I was attracted to a Facebook
post on my timeline by a friend who had made a comment concerning the rising
issue of prosperity gospel generally in the world, and particularly, in Africa.[1] In his comment section, he
made the case that Christian bloggers should pursue apologetics and polemics
for the sake of the body of Christ. This was a good challenge for me,
especially because the nature of this blog has a firm basis for apologetics. Under
the submission of scripture, I enjoy and seek to learn more concerning “faith
seeking understanding” a phrase employed by the 11th Century
theologian, St. Anselm of Canterbury. To take up this challenge, I have decided
to do a mini-series of posts on apologetics as follows:
Apologetics
104: A Contemporary Concern – Prosperity Gospel in Africa
---
This is the fourth part of
this series. We will be looking at some contemporary areas of applying
Apologetics in an African, and specifically, Kenyan context. (For those who
missed, see Part
1 and Part
2 and Part
3 here).
I take
great pride in the fact that I have been nurtured in African soil. If there is
anything that I can say defines what it means to be an African is the exuberance
about life that we have. No wonder when we have visitors in our continent, we
have coined the phrase “when you go to Africa, you never go back home.” Every
small thing that happens is a cause of commotion. The narratives that surround
us, political or personal, have a way of finding their way in our communities. A
wedding can even turn up to be a communal affair, as I am currently learning J and
that’s just it, we love power displays. It is something embedded very much in
our cultural structure as Africans, and so it is not surprising that this finds
its way into our churches or how we identify as Christians.
The
issue of prosperity can be looked at from two perspectives. On one hand, globalization
has brought a sense of self-consciousness among Africans that we too can
contribute to global discourse and progress. At a popular cultural level, you
only need to look at the renaissance of natural hairstyles among the youth and
the continent-wide acceptance and acclaim of contemporary African music by
African artists. A look at the movies Independence Day and Glory are
symbolic of the self-consciousness of those of African descent. Our very own
Lupita Nyong’o is slated to act in the big-title-film Star Wars after
the iconic 12 Years a Slave and her most recent, Queen of Katwe, that
has generated a lot of self-conscious buzz for all types of Africans. Looking
at these films and videos, it is not surprising that Africans are now
protagonists in these narratives and the appearance of posh cars and clothes in
these disparate media shows that as much as we are self-conscious, we have also
imbibed a form of materialism and capitalism, different from a socialist
African perspective of our founding fathers. Therefore, on one hand we like
prosperity because it indicates that we are flourishing as Africans.
Away from
this urban space that is grounds for a ferment of a middle-class prosperity, the
“ordinary Kenyan” is also affected in another way. This second perspective is
illustrative of how the “prosperity gospel” makes use of the underlying African
traditional worldview. Conrad Mbewe in an instructive article observes that
the Charismatic movement in Africa takes the “entire erroneous superstructure
of African religious worldview and baptize(s) it with wrongly applied
Bible verses and Christian language.”[2]
The “Men
of God” who serve as self-appointed mediators between their “sons” or “daughters”
and God, make use of psychological rhetoric, entrepreneurial pursuit and power
plays that lead their followers astray and away from the truth. As I ponder
this malaise of prosperity gospel, I see a direct assault on orthodox Christian
doctrine on the work of Christ and the understanding of suffering in the
Christian faith. Writing on such false “teachers” and “prophets”, Peter
observes that “. . . in their greed they will exploit you with false words.
Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not
asleep.” (2 Pet. 2:3)
The Work of Christ as Lasting
Prosperity
Despite
the fact that some self-professed “Men of God” promise all types of
deliverances and blessings, isn’t it interesting that those who are on their beck
and call remain in financial, spiritual and emotional bondage to these
charlatans? I have personally heard the stories of some who have spent their
entire savings in the name of blessing these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Some
pledge more allegiance to these mortal men above the Lord Jesus Christ who
alone can bring lasting prosperity. I offer that one who is redeemed and
renewed in the life of Christ can have a healthy view of prosperity and work
and would thus be able to live a truly prosperous life. The main obstacle
from lasting prosperity is the issue of the heart’s condition. It is our estrangement
from God that curtails any sense of genuine hope and joy that is not fixated on
our material wealth and ego-based achievements such as our educational,
financial and other personal achievements. There are many who seem to be
smiling behind their flashy cars and yet inwardly they are poor and dead (Ps.
49:10, Jn. 5:24). A prosperity that dwells on worldly acclaim and status, leads
to the loss of one’s soul – “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole
world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36)
We
definitely need provision for our day to day activities and aspirations, but
these are not to be an end in themselves. At the point where we prioritize
material prosperity above eternal prosperity then we are in a myopic path that
leads to death (Prov. 23:4-5, Mk. 4:19, Jas. 5:1-6). The role of wealth in the
life of a believer is to facilitate the extension of the Kingdom of God, in our
personal spheres of influence and for the establishment of Christ’s mission for
the Church, and thus to bring holistic well-being, in scriptural language referred
to as shalom.[3] To borrow a phrase from John
Onwuchekwa, money and wealth are not to be an indication of blessing,
but an instrument to bless others.[4] Paul says that “contentment
with godliness is great gain,” (1 Tim. 6:6) referring to the truth that our
contentment comes from the fact that we have peace with God. This passage in 1
Tim. 6:6-10, is instructive as a charge against the false teaching of
prosperity gospel (see also 2 Pet. 2). Money in itself is not necessarily bad
but it is our heart attitude towards it that is crucial. So here, Paul notes
“the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” reflecting contemporary
evils that have resulted from the love of money and power such as gambling,
prostitution, sibling rivalry and murder, political instability and poor
integrity in the workplace context of climbing the corporate ladder, ills
rampant in our society. Contrary to material prosperity, true and lasting
prosperity for the believer is to escape the wrath of the Father based on the
satisfactory work of Christ on the Cross – that because of Christ, our guilt of
sin is taken away, the Father looks upon us with favor, he adopts us into his
family and he transforms us in holiness (1 John 2:2, 1 Pet. 3:18, Rom. 6:10).
These spiritual realities give us a holistic sense of well-being, joy that is
lasting and rest from our own self-centered strivings. We work but we work
because our inspiration and focus is different: It is centered on Christ (Col.
3:17, 23).
Prospering in Suffering
Prosperity gospel also gives
a faulty understanding of the nature of suffering in the life of a Christian.
The entire book of Job is a clear response on the idea that Christianity
alleviates suffering. I am afraid that many who profess belief in Christ in our
time believe that they have now come to a “Santa” whose work is to give
material gifts. Yet scriptures prize suffering as a means of refining our faith
(Job 23:10). The apostles in the New Testament also acknowledge the reality
that the believers were going through or would go through many forms of
suffering, but that they would experience strength, renewal and hope in the
midst of their suffering (John 16:33, Jas. 1:2-4, 1 Pet. 1:6-7, 1 Thes. 3:3).
Many
scholars of the early church have noted that the witness of the early church
was potent because of the martyrdom of the saints. Suffering purifies us so
that our witness can be personally powerful and bring glory to God’s wise plan
(Rom. 8:28-29). This article here expounds further on a doctrine of
suffering, which has been helpful for my thinking about suffering in my own
life and in the lives of those I relate with. A biblical view of suffering has
not only sorted out some intellectual questions I have but it also helped me to
deal with the loss of my brother in 2015, whose birth date is today.
Towards
a Right View of Suffering
To
claim that suffering is not part of the Christian life downplays the victorious
work of Christ that was won for us through great suffering – a suffering that
those who believe in Christ will not suffer. Suffering may not be martyrdom
necessarily or a lack of money, but it may be in the form of trials such as
standing up for the truth, standing up for justice and equity, standing out in
the midst of cultural conformity to unbiblical thought patterns and lifestyles
and even fighting our own weaknesses in the Spirit’s power – in short losing
our sense of comfort when we obey God. To have Christ brings lasting prosperity
and orients our heart attitude in the right direction, a lasting prosperity
that views material prosperity in its rightful place. More importantly,
prosperity gospel makes much of men and makes less of God, denying us an
opportunity to grow in the knowledge and grace of God, and to be strengthened
in our faith. By downplaying the blessedness of the gospel, prosperity gospel leads
us astray. It leads us down the path of poverty.
[1] The “prosperity gospel” in summary is
the “wealth and health” gospel that focuses on God’s gifts instead of God
himself. For an article that traces the African traditional worldview that
underlies much of this gospel in charismatic circles, see Conrad Mbewe, “Why is
the Charismatic Movement Thriving in Africa?” in Banner of Truth. Nov
2015 accessed here. The story of Job in the Bible can be seen as a practical defense
against prosperity gospel. See Vaneetha Rendall Risner, “The Poverty of the
Prosperity Gospel,” in Desiring God, June 2015. Accessed here.
[3] Shalom is a Hebew word that refers to “total
well-being.”
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