Posted on 02/03/2012 1:34:28 AM PST by billflax
Tim Tebow is back in the news after cancelling an appearance with a group of pastors spouting the Prosperity Gospel. Apparently, Mr. Tebow agreed to speak before he realized whom he was supporting.
The Prosperity Gospel reflects a new variant on an ancient apostasy presuming our material standing proportionate to our moral stature. Many of America's fastest growing churches feature this errant blending of theology with materialism.
Megachurches espousing this feel good nonsense litter the landscape while televangelists have been catapulted into the public face of Christianity. It's compelling and easily misleads because it's intuitive. Those who serve God best should be rewarded most. The vilest sinners ought to incur the harshest wrath.
True.
However, rewards earned in this life are mainly meted in the next. Jesus specifically spurred us to burnish treasures in Heaven, not earthly riches susceptible to moths, rust or presumably gyrating markets. For those thinking fortunes their prize, it might just mean they found their reward in full. Eternal peace may forever elude them.
Preachers grown wealthy peddling a watered down gospel often extol this "health and wealth" farce for the same extenuating rationale Pharisees did in Christ's day. It exonerates them and tickles congregants' ears (2 Timothy 4:3), but Jesus repeatedly denounced pharisaical hypocrisy for espousing such self-serving dogma. If God were prone to the foibles which befall man materialistic theology could ring true. Worldly rulers reward those serving them well while punishing those who won't. The Prosperity Gospel errs because it conflates God's character with human failings.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearreligion.org ...
Good for him! He really IS a true Christian.
Cool.
Doesn't the Jewish faith suggest something along this line? The Mormon church signals prosperity by building ostentatious churches, and many Mormons seem unusually ambitious and driven. I wish I had 1% of Mitten's unbridled ambition. I have no clue what his thought process might be, what motivates him to be such a vulture weasel.
While I don't agree with the prosperity Gospel it's hard to escape the face that the Psalms take exactly this position repeatedly. The good will flourish and the evil will eventually suffer. Fortunately, Ecclesiastes and Job both show the other side to this coin.
Hell opened up a special circle just for Hagin, Copeland, Hinn, Dollar, Price, Crouch, and Parsley. Millstone time!
Don't forget Osteen.
Back in 2007 a friend and his wife coaxed me into attending their Baptist church which I did for almost a year......
The pastor drove a really nice Corvette......
One for the ping list
I despair of the Joel Osteen daily garbage on Free Republic. That is not Christianity.
Good for Tebow.
My sister was caught up for several years in a large NW prosperity Church, Casey Treat Ministries. I attended a few of the services with her, and as a Christian outsider I could see the false doctrine being taught, while she and thousands of other good people just follow him like a bunch of lemmings. I heard him say, “The Richer you are the more blessed by God you are”, and that God’s desire is for you to be wealthy.” And “that if you were poor in riches it is because you are poor in spirit.” And how do you become rich, according to Casey, giving in abundance to the church of course.
Thankfully my sister finally wised up, and left that church.
May God continue to bless Tebow with discernment....
Very happy to hear that.
That’s Smilin’ Joel Osteen’s crowd, isn’t it?
I cringe for souls every time I see the Osteen posts. He’s a deceiver.
Good on Tebow!
Good for Tebow. The more I learn about this young man, the more impressive he gets.
You're not alone.
Tebow’s parents are missionaries. I believe that gives him a clearer, more eternal perspective than that of most American Christians, including me.
From what I learned the Saducees did not believe in the Resurrection of the body as did the Pharasees. The respresentation of this was that this life was all we had, so the better off one was, the better life one had, was the manifestation of heaven on earth...because there was no more.
That's not what Jews believe today, I understand.
...Poverty, for the rabbis, was a curse, with no saving graces. Poverty does not ennoble; it demeans. Therefore, the poor must be helped to escape from their poverty — through education, training, the creation of employment opportunities, and help in starting their own businesses...
Didn’t Jesus say “many shall come in my name”, referring to false prophets?
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