Theolog

Defending the prosperity gospel

By Jason Byassee

Good Sense Ministries out of Willow Creek, Crown Financial Ministries, and radio host Dave Ramsey all insist they are not preaching the prosperity gospel: they are using biblical principles to help people struggling with consumer debt. They’ve had terrific success, yet media coverage of them has raised few critical questions. I try both to praise and criticize them here. Letters to the editor and web conversation about the article have leapt to the defense of these ministries, and then overshot to defend the prosperity gospel itself: see the conversation at Titus Online.

Surely it’s a good thing to help parishioners to get out of crushing credit card debt. But surely it’s too simple to say, “Save 10 percent, tithe 10 percent, and everything will be fine.” If those in trouble could do those things, they would. Further, Jesus didn’t need to rise from the dead to make it work. Right?

True blue blogger

By Richard A. Kauffman

Theolog readers might like to check out Warren Goldstein's relatively new blog. Goldstein is the chair of the history department at the University of Hartford. He's written an excellent book about baseball in American and a fine biography of William Sloane Coffin. Goldstein is committed to blogging about the liberal arts, liberal politics, liberal religion and, of course, baseball. His recent piece in defense of Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, will certainly kick up some dust.