problems/dreams but delivers very little. Barnum’s well known quote, “a sucker born every minute” is a bit harsh. But there is no doubt that there are plenty of people willing to buy a ticket to the greatest show on earth – the search for prosperity.

God Bless You,

William Whitehead