Prosperity Gospel: Social and Economic Corruption in Disguise

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue XII, December 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Prosperity Gospel: Social and Economic Corruption in Disguise

Serah Madiiga Kitsiiri
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya

Abstract – Prosperity Gospel has spread very fast from its origin to the rest of the world. However, it has done more harm than good to people involved through depriving the subjects and enriching the preachers. Basing on the fact that psychological motivation and giving sacrificially can lead to blessings, victims have increased day by day. The purpose of this paper is to empirically discuss prosperity gospel as corruption in disguise in the church. In a nutshell, the victims and the governments have failed to bring to a stop this debacle that has propagated both social and economic corruption.

Keywords: Prosperity Gospel, Social Corruption, Economic Corruption, Church, Christianity

I. INTRODUCTION

Fundamentalists argue that the church is meant to sanctify and balance the society which is always demanding and evolving. Pointing to the church as a source of solidarity, it is supposed to bring together people as it has done since the days of its establishment by Jesus Christ Himself. As the founder of Christianity, Jesus promoted teachings that were deemed valuable to the generations that came after him. Amongst the fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ were; the sermon on the mountain where he emphasized his teachings on morality (Matthew 5, 6 & 7). In these teachings, the recipe for Christianity is presented to guide those who wish to live as per the New Testament way of life. Taking a keen look at chapter 5 which theologians have called Beatitudes, Jesus teaches about the aspect of love and humility which opposes the notion of force and mastery.
Contrary to the teachings mentioned above, the church today is characterized with myriad of controversial aspects that solicit mixed reactions. Building on people’s ignorance and vulnerability, the church has experienced dynamism and shake up but has been responding variedly on the same aspects. Preachers have presented themselves in a way that depicts a deity kind of relationship with the subjects instead of portraying a servant relationship. Mostly associated with evangelical Protestantism is the aspect of prosperity gospel which has strongly hit Christianity. Prosperity Gospel has been given different names like, prosperity theology, the success gospel, the gospel of health and wealth, and sometimes, the seed faith, but the face of the gospel is the same despite the name. In other words, the real notion behind this type of the gospel is that positive confession, donations and sacrificial giving, together with faith, leads to financial blessing and physical wellbeing (Walton, 2009).

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