Money, It's a gas, grab that cash with both hands and make a stash! ~ Pink Floyd
Jesus preached that it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. That those desiring riches will fall into temptation and cannot serve two masters. That we should beware the false prophets who will lead us astray.
The Prosperity Gospel turns these teachings upside down. Tapping into our selfishness, materialism and greed, prosperity preachers tell us God wants us to be rich. They promise untold abundance if we give our money to God. Which doesn’t really mean giving it to God. It means giving our money to THEM.
It’s an absurd blasphemy. A bamboozle. A hustle. A grift. Bombastic bullshittery on high.
Ponder what Matthesius is saying. God has cursed your money. Give the pastor ten-percent of your wealth on an ongoing basis and God will remove the curse. You will have manna from heaven, miraculously making your 90-percent worth more than your original 100-percent.
Bargain or bullpucky?
How can we not find this hucksterism horribly outlandish? Isn’t it crystal clear who really profits here?
We do know Matthesius enjoys living in a four million dollar north county home with a pool and tennis court, and that he has a second home nearby worth more than two million.
Unfortunately, “spiritual” pickpockets, shysters and charlatans are dime a dozen. From Pat Robertson to Kenneth Copeland to Joel Osteen, they have their private jets, their mansions, their lavish lifestyles. Manna from heaven isn’t raining down on parishioners. Manna from the parishioners is flowing into the pockets of prosperity pastors.
Prosperity teachers use terms such as faith, positive confession, or visualization to “release” the abundance God has in store. Often such preachers will entice listeners to “sow seeds into this ministry,” promising abundant returns on this investment. The gospel becomes little more than a repackaged get-rich-quick scheme, with the ministers becoming richer than the listeners. Often, an invitation to accept Christ is given at the conclusion of a service that has been based solely around blessing and positivity. Despite the overwhelming responses to the invitation, one has to wonder: are the responders surrendering to the Jesus of the Bible or to a new-and-improved version of themselves? ~ Pastor Nelson, Got Questions
In what can only be defined as world class hubris and hypocrisy, Awaken’s Matthesius preaches that his personal banker would never take his money and run off to party in Cabo San Lucas. He therefore suggests, by analogy, that parishioners monies will never be misused… especially by partying in Cabo.
No partying in Cabo, right? A picture really is worth 1,000 words.
Beware falling down the rabbit hole…
Prosperity preachers play upon human greed and need. They target vulnerable souls who they should be serving, not exploiting. Megachurches dazzle their prey with rock music and strobe lights, promises of community and purpose, and cherry-picked scripture to sanctify their subterfuge.
Then comes the relentless sales pitch.
If you buy the argument that 90-percent of your wealth is worth more than 100-percent, that God takes bribes, or that giving money to a preacher buys you God’s favor, you’ve gone down the rabbit hole.
It’s slipperier than you think, and more insidious than you may know.
Crawl back out before it’s too late.
Resources:
10 American Pastors with Private Jets: It’s What Jesus Would Do
Are All Prosperity Teachers Charlatans?
Awaken Pastor Vows to Drive Coronado Residents Out of Town