What is Prosperity Religion? Name and claim it..
The prosperity gospel also has been called the "name it and claim it" theology. God wants His people to prosper, evangelists like Joyce Meyer maintain. Those who follow God and give generously to his ministries can have anything, and everything, they want.
But critics, from Bible-quoting theologians to groups devoted to preserving the separation of church and state, abound. At best, they say, such a theology is a simplistic and misguided way of living. At worst, they say, it is dangerous.
Michael Scott Horton, who teaches historical theology at the Westminister Theological Seminary in Escondido, Ca., calls the message a twisted interpretation of the Bible – a "wild and wacky theology.
"Some of these people are charlatans," Horton said. "Others are honestly dedicated to one of the most abhorrent errors in religious theology.
" I often think of these folks as the religious equivalent to a combination of a National Enquirer ad and professional wrestling. It's part entertainment and very large part scam."
Sociologist William Martin of Rice University said that most people who follow TV religious leaders put so much trust in them that they want them to thrive. Martin is a professor of sociology at the university, specializing in theology.
The preachers' wealth is "confirmation of what they are preaching," Martin said.
Ole Anthony's Trinity Foundation, best-known for working with the national media to uncover questionable activities involving TV evangelists, often resorts to digging through preachers' trash to find incriminating evidence. Anthony said that most of the preachers begin with a "sincere desire to spread the faith. But the pressure of fundraising slowly moves all of them in the direction of a greed-based theology."
Even J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma & Christian Life magazine has become alarmed at what he sees as the excesses of some TV preachers.
Grady defends the principle that if you are stingy with your money, you will lack things in life; and if you are generous, you will get things in return.
Prosperity religion is part of the Arminian doctrine.
What is the Arminian doctrine? the Arminian Gospel appeals to the large masses of people who are following the broad way to destruction. As we have seen, the Arminian gospel strips God of his sovereignty. The Arminian gospel leads ultimately to the deification of man . The pastor of World Changers is Creflo Dollar, who has two Roll Royces and travels in a Gulfstream-3 private jet. Creflo Dollar has followed the logic of the Arminian gospel to its inexorable conclusion; he preaches that man is a god:
All right! I'm going to say something, you are gods on this earth. And it's about time we start operating like gods instead of a bunch of mere powerless humans. Creflo Dollar does not think that man is in any way inferior to God Almighty; he preaches that man is equal to God Almighty: I have equality with God, that's my way of thinking. Now somebody says, "Well, it's hard to think that way," Well, keep saying it, "I have equality with God" talk yourself into it! You've talked yourself into other things!
God, however, has a different view of things: "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." (Isaiah 46:9 AV) "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me." (Isaiah 45:5 AV) How can man be equal with God, if God himself says that he is the only God, there is no God beside him? Sounds like Creflo Dollar is in a little disagreement with God. If one disagrees with God, who wins the argument?
Creflo Dollar will sometimes lead his congregation in a chant: "Say it again, I'm just like God!" That is the level of degeneration that results from an Arminian theology.
T.D. Jakes described Creflo Dollar as "one of God's finest." It is not a surprise that Jakes would say that about Dollar, since T.D. Jakes is another Arminian preacher, who believes that people have "failed to appreciate their divinity." TD Jakes pastor a 15000 member church called the Potters House and inorder to get a choice seat on the main floor, you have to pay $1000-$500 weekly. In 2001, T.D. Jakes was pictured on the front cover of Time magazine with a huge caption asking: "Is this Man the Next Billy Graham?" The world loves Arminian preachers. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4
A "sermon" tape from Creflo Dollar played approvingly by T.D. Jakes on his May 24, 2004, show. It contains a philosophy to which both of them ascribe:
Quit going before God like a bunch of spiritual sissies and go before God with the covenant on your mind, quit whining before God and go before God like you know your rights. All right, I am going to do something here that it's going to start a revival or a riot. I'm going to say something, now watch this you will be able to identity a covenant person by how they act. [He gets on one knee looking down] Watch this we are all to familiar with this, I bow down on my bended knee, "Dear kind and heavenly Father I know that I'm not worth nothing Lord. I know I'm just a filthy rag. I know I ought to go to hell, but Lord if you could just stop by a little while; everything is going to be all right. Ummm, Lord I need you to stop by just a little while I know I ain't no good, Jesus. But if you could stop by everything will be all right. Please Jesus Oh stop by. Please Ah Please! Please! Jesus, Oh Lord, I Know I Don't Deserve it Jesus, Please, Please. For Christ sake we pray. Amen and thank God." That is a guy that doesn't understand his covenant. This is a guy that's got to beg God because he doesn't understand his covenant. A covenant person will go before God like this [Standing up looking up at God], "Father in the name of Jesus I am the righteousness of God. I have a blood bought right to have healing in my body; I have a blood right to have a sound mind. I have a blood bought right. I have a blood bought right to get answers to my prayers and when I am trouble. I have a blood bought right to come before your throne and to ask you for help in a time of trouble. Now according to John 16:33, you said whatever I pray in the name of Jesus it shall be given onto me. You said in Mark 11:24 if I believe I receive it, then I shall have it. Therefore, I pray it and say in the name of Jesus and I believe that I receive it in Jesus name, Amen and good night."
T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar preach different gospel from the gospel found in the word of God. Read Christ's view of the repentant sinner in Luke 18:9-14 and compare it to Creflo Dollars' rendition. You will notice that Creflo Dollar completely reverses the lesson of the parable. According to Creflo Dollar, the prideful Pharisee was justified and the man who humbled himself before God was a sap who should not have received anything. According to God, however, "every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:14. Choose ye this day whom you will follow, Jesus or Creflo Dollar, J. D. Jakes
Joel Osteen denies that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. He is a public speaker, financial motivator, but teacher and preacher of Gods word is questionable.
Besides denying Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), it appears that Joel Osteen is also not willing to preach on the doctrine of sin. While it is one thing to open the church to everybody (which I absolutely agree), it is quite another to minimize the gravity of sin.
The following is excerpt from the Larry King show.
OSTEEN: I have thoughts. I just, you know, I don't think that a same-sex marriage is the way God intended it to be. I don't think abortion is the best. I think there are other, you know, a better way to live your life. But I'm not going to condemn those people. I tell them all the time our church is open for everybody.
KING: You don't call them sinners?
OSTEEN: I don't.
KING: Is that a word you don't use?
OSTEEN: I don't use it. I never thought about it. But I probably don't. But most people already know what they're doing wrong. When I get them to church I want to tell them that you can change. There can be a difference in your life. So I don't go down the road of condemning.
I, for one, would not hesitate to renounce Joel Osteen as a false teacher. A man who holds the position of "Senior Pastor" surely would know better than to compromise the doctrine of Solus Christus and the doctrine of sin. Because of this, I can only conclude that Joel Osteen has every intention to deceive the Christian community by preaching a false Christ. Joel Osteen clearly stands out as an example of why biblical discernment is necessary to distinguish the wolves from the sheep, for it is written:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. – 2 Timothy 4:३
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