Prosperity Theology vs Poverty Theology II
We have been discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of competing ideologies that Mark Driscoll has labelled “Half Truths”.
I came across this comparison that I thought makes some sense by comparing the two theologies with a ’stewardship’ theology.
Theological Perspectives on Money
By Patrick M. Morley
Many Christians suffer for lack of a theology of money. They don’t have a way of integrating their financial practices with their Christian commitments. But it is not enough just to have a theology of money; it is critical to have the right theology of money. In our day, there are a variety of theologies of money on offer, some better than others. These can be boiled down to three basic options: (1) poverty theology, (2) stewardship theology, and (3) prosperity theology. These three theologies are summarized in the table below. Each of the three theologies attempts to summarize the relevant biblical material, but in our opinion only one does so in a satisfactory way. Look over the table below, study what the Bible has to say, and decide for yourself whether stewardship theology is not the best representation of the biblical perspective.
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October 20th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I agree bec, very hard.
I actually just wrote a post about this on my blog, its suitably vitriolic
rev
October 20th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
My take on Money Theologies…
Bad Prosperity Theology:
“I’ll give this money to that person who is obviously blessed by the Lord (because they are so wealthy) so he can do more good with.”
Bad Poverty Theology:
“I’ll give this money to this poor person…
October 20th, 2006 at 4:44 pm
good poverty theology, I will share my home with this person, I will share my food with this person, I will live in community with these people.
Kinda like Jesus did
rev
October 20th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
actually most examples in N/T is saints giving to poor saints not to poor people.
When there was a famine Paul collected money for the saints in Jerusalem not just the poor in Jerusalem.
October 20th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
Yes thats right Homer we are only to help Christians and if those others don’t join us than let them starve. That is why the new testement church grew in favour because they neglected everyone else.
If you aren’t a Christian you get nothing, just like Jesus wanted. That stupid sermon about the samaritan was just a bunch of bullshit.
rev
October 20th, 2006 at 6:21 pm
I think it is about limited resources and to whom they are going to.
Just remins me which saints were involved in the parable of the Good Samaritan? None. good grief
you are getting lancitis rev
October 20th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
you obviously are a kind hearted man Homer, “let the non christian bastards starve” I think Jesus would be very proud of you.
Oh and I guess the parable of the good samaritan shows us that it is the dirty unbelievers that should take care of us, sorry I must have blanked out.
rev
October 20th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
No rev you just provide poor evidence for your theories or in biblical terms poor exposition.
October 20th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
I am so lucky to have such a compassionate scholar as yourself to show me the error of my ways. Now let me see if I got this right, we should only help Christians, Jesus doesn’t mean what he says, and when I am not sure what Jesus really meant I should just come and ask you? Is that right?
Oh and one more thing, I am not sure I have ever read the phrase poor expositions in the bible, would that be in second Hezekiah?
rev
October 21st, 2006 at 7:46 am
No Rev Jesus was giving a general direction in the parable moreover he was emphasising that the two religious officeholders put a greater store on not touching dead bodies ( see the law) when they could not even make that assertion than love your neighbour part.
Jesus has said previously helping saints out in distress whether it be gaols, poverty etc is the mark of a saint in the parable of the sheep and goats.
Wait you still haven’t understood that.
your theory is blown away by the fact Paul brought back money for the hungry saints and that is all.
Limited resources means only a limited number of people can benefit.
October 21st, 2006 at 8:12 am
Homer you are assuming that resources are always limited, which they aren’t. If you have to choose between a Christian and a non Christian I can understand why you would choose the Christian.
I really like the way you seem to wash yourself of any need to actually confront any of your own issues and sin. You are the Christian version of the teflon don
rev
October 21st, 2006 at 8:20 am
Why do you take teh point of that parable and remove it from yourself? The point of that parable is that our neighbor is everyone. That the samaritan who is thought to be a traitor and a heretic realized that someone was in need and strove to meet that need, because even this heretic realized that your neighbor is who you meet when you are walking through life.
rev
October 21st, 2006 at 10:49 am
Suppose for the moment that it is only Christians whose material needs we are to have any great concern for.
Isn’t it still outrageous then that some Christians in Australia are living in large houses with swimming pools while many of their brothers overseas have inadequate food and drinking water?
October 21st, 2006 at 12:05 pm
it is only the Rev asserting that Eric not I. I am only saying it is Saints that have priority.
I do agree with your argument though. Bad stewards.
The Samaritan was not a saint nor were the Jews!
October 22nd, 2006 at 1:50 pm
All of us contributing to Signposts have access to computers and the internet, while many of their brothers overseas have inadequate food and drinking water. And we’re all literate, while many of our brothers / sisters overseas have little access to education.
Most people in the developed world are complicit in an economic system that advantages the already well off at the expense of the poor in the developing world.
I don’t like admitting it… but the finger pointed at those with swimming pools and large homes has to get pointed back at ourselves… we are so rich compared to so many in the world.
October 26th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
Just catching up on my reading-never seen the magazine world so caught up with God.First Foreign Affairs(Religion),then The American Interest(Heaven knows anything goes)and now US News ( Check out “is there room for the soul” 23/10).But it was Time(Does God want you to be rich) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448-5,00.html/
which provided a good popular walk around propserity theology - nothing new but an interesting walk.Time suggests that a critique of pt is “not just one idiosyncratic misreading of the gospel but something more daunting:the latest lurch in Protestantism’s on going descent into full blown American materialism….the tragedy is that Christianity has become a yes man for the culture”. Good read
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:19 am
Came across a sermon where the preacher attacks PT. Surely he says if a group of Xns deserved to have prospered because of their devotion, it would be the disciples.Sadly
Matthew killed in Ethiopia;
Mark dragged thru the streets of Alexandria;
Luke hanged;John into boiling oil and then banished;Peter crucified upside down;James beheaded;James the lesser beaten to death;Philip hanged in Phrygia;Bartholomew flayed alive;Andrew crucified;Thomas impaled on a stake in Coromandel in India;Jude shot to death with arrows;Matthias first stoned and then beheaded; and Barbabas was stoned to death in Salonica.
My guess is that they didnt prosper and ended up like this, was because they didnt tithe.
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:58 am
Good points Allan!
ROFL “My guess is that they didnt prosper and ended up like this, was because they didnt tithe”.
November 3rd, 2006 at 9:02 am
Excellent points Alan - and let me add my own ROFLMAOPMP
November 3rd, 2006 at 10:14 am
Great stuff! except, for the dummy here ..how did John do boiling oil then banished? He survived boiling oil??
November 3rd, 2006 at 4:16 pm
“It was only a flesh wound!”
November 3rd, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Anyone seen this?
The Gospel of Greed starring Brian Houston, Creflo Dollar and Copeland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs0OvGKr8cM
November 3rd, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Have now
November 4th, 2006 at 6:39 am
there are Christians here in Australia living under the poverty line on purpose. That live in shared housing in order to not buy into the consumerism of the world. Though we may have lots compared to others, we live in modesty and actually do use our resources to help others, take people into our homes, work outside the system of greed.
Ofcourse make sure you only do it for other Christians cause Homer gets upset if you help dirty sinners.
rev
November 4th, 2006 at 7:11 am
oh by the way LF i am still awaiting a feisty email discussion.
rev
November 4th, 2006 at 8:55 am
Oh you mean you don’t want to get beaten up in public!
November 4th, 2006 at 8:59 am
I think I have gotten beaten up in public plenty of times. Infact I have literally gotten beaten up in front of thousands of people and actually probably millions on television.
But I thought we were going to have a talk. If you would rather do it here, I am fine with that, but the distraction of certain uninteligible people will undoubtably get in the way.
rev
November 4th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Email sent
November 5th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
don;t talk about me l;ike that infront of everyone…it’s not nice…and I am inteligabamel…integimalel…immpefibabel…oh you know what I mean
November 6th, 2006 at 6:28 am
you crazy