Warning: Going in depth as much as I can here folks which means mainly religion in this one and my take on the heretical Prosperity Gospel teachings. (There will be links for reference as I go, because some this has to be heard to be believed). I may have to include the Dominionsm commentary in this as well since the two teachings are intrinsically linked and generally taught by the same people. If that's the case then this may be a long one. Just so everyone knows.
As always lets keep it civil guys. I like talking to people and this is meant to be my response to what I see as a growing problem and, hopefully, present a solution of sorts. This will be a series of diaries as it will make things easier for me to write and for you to read. We begin after the orange corndog thing. (for the record: quoted Bible verses are from the KJV version since that's the one most often used by these ministries)
Prosperity Gospel really got it's big start in 1947 when Oral Roberts started his radio ministry, and evolved into televangelism in 1954 when he began his television ministry. There are ten main verses that are used to support this theology but the core premise is that God HAS to bless you if you obey Him and have enough faith. In fact they'll outright tell you that God has to do what you tell Him because...reasons. I'm entirely clear on that one because they're explanation isn't even remotely Biblical.
Anyway for this, the first entry, I want to talk about a few of the verses and point out the recurring pattern for each of them and the problems that they cause. As the diaries progress I'll be talking about individual precepts and the problems that they cause; but for now the verse problems.
Each and every verse that Prosperity Teachers, I'm sorry they call it Word of Faith now, use is taken out of it's greater context and people aren't generally told that. They're given one verse and told it means something when if you look at it in context to the whole it means something entirely different. Let's look at their foundational verse, the one Oral Roberts claims was the message that he was to deliver because that's what God told him directly. That verse was 3 John 1:2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Now the problem here is that if you go in and read the whole of 3 John you'll see it's an Epistle, or a letter, to a man named Gaius. The context of the letter is JOHN wishing GAIUS to prosper. It was encouragement and to go seek another man named Demetrius who was leading a group of Christians so that he could join them. It's not presented in the way that Prosperity teachers use it and the way they do changes the meaning entirely.
Then we have Isaiah 53: 5, which is the verse by which they claim unlimited healing all the time from everything:
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Again going to the text, if you look at all of Isaiah 53 when it speaks of healing it's talking about being healed from sin, not physical healing. Duality as a writing style is not uncommon in verses like this and the Psalms and taking one verse out of the whole without explanation or context, again, changes the entire meaning. It's dishonest and shady and I don't like it one bit.
There are about eight other verses that are used like this. Taken out of their intended context and then said to mean one thing when they mean another. Once you start to see it and can discern what's going on (Jesus Himself said to test any teaching you ehard against the scriptures and if they didn't line up then walk away from that teacher when the spirit moved you to do so) you have to start pointing it out. Maybe some people will listen, maybe they won't but the sooner we get back to the read deal teachings of Christ the better off I think the church will be.
That's all for part one
God bless you all
End of line