In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a modern heretical movement that many people are susceptible to without even knowing it. They had an earlier discussion on this topic - CCP33: On the Rise of Heresy - that you definitely need to go back and listen to if you missed it. But today's discussion takes a deep dive into the “prosperity gospel movement,” also known as the “health-and-wealth gospel.” This is the idea that if you come to faith in Jesus, along with the eternal reward of heaven comes other benefits as well - specifically in the areas of health and finance. This is prosperity preaching, and it has no place in the life of the church.
Episode Links
A lot of prosperity preachers pull Scripture out of context to make sweeping generalizations about what followers of Christ should expect God to give them. Learning how to properly read and interpret Scripture is so vitally important for those who call themselves Christ followers, which is why Dr. White led a series at Mecklenburg Community Church called “How to Bible”. One of the installments is on how to read and interpret Scripture. He also wrote a blog on this topic titled “Two Main Principles for Getting the Bible Right” that you can read HERE.
A large part of today's conversation centered around the idea of receiving blessings from God, something that is absolutely a biblical truth. But God is not a genie in a bottle, and any type of preaching that says, “If you have enough faith God will give you everything you ask for” is heresy. For a better understanding of blessings that come from God, check out a series by Dr. White called “God's Blessing, Your Life.”
Finally, in case you missed the Church & Culture LIVE Podcast, you can go back and listen to that HERE.
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