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Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel
How have millions of American Christians come to measure spiritual progress in terms of their financial status and physical well-being? How has the movement variously called Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, or simply prosperity gospel come to dominate much of our contemporary religious landscape?
Kate Bowler's Blessed is the first book to fully explore the origins, unifying themes, and major figures of a burgeoning movement that now claims millions of followers in America. Bowler traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers. Bowler focuses on such contemporary figures as Creflo Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's 30,000-member World Changers Church International; Joel Osteen, known as "the smiling preacher," with a weekly audience of seven million; T. D. Jakes, named by Time magazine one of America's most influential new religious leaders; Joyce Meyer, evangelist and women's empowerment guru; and many others. At almost any moment, day or night, the American public can tune in to these preachers-on TV, radio, podcasts, and in their megachurches-to hear the message that God desires to bless them with wealth and health. Bowler offers an interpretive framework for scholars and general readers alike to understand the diverse expressions of Christian abundance as a cohesive movement bound by shared understandings and common goals.
Kate Bowler's Blessed is the first book to fully explore the origins, unifying themes, and major figures of a burgeoning movement that now claims millions of followers in America. Bowler traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers. Bowler focuses on such contemporary figures as Creflo Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's 30,000-member World Changers Church International; Joel Osteen, known as "the smiling preacher," with a weekly audience of seven million; T. D. Jakes, named by Time magazine one of America's most influential new religious leaders; Joyce Meyer, evangelist and women's empowerment guru; and many others. At almost any moment, day or night, the American public can tune in to these preachers-on TV, radio, podcasts, and in their megachurches-to hear the message that God desires to bless them with wealth and health. Bowler offers an interpretive framework for scholars and general readers alike to understand the diverse expressions of Christian abundance as a cohesive movement bound by shared understandings and common goals.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
277 people are currently reading
4716 people want to read
About the author
Kate Bowler
18 books1,761 followersKate Bowler, PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. She is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities.
After being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35, she penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved) and her latest, No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear). Kate hosts the Everything Happens podcast where, in warm, insightful, often funny conversations, she talks with people like Malcolm Gladwell and Anne Lamott about what they’ve learned in difficult times. She lives in Durham, North Carolina with her family and continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School.
After being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35, she penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved) and her latest, No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear). Kate hosts the Everything Happens podcast where, in warm, insightful, often funny conversations, she talks with people like Malcolm Gladwell and Anne Lamott about what they’ve learned in difficult times. She lives in Durham, North Carolina with her family and continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School.
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July 8, 2019
I'd had this book on my wishlist for a while; it seemed like the prosperity gospel was as popular as it was egregiously wrong—and it was increasing in both respects. It seemed so impossible to take it all seriously; I was hoping someone could help me understand its origins and teachings.
Then the author of this book, Kate Bowler, who is my age, wrote a beautifully profound article on her own terminal cancer in the New York Times, and before I completed the piece I bought her book.
I listened to an audio version, read well by Bowler herself. I apparently missed out on the appendices (though I skimmed what I could on Amazon), so my review may be slightly skewed.
I'll start with the (apparent) criticism and end with the praise: Bowler doesn't manage to create much of a narrative. Her chapter titles—Faith, Wealth, Health, and Victory—do develop themes within prosperity teaching, but throughout much of the book, the word "concatenation" kept coming to my mind. I felt like I was being introduced to preacher after preacher, ministry after ministry, with very little coherence to hang all the details on.
I found this frustrating. Bowler is an openly professing Christian (of what sort I do not know)—I was hoping for insight, evaluation, even of the somewhat sallow kind allowed Christians writing for secular dissertation committees. I felt I got more insight into the prosperity gospel from her Times article than from her book.
However, as the book drew to a close moments ago, I found I couldn't resent the author. I think that her "failure" to find a coherent narrative or theology in this group was not indeed her fault. It's instead testimony to the absence of coherence in the movement. It's a "spiritual" marketplace in which product pitches replace ad campaigns replace marketing strategies; I don't expect Coca-Cola to make their new commercials follow in some sort of logical line from their old ones, or to develop some sort of sustained case for why I should consider their beverage. All I expect to hear is to see a gleaming glamor shot of a model saying, "Taste the Feeling™." I expect an immediate appeal to my desire for pleasure. Searching for a unifying philosophical-theological center in the prosperity gospel is like parsing a Twinkie.
Bowler does find something of a story merely by tracing the history of the prosperity gospel from the New Thought of the 19th century through to the Hillsong, Joel Osteen, and Creflo Dollar of today. But this is a movement which doesn't take its own ideas seriously enough to ground them in anything but the flimsiest appeals to the Bible and the flagrantest appeals to telegenic charisma—what do I expect?
Bowler did her homework for this book, spending eight years attending prosperity churches and conferences, even traveling to Israel with Benny Hinn. She manages to find some genuine praise for the movement, focusing as it does on giving hope to the down-and-out (even if it costs them all their extra money and more). And she speak with endearment for several individual prosperity parishioners with whom she interacted in her research. She has none of the disdain for her subjects that I have felt in certain other scholarly treatments of religious people. She did manage a few wry remarks, but miraculously held herself back from more. For that alone she deserves her Ph.D.
One of the most poignant things Bowler wrote about was the prosperity gospel followers who get sick or poor. They're ignored, she says, and tacitly shamed by their fellow believers. The upside of pinning your health, wealth, and victory on yourself is that you feel you have "agency." You can do something about your trials: just tap into the divine power that is so readily available. The downside is that if you're not healthy, wealthy, and victorious, it's your fault. You didn't have enough faith or plant enough seed money in the pastor's wallet. I am praying as I write for Kate Bowler and for her family as she struggles with cancer. She knows that the prosperity gospel is not good news. May she find rest in the one truly cohering narrative in this created-but-fallen world.
Then the author of this book, Kate Bowler, who is my age, wrote a beautifully profound article on her own terminal cancer in the New York Times, and before I completed the piece I bought her book.
I listened to an audio version, read well by Bowler herself. I apparently missed out on the appendices (though I skimmed what I could on Amazon), so my review may be slightly skewed.
I'll start with the (apparent) criticism and end with the praise: Bowler doesn't manage to create much of a narrative. Her chapter titles—Faith, Wealth, Health, and Victory—do develop themes within prosperity teaching, but throughout much of the book, the word "concatenation" kept coming to my mind. I felt like I was being introduced to preacher after preacher, ministry after ministry, with very little coherence to hang all the details on.
I found this frustrating. Bowler is an openly professing Christian (of what sort I do not know)—I was hoping for insight, evaluation, even of the somewhat sallow kind allowed Christians writing for secular dissertation committees. I felt I got more insight into the prosperity gospel from her Times article than from her book.
However, as the book drew to a close moments ago, I found I couldn't resent the author. I think that her "failure" to find a coherent narrative or theology in this group was not indeed her fault. It's instead testimony to the absence of coherence in the movement. It's a "spiritual" marketplace in which product pitches replace ad campaigns replace marketing strategies; I don't expect Coca-Cola to make their new commercials follow in some sort of logical line from their old ones, or to develop some sort of sustained case for why I should consider their beverage. All I expect to hear is to see a gleaming glamor shot of a model saying, "Taste the Feeling™." I expect an immediate appeal to my desire for pleasure. Searching for a unifying philosophical-theological center in the prosperity gospel is like parsing a Twinkie.
Bowler does find something of a story merely by tracing the history of the prosperity gospel from the New Thought of the 19th century through to the Hillsong, Joel Osteen, and Creflo Dollar of today. But this is a movement which doesn't take its own ideas seriously enough to ground them in anything but the flimsiest appeals to the Bible and the flagrantest appeals to telegenic charisma—what do I expect?
Bowler did her homework for this book, spending eight years attending prosperity churches and conferences, even traveling to Israel with Benny Hinn. She manages to find some genuine praise for the movement, focusing as it does on giving hope to the down-and-out (even if it costs them all their extra money and more). And she speak with endearment for several individual prosperity parishioners with whom she interacted in her research. She has none of the disdain for her subjects that I have felt in certain other scholarly treatments of religious people. She did manage a few wry remarks, but miraculously held herself back from more. For that alone she deserves her Ph.D.
One of the most poignant things Bowler wrote about was the prosperity gospel followers who get sick or poor. They're ignored, she says, and tacitly shamed by their fellow believers. The upside of pinning your health, wealth, and victory on yourself is that you feel you have "agency." You can do something about your trials: just tap into the divine power that is so readily available. The downside is that if you're not healthy, wealthy, and victorious, it's your fault. You didn't have enough faith or plant enough seed money in the pastor's wallet. I am praying as I write for Kate Bowler and for her family as she struggles with cancer. She knows that the prosperity gospel is not good news. May she find rest in the one truly cohering narrative in this created-but-fallen world.
June 4, 2019
After watching the recent documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone, I wanted to deepen my understanding of the prosperity gospel, which if it’s not the quintessential American religion right now, it’s certainly one of a set.
Another Goodreads friend’s review has gently criticized Blessed for not having much of a narrative, while also acknowledging that the problem is reflective more of the prosperity gospel movement itself than Dr. Bowler’s presentation. I agree that while reading this book, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of names, influences, teachings, and the like. There is certainly diversity within the movement. Nevertheless, I did notice some reoccurring themes while I read and hope to highlight some in this review.
But first, a quick note—readers should be aware that while this book is a history of the prosperity gospel, it’s not really a critique of it (the documentary I mentioned above does provide a very good critique). Don’t expect to learn a key tenet of prosperity gospel teaching and then have Dr. Bowler show you how it doesn’t measure up to Scripture. I had to do my own evaluation of the movement while reading—not a bad thing though, since the book’s set-up encouraged me to be even more of a Berean than usual.
As for some stand-out themes:
The prosperity gospel has a terrible theology of prayer. Where once prayer was the cry of an utterly dependent individual to the almighty God, the prosperity gospel twisted it into an act of man trying to compel the divine. Never in a million years would you hear a prayer like “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours.” Persistent prayer and prayer in community also have no place in the prosperity gospel. Pray once for healing, but don’t pray again—that’s not believing that you’ve already received what you prayed for. And don’t share your burdens with others—it’s negative confession and gives power to your struggle. Perpetual positivity! Which leads me to my next point. . . . .
The prosperity gospel has no room for lament and suffering. What’s a prosperity gospel believer to do in the face of suffering in the world around them and suffering in their own lives? Be positive. Think positive thoughts. Speak positive words. Dr. Bowler shares teaching from Joel Osteen that sums this up well:
The prosperity gospel is tightly intertwined with the American ethos. Definitely one of the greatest strengths of this book is how Dr. Bowler showcases the distinctly American flavor of the prosperity gospel. In particular, it is like the religious twin of the American Dream. Perhaps this theme more than any other is the one that people in my conservative, fundamentalist Christian circles need to take note of. Frankly, I don’t think we’re always particularly discerning about some of the less-than-scriptural principles that compose part of the bedrock of our country and continue strong today. The fact that Dr. Bowler can so clearly link the prosperity gospel and the spirit of America together ought to be a red flag.
The prosperity gospel misinterprets and misuses faith. In the prosperity gospel, faith is a spiritual force that individuals wield to their advantage. If life’s not what you want it to be, you just need to tap into this reservoir of faith and unleash its power. And like what I’ve already mentioned with prayer, prosperity gospel faith is a demanding of God rather than a casting oneself in total dependence on Him—in other words, the exact opposite of biblical faith.
In some ways, this review hasn’t even touched upon what Dr. Bowler describes as the four themes of the prosperity gospel: faith, wealth, health, and victory. But I have chosen to highlight what stood out most to me, perhaps because it was less familiar until I actually read Blessed.
An interesting book, but very sad and infuriating. It seems wrong to say that I’m glad I read it. But I know I have benefited from doing so.
Another Goodreads friend’s review has gently criticized Blessed for not having much of a narrative, while also acknowledging that the problem is reflective more of the prosperity gospel movement itself than Dr. Bowler’s presentation. I agree that while reading this book, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of names, influences, teachings, and the like. There is certainly diversity within the movement. Nevertheless, I did notice some reoccurring themes while I read and hope to highlight some in this review.
But first, a quick note—readers should be aware that while this book is a history of the prosperity gospel, it’s not really a critique of it (the documentary I mentioned above does provide a very good critique). Don’t expect to learn a key tenet of prosperity gospel teaching and then have Dr. Bowler show you how it doesn’t measure up to Scripture. I had to do my own evaluation of the movement while reading—not a bad thing though, since the book’s set-up encouraged me to be even more of a Berean than usual.
As for some stand-out themes:
The prosperity gospel has a terrible theology of prayer. Where once prayer was the cry of an utterly dependent individual to the almighty God, the prosperity gospel twisted it into an act of man trying to compel the divine. Never in a million years would you hear a prayer like “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours.” Persistent prayer and prayer in community also have no place in the prosperity gospel. Pray once for healing, but don’t pray again—that’s not believing that you’ve already received what you prayed for. And don’t share your burdens with others—it’s negative confession and gives power to your struggle. Perpetual positivity! Which leads me to my next point. . . . .
The prosperity gospel has no room for lament and suffering. What’s a prosperity gospel believer to do in the face of suffering in the world around them and suffering in their own lives? Be positive. Think positive thoughts. Speak positive words. Dr. Bowler shares teaching from Joel Osteen that sums this up well:
He surveyed the dark expanse of his audience: “You guys look like victors, not victims, to me!” A rush of applause followed. He implored them to stop dwelling on the negative aspects of their lives, because “our lives follow our thoughts.” Those who notice the rainy days or the difficult circumstances will only “draw more negativity into your life.… It’s a decision that we have to make. Don’t wait for happiness to fall on you. Just make a decision that you’re going to enjoy your life to the fullest. Every day you’re going to live that abundant life.”Honestly, I’m not strong enough to believe in the prosperity gospel. This 24/7 positivity sounds absolutely exhausting to me. Give me the laments in the psalms, not the responsibility of saying everything’s all right when it’s really not. Give me God, who lets me cast all my cares on Him, not the burden of doing life in my own strength. Give me the light, momentary affliction that’s preparing an eternal weight of glory, not this false “abundant life” of ease and prosperity. Give me true, deep, abiding joy, not some cheap substitute called happiness.
The prosperity gospel is tightly intertwined with the American ethos. Definitely one of the greatest strengths of this book is how Dr. Bowler showcases the distinctly American flavor of the prosperity gospel. In particular, it is like the religious twin of the American Dream. Perhaps this theme more than any other is the one that people in my conservative, fundamentalist Christian circles need to take note of. Frankly, I don’t think we’re always particularly discerning about some of the less-than-scriptural principles that compose part of the bedrock of our country and continue strong today. The fact that Dr. Bowler can so clearly link the prosperity gospel and the spirit of America together ought to be a red flag.
The prosperity gospel misinterprets and misuses faith. In the prosperity gospel, faith is a spiritual force that individuals wield to their advantage. If life’s not what you want it to be, you just need to tap into this reservoir of faith and unleash its power. And like what I’ve already mentioned with prayer, prosperity gospel faith is a demanding of God rather than a casting oneself in total dependence on Him—in other words, the exact opposite of biblical faith.
In some ways, this review hasn’t even touched upon what Dr. Bowler describes as the four themes of the prosperity gospel: faith, wealth, health, and victory. But I have chosen to highlight what stood out most to me, perhaps because it was less familiar until I actually read Blessed.
An interesting book, but very sad and infuriating. It seems wrong to say that I’m glad I read it. But I know I have benefited from doing so.
July 5, 2014
I confess, I felt genuinely sad reading this book. Kate Bowler, professor at Duke Divinity School, outlines the history of this very American religion. Many of the TV preachers (really, motivational speakers) rely on a formula of "right thinking, right speaking, and God has to act and prosper you materially, be it health or wealth." And the system is so air-tight that when you are not experiencing physical healing or prosperity, it's not as if the preachers are preaching something unbiblical. Far from it! The issue is basically, "You are not thinking, speaking, or believing enough for the full blessing of healing to take place."
In essence, it's more law. It's a man-made formula that treats Jesus like a lottery ticket (to borrow a line from Shai Linne). Read this book. See the history. And beg God to open the eyes of those who have fallen into this false gospel. It's the #1 American export all over the world, spread its cancer to the four corners.
Thank you, Dr. Bowler. Well done!
In essence, it's more law. It's a man-made formula that treats Jesus like a lottery ticket (to borrow a line from Shai Linne). Read this book. See the history. And beg God to open the eyes of those who have fallen into this false gospel. It's the #1 American export all over the world, spread its cancer to the four corners.
Thank you, Dr. Bowler. Well done!
November 12, 2019
3.5 stars -- This history of one of the fastest growing examples of American syncretism has become more timely & relevant since its publication. A little dry (and you can definitely tell this started life as a dissertation), but the content here is fascinating and gave me a lot of food for thought as to how/why the leaders of the prosperity gospel have become so influential in the current administration and, by extension, to more mainstream evangelical circles
March 19, 2018
Okay, that's enough. After listening for about five hours (the full audio book is ten hours long), I'm calling it quits. The author mentions in her beginning "thank yous" that this book began life as a dissertation, and these roots are unfortunately evident. My impression is probably partly due to my unfamiliarity with most of the names of preachers and churches Bowler describes -- I've heard of the famous ones, like Oral Roberts, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and Joel Osteen, but Bowler doesn't stick to these -- but much of the book is focused on lists of people and churches who were involved in various trends, rather than on explanations and analysis of how the Prosperity Gospel grew so widespread and influential.
I've been curious about a conception of Christianity which is so far from my understanding and from what is taught in my somewhat "left leaning" Episcopal tradition, and more so given the political events of the last couple years and the rise to White House prominence of a prosperity preacher. Bowler's book, though, at least as far as I got, failed to enlighten me. She tells me that preachers tell their followers that God will be contractually obligated to give them back one hundred times (or some quantity) of whatever they give to the church/preacher, or that God will be controlled when followers recite the correct formula, or that God's favor is clearly indicated by the size of one's bank account, but she fails to convey how large groups of people continue to believe this when the specific and very concrete results promised fail to materialize. I remain baffled, but I guess that's par for the course these days.
I've been curious about a conception of Christianity which is so far from my understanding and from what is taught in my somewhat "left leaning" Episcopal tradition, and more so given the political events of the last couple years and the rise to White House prominence of a prosperity preacher. Bowler's book, though, at least as far as I got, failed to enlighten me. She tells me that preachers tell their followers that God will be contractually obligated to give them back one hundred times (or some quantity) of whatever they give to the church/preacher, or that God will be controlled when followers recite the correct formula, or that God's favor is clearly indicated by the size of one's bank account, but she fails to convey how large groups of people continue to believe this when the specific and very concrete results promised fail to materialize. I remain baffled, but I guess that's par for the course these days.
August 17, 2016
This is a fascinating look at the roots and major influences shaping the so-called prosperity gospel. The best known current practitioners are Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Joyce Meyer, and the oversimplified summary is that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy and victorious in this life over every problem and challenge.
I approached this book with a strong bias, believing that the central tenets of the prosperity gospel are a perversion of God's message in scripture and Jesus' salvation purpose. Kate Bowler does an excellent job of outlining the historical roots of the prosperity gospel, and showed me it is much older than I had thought, and that the economic blessings it promotes really took hold in the context of the economic boom following World War II. Before that, the same founding ministers (people like Oral Roberts and Rex Humbard) had been more focused on physical healing services.
Bowler approaches this topic as an ethnographer, which means she is much more interested in describing the movement than taking a position on it, but I certainly would have welcome some insights from her into how she feels this highly popular stream of Christianity fits with her own personal theological views.
My other challenge with this book -- and I'm still waiting to find a religion book I won't say this about -- is that it was overwritten by at least a third, and repeated many of the same points over and over. It also was a bit of a mess organizationally, providing a mishmash of some on-site observations, theological and historical commentary and graphs and charts. Not the best executed book, but one I nevertheless learned a great deal from.
I approached this book with a strong bias, believing that the central tenets of the prosperity gospel are a perversion of God's message in scripture and Jesus' salvation purpose. Kate Bowler does an excellent job of outlining the historical roots of the prosperity gospel, and showed me it is much older than I had thought, and that the economic blessings it promotes really took hold in the context of the economic boom following World War II. Before that, the same founding ministers (people like Oral Roberts and Rex Humbard) had been more focused on physical healing services.
Bowler approaches this topic as an ethnographer, which means she is much more interested in describing the movement than taking a position on it, but I certainly would have welcome some insights from her into how she feels this highly popular stream of Christianity fits with her own personal theological views.
My other challenge with this book -- and I'm still waiting to find a religion book I won't say this about -- is that it was overwritten by at least a third, and repeated many of the same points over and over. It also was a bit of a mess organizationally, providing a mishmash of some on-site observations, theological and historical commentary and graphs and charts. Not the best executed book, but one I nevertheless learned a great deal from.
March 9, 2017
An interesting academic study into the theological underpinnings of the prosperity gospel. The author does a wonderful job tracing the history of the movement from its earliest beginnings to the Joel Osteens and other mega churches of today.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
July 7, 2015
A fascinating look into the world of the prosperity churches, by a solid young scholar.
Okay... I like this book a whole lot. After two readings I find I'm still learning about this facet of the modern church, and I'm so delighted that the author never gets nasty, disrespectful or dismissive. She's done some serious homework, which involved having real conversations with real people. No, she's not in agreement with the movement, yet she doesn't need to slam anyone; she just lets the story do the talking. This is a fine, fine book.
Okay... I like this book a whole lot. After two readings I find I'm still learning about this facet of the modern church, and I'm so delighted that the author never gets nasty, disrespectful or dismissive. She's done some serious homework, which involved having real conversations with real people. No, she's not in agreement with the movement, yet she doesn't need to slam anyone; she just lets the story do the talking. This is a fine, fine book.
September 20, 2014
Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel by Kate Bowler is a scholarly yet highly-readable work which deserves to be read slowly and carefully. In this book Bowler unravels the “intertwining roots” of the modern prosperity gospel as they lead back to (1) early 20th century Pentecostalism, (2) New Thought “Right Thinking” metaphysics (and Protestantism), and (3) pragmatism, individualism, and upward mobility as valued in the traditional “American Dream” worldview. Bowler then proceeds to shows how this Prosperity Gospel has continued to evolve, both in the United States and (to a lesser extent) internationally. Her narrative centers broadly on the themes of “Faith”, “Wealth”, “Health”, and “Victory” although there is considerable overlap and interchange between themes.
There are so many observations that can be discussed from the material in this book that it is impossible to list them all here. This would be a great book for a book club or for weekly discussion with a group of friends! Having said that, here are a few (if somewhat unrelated) thoughts I took from Bowler’s observations of the prosperity gospel movement. The first two are positive, the rest not so much so:
* The optimistic spirit which is cultivated and attracts so many people in prosperity gospel movement: It’s sad to see and read so many defeatist negative attitudes in certain churches today (or read them on facebook updates), and I have sometimes been guilty as well. When someone asks “How are you?” instead of a simple “I’m fine thank you” or a litany of complaints perhaps I can personalize something along the lines of what the book quotes “I’m blessed and highly favored!” (with the freedom to be authentic with regard to other feelings and without being restricted to “positive confessions”)
* Bowler notes the recent emphasis in soft prosperity churches upon cultivating healthy bodies through diet and exercise versus the obesity which has crept into mainstream American society. The church doesn’t want to blindly follow after the rest of popular mainstream culture in idolizing health, but in too many Christian communities there is little to no emphasis being placed upon our need to be actively cultivating physically-healthy bodies.
* Popular soft prosperity preachers today such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer continue the traditions of hard prosperity leaders and the promoters of Right Thinking of yesteryear, encouraging us to fix ourselves as we “Discover the Champion in You.” But this kind of “Total Victory” self-actualization requires total commitment (see below).
* Having worked in and been associated for more than 25 years with the denomination founded by the first person referenced in the quote below, I was struck by Bowler’s observation that late 19th century radical evangelicals like A.B. Simpson likened faith to natural laws harnessed for believer’s use. However, she goes on to say that these leaders never envisioned faith as an independent force or law that turned around to bind God himself. That’s an important distinction: It was Kenneth E. Hagin and others of his generation who later turned faith into a sure-fire “law” (p. 45).
* The author notes that the emphasis upon prayer and spiritual discipline can lead to a competitive atmosphere in which people struggle to live up to the rigorous expectations set up for them (p. 194). Sadly, people can be guilted into attending meetings whenever the church doors are open (as seen also in churches which have been influenced by the Korean prosperity tradition noted elsewhere in the book).
* It has made me sad to read here and hear from friends in Australia and other places in years past of the flocks exiting prosperity churches (which put out great music!) who have been wounded and spiritually-abused when told the reasons for their inability to receive healing and wealth arise from their own sin, negative confessions, and improper attitudes. Does not this kind of effort (or lack of effort) miss the point of grace? The source of victory, healing, and wealth lie outside of ourselves and there is nothing we can do to earn or ensure it. And if these are the things which are the focus of our faith, is it really God we are worshipping, or merely the actualization of ourselves through the acquisition of blessing?
* Bowler does a good job in highlighting a disconnect in prosperity gospel churches with the biblical doctrine of suffering (as seen especially on the traditional church holiday of Good Friday, and when leaders or loved ones unexpectedly pass away, experience suffering, etc.). The Christian faith centers mostly on Jesus and His resurrection-- yes, but also His cross.
* At the same time as I was reading this book, I was also reading “Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter” by Randall Balmer so I was paying particular attention to areas of overlap. For example, in the “Wealth” section of Blessed, Bowler tells us how President Ronald Reagan wrote to Jim and Tammy Faye Baker in 1983 on the opening of Heritage USA to congratulate them for their efforts to help “many Americans endure and triumph.” In this America of renewed confidence, says Bowler, America had ditched the president associated with national malaise and humiliation in the Iran hostage affair and replaced him with one whose campaign slogan was “It’s morning again in America.”… The decade’s economic expansion accompanied a market-oriented viewpoint and an ethic proclaiming “greed is good.” The galloping optimism and individualism fit well with a decade of growth by the faith movement (p. 101). Prosperity preachers took the advice of Jerry Falwell that “a cheap church makes God looks cheap” (p. 197) and continued to live out even more extravagant personal lives as they ignored the gospel imperatives of social justice.
* The rough equation between individualism and “Victory” which Bowler notes ignores for the most part social injustice, as African American prosperity leaders like Frederick Price were to discover. After hearing about a sermon from the son of his white “spiritual father”, Price angrily proclaimed: “Don’t’ shake my hand and give me a charismatic hug and act as if you love me when you really see me as a nigger.” He then evolved in his thinking to link social injustice to structural racism in the context of a highly individualistic gospel (p. 203; one wonders if Price would have enlisted as an activist on behalf of others if he had not been personally insulted in the midst of his individualized quest for blessing and prosperity). Similar to Price’s realization, President William Shaw of the National Baptist Convention observed that the prosperity movement was nothing more than capitalistic devotion to persons of privilege (p. 204).
* Finally, in the Asian culture in which I have lived for the past 17 years Daoists and traditional religionists worship the gods primarily for what they can get out of them. They live in a mutually-beneficial reciprocal arrangement: “I’ll scratch my back if you scratch yours.” I have to wonder if the manipulation of God by prosperity gospel adherents and the placement of Him in a box as one extracts blessings and wealth according to the “law” of faith are significantly different? Perhaps speakers like Reinhart Bonkke and Benny Hinn are so well-received in that country is because they are merely repackaging and re-clothing traditional beliefs into a syncretistic “Christianized” outer-garment of power which is more acceptable than mere traditional Christianity with its message of both the cross and resurrection.
Bowler’s discussion on the church growth movement, Peter Wagner, and megachurches in relation to the prosperity gospel is also enlightening.
There are so many observations that can be discussed from the material in this book that it is impossible to list them all here. This would be a great book for a book club or for weekly discussion with a group of friends! Having said that, here are a few (if somewhat unrelated) thoughts I took from Bowler’s observations of the prosperity gospel movement. The first two are positive, the rest not so much so:
* The optimistic spirit which is cultivated and attracts so many people in prosperity gospel movement: It’s sad to see and read so many defeatist negative attitudes in certain churches today (or read them on facebook updates), and I have sometimes been guilty as well. When someone asks “How are you?” instead of a simple “I’m fine thank you” or a litany of complaints perhaps I can personalize something along the lines of what the book quotes “I’m blessed and highly favored!” (with the freedom to be authentic with regard to other feelings and without being restricted to “positive confessions”)
* Bowler notes the recent emphasis in soft prosperity churches upon cultivating healthy bodies through diet and exercise versus the obesity which has crept into mainstream American society. The church doesn’t want to blindly follow after the rest of popular mainstream culture in idolizing health, but in too many Christian communities there is little to no emphasis being placed upon our need to be actively cultivating physically-healthy bodies.
* Popular soft prosperity preachers today such as Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer continue the traditions of hard prosperity leaders and the promoters of Right Thinking of yesteryear, encouraging us to fix ourselves as we “Discover the Champion in You.” But this kind of “Total Victory” self-actualization requires total commitment (see below).
* Having worked in and been associated for more than 25 years with the denomination founded by the first person referenced in the quote below, I was struck by Bowler’s observation that late 19th century radical evangelicals like A.B. Simpson likened faith to natural laws harnessed for believer’s use. However, she goes on to say that these leaders never envisioned faith as an independent force or law that turned around to bind God himself. That’s an important distinction: It was Kenneth E. Hagin and others of his generation who later turned faith into a sure-fire “law” (p. 45).
* The author notes that the emphasis upon prayer and spiritual discipline can lead to a competitive atmosphere in which people struggle to live up to the rigorous expectations set up for them (p. 194). Sadly, people can be guilted into attending meetings whenever the church doors are open (as seen also in churches which have been influenced by the Korean prosperity tradition noted elsewhere in the book).
* It has made me sad to read here and hear from friends in Australia and other places in years past of the flocks exiting prosperity churches (which put out great music!) who have been wounded and spiritually-abused when told the reasons for their inability to receive healing and wealth arise from their own sin, negative confessions, and improper attitudes. Does not this kind of effort (or lack of effort) miss the point of grace? The source of victory, healing, and wealth lie outside of ourselves and there is nothing we can do to earn or ensure it. And if these are the things which are the focus of our faith, is it really God we are worshipping, or merely the actualization of ourselves through the acquisition of blessing?
* Bowler does a good job in highlighting a disconnect in prosperity gospel churches with the biblical doctrine of suffering (as seen especially on the traditional church holiday of Good Friday, and when leaders or loved ones unexpectedly pass away, experience suffering, etc.). The Christian faith centers mostly on Jesus and His resurrection-- yes, but also His cross.
* At the same time as I was reading this book, I was also reading “Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter” by Randall Balmer so I was paying particular attention to areas of overlap. For example, in the “Wealth” section of Blessed, Bowler tells us how President Ronald Reagan wrote to Jim and Tammy Faye Baker in 1983 on the opening of Heritage USA to congratulate them for their efforts to help “many Americans endure and triumph.” In this America of renewed confidence, says Bowler, America had ditched the president associated with national malaise and humiliation in the Iran hostage affair and replaced him with one whose campaign slogan was “It’s morning again in America.”… The decade’s economic expansion accompanied a market-oriented viewpoint and an ethic proclaiming “greed is good.” The galloping optimism and individualism fit well with a decade of growth by the faith movement (p. 101). Prosperity preachers took the advice of Jerry Falwell that “a cheap church makes God looks cheap” (p. 197) and continued to live out even more extravagant personal lives as they ignored the gospel imperatives of social justice.
* The rough equation between individualism and “Victory” which Bowler notes ignores for the most part social injustice, as African American prosperity leaders like Frederick Price were to discover. After hearing about a sermon from the son of his white “spiritual father”, Price angrily proclaimed: “Don’t’ shake my hand and give me a charismatic hug and act as if you love me when you really see me as a nigger.” He then evolved in his thinking to link social injustice to structural racism in the context of a highly individualistic gospel (p. 203; one wonders if Price would have enlisted as an activist on behalf of others if he had not been personally insulted in the midst of his individualized quest for blessing and prosperity). Similar to Price’s realization, President William Shaw of the National Baptist Convention observed that the prosperity movement was nothing more than capitalistic devotion to persons of privilege (p. 204).
* Finally, in the Asian culture in which I have lived for the past 17 years Daoists and traditional religionists worship the gods primarily for what they can get out of them. They live in a mutually-beneficial reciprocal arrangement: “I’ll scratch my back if you scratch yours.” I have to wonder if the manipulation of God by prosperity gospel adherents and the placement of Him in a box as one extracts blessings and wealth according to the “law” of faith are significantly different? Perhaps speakers like Reinhart Bonkke and Benny Hinn are so well-received in that country is because they are merely repackaging and re-clothing traditional beliefs into a syncretistic “Christianized” outer-garment of power which is more acceptable than mere traditional Christianity with its message of both the cross and resurrection.
Bowler’s discussion on the church growth movement, Peter Wagner, and megachurches in relation to the prosperity gospel is also enlightening.
February 15, 2022
It took me a while to get into it but the last 50ish pages were my favorite. I particularly enjoyed "Triumph and Racism", "Triumph and Women", and "Triumph in Time." Great research and citing throughout.
A few of my favorite quotes are:
"The prosperity gospel's emphasis on the individual's responsibility for his or her own fate resonated strongly with the American tradition of rugged self-reliance."
"Mediocrity acquired the taint of sin, as authors fretted Bout the wastefulness of lives not fully lived."
"The prosperity gospel articulated a language of aspirations that spoke of materialism and transcendence in a single breath."
A few of my favorite quotes are:
"The prosperity gospel's emphasis on the individual's responsibility for his or her own fate resonated strongly with the American tradition of rugged self-reliance."
"Mediocrity acquired the taint of sin, as authors fretted Bout the wastefulness of lives not fully lived."
"The prosperity gospel articulated a language of aspirations that spoke of materialism and transcendence in a single breath."
Read
March 4, 2023This is much more academic than anything else I have read by Dr. Bowler. I really enjoyed seeing her academic writing and learning from her depths of research about this topic. If you are interested in other topics like American evangelicalism or Christian nationalism, this could also be a good read for you!
April 10, 2024
Bowler traces a movement that seems amorphous with insight and meticulous research in an excellent history: clear, readable, illuminating, and surprisingly gentle.
Read
July 6, 2020neat info! From the cover I thought it was gonna be more very digestible pop nonfiction-y but it was not, which is a shame bc I think it could have a very fun romp and that was really more what I was in the mood for right then. Why aren’t all books written for me specifically? Thorough though!!
April 29, 2018
Beautiful, funny and affectionate writing—a great example of what a historian can do when targeting a popular audience. I’m still not totally sure about the “so what” and wish there was more discussion about the evidence for this being particularly American. But mostly, I learned a lot about the connections between the self help culture know and so many of the streams of Christianity I’m familiar with.
February 7, 2021
I'm on a quest to understand the roots and logic of the respect/worship/devotion some varieties of Christianity have for capitalism. This is not quite about that, but it's certainly about a related phenomenon. And it helped me understand that I was right to find the shirts and mugs and wooden household decor items that say "Blessed" to give off a whiff of smug self-righteousness.
Points out that the prosperity gospel overlaps with fundamentalism, pentecostalism, evangelicalism, the religious right, the so-called black church, but can't be conflated with them (4). Usually it favors theological "conservativism" (by which she appears to be referring to the radical new interpretive methodology of selective literalism), but it "lacks the semblance of this well-oiled institutional machinery." (4).
"This book is an attempt to describe . . . the transformation of popular religious imagination that has not yet ended." Moving beyond self-denial, it represents "the triumph of American optimism over the realities of a fickle economy, entrenched racism, pervasive poverty, and theological pessimism that foretold the future as dangling by a thread. Countless listeners reimagined their ability as good Christians -- and good Americans -- to leapfrog over any obstacles."
Regarding the rise of (white) Pentecostalism in the fifties. Their "faith in finances swelled with the postwar economic tides. 'We have a different message now, a positive message -- we k now where we are and what we have, and have been lifted above a life that is always 'walking on eggshells' summarized one evangelist. Modern capitalism engendered new admiration as a seemingly perfect system of decent wages, high employment rates, and cheaply manufactured goods . . . While there is little evidence to suggest that Pentecostals were much poorer than other Americans, social location is more than a tally of dollars and cents. It is important to remember that Pentecostals felt poor and, worse discounted" (51). This ties in so nicely with what Hochschild elucidates in Strangers in their Own Land, about the felt sense of being dishonored and left out among those on the right.
Importantly, this played out differently for African Americans, "locked out of the boom years by segregated housing and a discriminatory labor market, divine prosperity promised an end-run around the political, economic, and social forces of oppression." (53)
And then of course there's the "threat of Communism" again and how it impacted folks who followed this path: "Good fortune was not the only reason to extol God and a sacred economy. The expanding Bolshevik empire continued to threaten the global economic order, replacing controlled capitalism with Soviet-style communism. Be it in positive thinking or Pentecostal revivalism, Christianity itself could testify to God's power and the fundamental good of the country's economic underpinning." (59).
"Tradition-bound Christians scraped by with barely enough while true believers drilled deeper to tap into the abundant lives that God promised . . . Everyone possessed the God-given potential to sow and reap their financial harvest with plenty to spare. Poverty marked a spiritual shortage. . . Outsiders called it baptized materialism,. Followers called it living in the overflow." (95).
Belief that Jesus conquered poverty, that "faith operated as a perfect law," "drawing a straight line between life circumstances and a believer's faith. . . . any irregularities meant that the believer did not play by the rules." You can lay out a set of mortgages from a huge investment risk on the table and command God to pay them, and it will happen.
The hundred-fold blessing is the most "common calculus of God's 'money-back' guarantee" . . . Luke 6:38. Though other faith teachers protested that the world could not contain enough riches to reward everyone with a hundredfold return, popularity favored the literal-minded. (99).
101 -- church growth in and of itself as a sign of God's blessing.
Revivalist Joel Osteen preaching that attendees are victors, not victims, that they can succeed through the power of positive thinking. "It's going to be a year of promotion, a year of increase, a year of favor, a year of supernatural opportunities!" (179).
Interesting small section on portions of the black church's views of the prosperity gospel. Some wondered whether it could ever have liberative ends . . . opponents claimed that it had abandoned the path to sociopolitical reform exemplified by MLK. William Shaw dismissed it as "a capitalistic devotion to personal privilege." Frederick Haynes, "Black communities are suffering while this prosperity-pimping gospel is emotionally charging people who are watching their communities just literally dissolve. Others dubbed it "the way of the bootstrapper" and argued that "economic empowerment and family prosperity are crucial to our survival."
Connection with Christian Zionism (221).
Gospel of Wealth (from Carnegie's essay) defined by positive thinking, which stressed the power of mind over matter. "Positive thinking was synthetic, mixing the categories of religion, psychology, medicine, and self-hep; its prophets were not typically systematizers or intellectuals, but popularizers and doers." (31).
"At times, the prosperity gospel hovered so closely to its nationalistc alter ego, American civil relgion, that it appeared to be its pentecostal twin, each offering an account of transcendent truths at the core of the American character. But rather than sacralizing the founding of the United States or visions of manifest destiny, the prosperity gospel [deified] and ritualized the American Dream: upward mobility, accumulation, hard work, and moral fiber. The two shared an unshakably high anthropology, studded with traits that inspire action, urgency, as sense of chosenness, and a desire to shoulder it alone." (226).
rang true to a vision of righteous individuals bending circumstances to their vision of the good life
affirmed basic economic structures on which individual enterprise stood
emphasis on individual's responsibility for their own fate resonated with American tradition of rugged self-reliance
"In a political climate in which socialist was a deadly insult, raw individualism was entrenched as the American way despite the cold truth that, since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, government programs had swelled to meet the needs of tens of millions of Americans who reqired assistance ranging from local welfare to Medicare and Social Security. (227).
Freedom was the sacred language of choice
consecrated America's culture of optimism
"offers a comprehensive approach to the human condition. Sees men and women as creatures fallen, but not broken, and shares gospel" that will set them free from many oppressions. Enjoyment is its fundamental achievement: "members cited such benefits of its emotional resources as a sense of self-worth and escape from personal pain." Cheerfulness and optimism were cultivated habits that led to success in every realm, including economic. This does leave out the sick, poor, and unlucky. (232)
Points out that the prosperity gospel overlaps with fundamentalism, pentecostalism, evangelicalism, the religious right, the so-called black church, but can't be conflated with them (4). Usually it favors theological "conservativism" (by which she appears to be referring to the radical new interpretive methodology of selective literalism), but it "lacks the semblance of this well-oiled institutional machinery." (4).
"This book is an attempt to describe . . . the transformation of popular religious imagination that has not yet ended." Moving beyond self-denial, it represents "the triumph of American optimism over the realities of a fickle economy, entrenched racism, pervasive poverty, and theological pessimism that foretold the future as dangling by a thread. Countless listeners reimagined their ability as good Christians -- and good Americans -- to leapfrog over any obstacles."
Regarding the rise of (white) Pentecostalism in the fifties. Their "faith in finances swelled with the postwar economic tides. 'We have a different message now, a positive message -- we k now where we are and what we have, and have been lifted above a life that is always 'walking on eggshells' summarized one evangelist. Modern capitalism engendered new admiration as a seemingly perfect system of decent wages, high employment rates, and cheaply manufactured goods . . . While there is little evidence to suggest that Pentecostals were much poorer than other Americans, social location is more than a tally of dollars and cents. It is important to remember that Pentecostals felt poor and, worse discounted" (51). This ties in so nicely with what Hochschild elucidates in Strangers in their Own Land, about the felt sense of being dishonored and left out among those on the right.
Importantly, this played out differently for African Americans, "locked out of the boom years by segregated housing and a discriminatory labor market, divine prosperity promised an end-run around the political, economic, and social forces of oppression." (53)
And then of course there's the "threat of Communism" again and how it impacted folks who followed this path: "Good fortune was not the only reason to extol God and a sacred economy. The expanding Bolshevik empire continued to threaten the global economic order, replacing controlled capitalism with Soviet-style communism. Be it in positive thinking or Pentecostal revivalism, Christianity itself could testify to God's power and the fundamental good of the country's economic underpinning." (59).
"Tradition-bound Christians scraped by with barely enough while true believers drilled deeper to tap into the abundant lives that God promised . . . Everyone possessed the God-given potential to sow and reap their financial harvest with plenty to spare. Poverty marked a spiritual shortage. . . Outsiders called it baptized materialism,. Followers called it living in the overflow." (95).
Belief that Jesus conquered poverty, that "faith operated as a perfect law," "drawing a straight line between life circumstances and a believer's faith. . . . any irregularities meant that the believer did not play by the rules." You can lay out a set of mortgages from a huge investment risk on the table and command God to pay them, and it will happen.
The hundred-fold blessing is the most "common calculus of God's 'money-back' guarantee" . . . Luke 6:38. Though other faith teachers protested that the world could not contain enough riches to reward everyone with a hundredfold return, popularity favored the literal-minded. (99).
101 -- church growth in and of itself as a sign of God's blessing.
Revivalist Joel Osteen preaching that attendees are victors, not victims, that they can succeed through the power of positive thinking. "It's going to be a year of promotion, a year of increase, a year of favor, a year of supernatural opportunities!" (179).
Interesting small section on portions of the black church's views of the prosperity gospel. Some wondered whether it could ever have liberative ends . . . opponents claimed that it had abandoned the path to sociopolitical reform exemplified by MLK. William Shaw dismissed it as "a capitalistic devotion to personal privilege." Frederick Haynes, "Black communities are suffering while this prosperity-pimping gospel is emotionally charging people who are watching their communities just literally dissolve. Others dubbed it "the way of the bootstrapper" and argued that "economic empowerment and family prosperity are crucial to our survival."
Connection with Christian Zionism (221).
Gospel of Wealth (from Carnegie's essay) defined by positive thinking, which stressed the power of mind over matter. "Positive thinking was synthetic, mixing the categories of religion, psychology, medicine, and self-hep; its prophets were not typically systematizers or intellectuals, but popularizers and doers." (31).
"At times, the prosperity gospel hovered so closely to its nationalistc alter ego, American civil relgion, that it appeared to be its pentecostal twin, each offering an account of transcendent truths at the core of the American character. But rather than sacralizing the founding of the United States or visions of manifest destiny, the prosperity gospel [deified] and ritualized the American Dream: upward mobility, accumulation, hard work, and moral fiber. The two shared an unshakably high anthropology, studded with traits that inspire action, urgency, as sense of chosenness, and a desire to shoulder it alone." (226).
rang true to a vision of righteous individuals bending circumstances to their vision of the good life
affirmed basic economic structures on which individual enterprise stood
emphasis on individual's responsibility for their own fate resonated with American tradition of rugged self-reliance
"In a political climate in which socialist was a deadly insult, raw individualism was entrenched as the American way despite the cold truth that, since Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, government programs had swelled to meet the needs of tens of millions of Americans who reqired assistance ranging from local welfare to Medicare and Social Security. (227).
Freedom was the sacred language of choice
consecrated America's culture of optimism
"offers a comprehensive approach to the human condition. Sees men and women as creatures fallen, but not broken, and shares gospel" that will set them free from many oppressions. Enjoyment is its fundamental achievement: "members cited such benefits of its emotional resources as a sense of self-worth and escape from personal pain." Cheerfulness and optimism were cultivated habits that led to success in every realm, including economic. This does leave out the sick, poor, and unlucky. (232)
May 25, 2019
Bowler gets five stars for personal research, 4.5 for some of her conclusions, and 3.5 for not drawing further conclusions in some areas or asking further questions. And now, with further reading, she gets 2.5 stars, as I've seen on her website, her other book and more, for the degree she believes in at least the healing portion of the prosperity gospel and doesn't disclose that. So, my overall rating, originally four stars, is reduced to three.
The biggest best part of the book is her tracing the roots of the prosperity gospel and noting its multidenominational background. Most of its preachers are not mainline protestants, but many of them are also not explicitly pentecostal or even explicitly charismatic.
Second biggest part is noting the emphasis on health and related issues along with wealth.
Third biggest is tracing that part as an earlier part, and its connections to Christian fringes like the Divine Science movement of the late 19th century and the New Thought of the early 20th, that included places like Unity.
Fourth is noting its greater racial cross-pollination than much of Christianity while showing it still has flaws.
Fifth is the data she has collected behind all this.
==
Where it falls short?
First, with its "name it and claim it" and "power of the spoken word" background, she never asks why so many of these preachers still use KJV English. Or why they use the word "Jehovah," which doesn't exist in Hebrew and is a made-up English (and somewhat, other western languages) conglomeration.
Second, although its prosperity angle is different, it's not charismatic, and it has no paid parish ministry, as I see it, Mormonism is a part of the prosperity gospel, too, with the same ultimate Second Great Awakening roots as the rest of the movement. Nowhere mentioned.
Third, something also nowhere mentioned, and not a church, but yes, a religious movement in my mind, in its language and federal court rulings? The 12-step movement. Again, like Mormons, no paid leadership outside of HQ, and not charismatic. But, New Thought leaders, Emmet Fox above all, were highly cited by many early AA pioneers. And, after the initial "inventory," AA and NA's idea of a daily inventory for good things as well as bad at least somewhat parallels name it and claim it.
==
And, now that Googling has led me to her book on battling Stage 4 colon cancer, the 1- and 2-star reviews of it kind of explain why she didn't bring a broader perspective to this book, as good as it is. https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Hap...
The biggest best part of the book is her tracing the roots of the prosperity gospel and noting its multidenominational background. Most of its preachers are not mainline protestants, but many of them are also not explicitly pentecostal or even explicitly charismatic.
Second biggest part is noting the emphasis on health and related issues along with wealth.
Third biggest is tracing that part as an earlier part, and its connections to Christian fringes like the Divine Science movement of the late 19th century and the New Thought of the early 20th, that included places like Unity.
Fourth is noting its greater racial cross-pollination than much of Christianity while showing it still has flaws.
Fifth is the data she has collected behind all this.
==
Where it falls short?
First, with its "name it and claim it" and "power of the spoken word" background, she never asks why so many of these preachers still use KJV English. Or why they use the word "Jehovah," which doesn't exist in Hebrew and is a made-up English (and somewhat, other western languages) conglomeration.
Second, although its prosperity angle is different, it's not charismatic, and it has no paid parish ministry, as I see it, Mormonism is a part of the prosperity gospel, too, with the same ultimate Second Great Awakening roots as the rest of the movement. Nowhere mentioned.
Third, something also nowhere mentioned, and not a church, but yes, a religious movement in my mind, in its language and federal court rulings? The 12-step movement. Again, like Mormons, no paid leadership outside of HQ, and not charismatic. But, New Thought leaders, Emmet Fox above all, were highly cited by many early AA pioneers. And, after the initial "inventory," AA and NA's idea of a daily inventory for good things as well as bad at least somewhat parallels name it and claim it.
==
And, now that Googling has led me to her book on battling Stage 4 colon cancer, the 1- and 2-star reviews of it kind of explain why she didn't bring a broader perspective to this book, as good as it is. https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Hap...
December 1, 2019
Kate Bowler’s Blessed is a historical exposition of what is commonly known today as the Prosperity Gospel. She deftly takes readers through Pentecostal and Evangelical religious history, introducing us to the primary players (from Hagin, Copeland and Roberts to Bakker and Swaggart to Osteen, Jakes and Paula White). One of her primary arguments is that this is a distinctly American movement. While I see her links to individualism and capitalism, her brief mention in the Conclusion of large affiliated churches globally seemed to deserve a deeper analysis.
I should note that I am not supportive of the Prosperity Gospel. Bowler does her best to remain neutral. But the scandals of the 80s were unsurprisingly and deservedly damning. She highlights diversity within the movement, but it felt too late (e.g. women’s role as leaders in the movement isn’t really mentioned until after page 200). Women and minorities (primarily African Americans) play a large role but inconsistent largely based on geography. It was frustrating to read about the debate of systemic versus individualistic racism. The chapter on health was also extremely frustrating. Those who aren’t healed in churches are treated as the problem, because it is seemingly taught that perfection is required and attainable (in 32 steps of course…). What is the devil’s role if every bad thing is retribution for our mistakes?
The book was certainly dense. I may have a general religion undergraduate degree, but many of the names and religious movements were new to me. That said, Bowler is an excellent writer, and this was very well researched. And fair. Prosperity Gospel stalwarts should have trouble taking offense. Her organization was fairly straightforward. The many charts and pictures (mostly) helped me to grasp what was happening.
First published in 2013, so much has happened in the 6 years since. Paula White now has a direct role in the White House, and many Evangelicals and Prosperity Gospel adherents played a large part in electing Donald Trump in 2016. Perhaps Bowler needs to publish a large added chapter? Perhaps not – we know that ending – and its painful enough already.
I should note that I am not supportive of the Prosperity Gospel. Bowler does her best to remain neutral. But the scandals of the 80s were unsurprisingly and deservedly damning. She highlights diversity within the movement, but it felt too late (e.g. women’s role as leaders in the movement isn’t really mentioned until after page 200). Women and minorities (primarily African Americans) play a large role but inconsistent largely based on geography. It was frustrating to read about the debate of systemic versus individualistic racism. The chapter on health was also extremely frustrating. Those who aren’t healed in churches are treated as the problem, because it is seemingly taught that perfection is required and attainable (in 32 steps of course…). What is the devil’s role if every bad thing is retribution for our mistakes?
The book was certainly dense. I may have a general religion undergraduate degree, but many of the names and religious movements were new to me. That said, Bowler is an excellent writer, and this was very well researched. And fair. Prosperity Gospel stalwarts should have trouble taking offense. Her organization was fairly straightforward. The many charts and pictures (mostly) helped me to grasp what was happening.
First published in 2013, so much has happened in the 6 years since. Paula White now has a direct role in the White House, and many Evangelicals and Prosperity Gospel adherents played a large part in electing Donald Trump in 2016. Perhaps Bowler needs to publish a large added chapter? Perhaps not – we know that ending – and its painful enough already.
May 18, 2020
Excellent. Clearly describes the history and make-up of the prosperity gospel. Bowler's care in explaining the difficulty in defining a proponent of the prosperity gospel is a useful category for Christians to have (namely, they rarely take the specific name, there aren't specific denominations, etc; but they are often connected by where they have studied, who the read, and so on).
Bowler's work is a work of sociology/history. She names names, and she explains the basic tenets of the movement. She does *not* provide any sort of theological critique, nor even a 'common-sense' critique of the claims (though at times the mask of neutrality slips, when describing, for instance a preacher who died after refusing medical treatment). But that lack of any sort of explicit denouncing is maybe more condemning--letting these men and women who claim to speak on God's behalf speak for themselves exposes just how far away from the clear teaching of Scripture they've wandered. At many times, I alternated from laughing at the foolishness to shaking with anger at the abuse of dear, devout people weighed down by burdens they shouldn't have to carry, wondering if they've said the wrong thing and so lost their blessings by a slip of the tongue.
Extremely useful for understanding how the system of belief fits together. I found it especially clarifying in understanding the origin and details of the idea of positive confession.
May God save his church from this corrupt teaching.
Recommend to anyone hoping to understand the history of the movement of the Prosperity Gospel. Read in conjunction with Prosperity? edited by Mbugua and Maura for a theological/pastoral critique.
Bowler's work is a work of sociology/history. She names names, and she explains the basic tenets of the movement. She does *not* provide any sort of theological critique, nor even a 'common-sense' critique of the claims (though at times the mask of neutrality slips, when describing, for instance a preacher who died after refusing medical treatment). But that lack of any sort of explicit denouncing is maybe more condemning--letting these men and women who claim to speak on God's behalf speak for themselves exposes just how far away from the clear teaching of Scripture they've wandered. At many times, I alternated from laughing at the foolishness to shaking with anger at the abuse of dear, devout people weighed down by burdens they shouldn't have to carry, wondering if they've said the wrong thing and so lost their blessings by a slip of the tongue.
Extremely useful for understanding how the system of belief fits together. I found it especially clarifying in understanding the origin and details of the idea of positive confession.
May God save his church from this corrupt teaching.
Recommend to anyone hoping to understand the history of the movement of the Prosperity Gospel. Read in conjunction with Prosperity? edited by Mbugua and Maura for a theological/pastoral critique.
April 25, 2019
This book was her PhD thesis with slight revisions for a wider audience. Because of that, it is dispassionate writing, focusing on the facts rather than offering her personal take.
I found the book helpful in overviewing this terrible movement within Christianity. However, I would only recommend this book for lovers of history (like myself) as it can be a bit dry at times. There is a lot of good helpful research but I just think the people who would enjoy it is limited. There's probably better titles out there written for laypeople ("God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel" by Costi Hinn, "Health, Wealth & Happiness" by David W. Jones, "Christianity In Crisis" by Hank Hanegraaff).
I rate it 3.5 stars out of 5.
I found the book helpful in overviewing this terrible movement within Christianity. However, I would only recommend this book for lovers of history (like myself) as it can be a bit dry at times. There is a lot of good helpful research but I just think the people who would enjoy it is limited. There's probably better titles out there written for laypeople ("God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel" by Costi Hinn, "Health, Wealth & Happiness" by David W. Jones, "Christianity In Crisis" by Hank Hanegraaff).
I rate it 3.5 stars out of 5.
April 19, 2018
You will recognize your thinking in this book, I guarantee it.
Bowler does an admirably charitable overview of the so-called prosperity gospel, drawing attention to the ways in which its theology influences and is influenced by broader streams of American thought. If you're looking for a book that will let you sneer at suckers who are dumber than you (jerk), this is not your book. Bowler is amazingly cautious, gracious, kindly to the people she interviews, and eager to put the movement in conversation with other groups and religions that would much prefer to believe they had nothing in common with this movement.
Bowler does an admirably charitable overview of the so-called prosperity gospel, drawing attention to the ways in which its theology influences and is influenced by broader streams of American thought. If you're looking for a book that will let you sneer at suckers who are dumber than you (jerk), this is not your book. Bowler is amazingly cautious, gracious, kindly to the people she interviews, and eager to put the movement in conversation with other groups and religions that would much prefer to believe they had nothing in common with this movement.
June 27, 2018
This book takes a great inside look at the history and message of the prosperity gospel, one of the most infamous heresies of modern times. This was originally the author’s doctoral dissertation, and sometimes it can be a bit dry like most academic dissertations can, but it’s at its absolute best when the author relays stories from her actual time hanging with prosperity church members. The story of when she became sick at a Benny Hinn tour group of the Holy Land is enough to make me squeamish. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the prosperity gospel, what it entails, and how to be on the lookout for its doctrines seeping into your own faith communities.
July 5, 2021
Kate Bowler’s dissertation is just that, a dissertation and it reads like one. So no fault there. But the subject matter is depressing to the extreme. I found myself cringing multiple times at this history, I would grow hopeful at the attempts to curtail these Pastors’ most craven practices only to be disappointed anew as these efforts folded, or merely became more clever at reframing what was ultimately going on: the enriching of a Pastor and his family with ostentatious wealth and living at the expense of their “flock”.
January 8, 2022
Though this is not a light or quick read, Dr. Bowler here offers a very thorough description of both the beliefs and reality of the prosperity Gospel in the U.S. If you haven’t already been familiar with this subtype of Christianity, there will likely be mention of many names and groups unfamiliar to you. I appreciate Dr. Bowler’s diligence to cover so much historical and theological ground so thoroughly. It was helpful to recognize how and where these ideas overflow into other theological circles which I’ve encountered.
October 15, 2022
It is fascinating to learn more about why people worship, where they worship and what they get out of worship. As (some/many?) church leaders promise unlimited health, wealth and prosperity they seem to shift the focus from the collective “we” to “me”. As they gather their riches and create greater chasms between followers they move farther away from the single most important commandment … love one another. Love, just love in the radical way in which Christ loved when he walked the earth. 💞. Compassion is the indicator of spiritual prosperity to me, not a profit/loss statement.
January 26, 2018
4.5/5.
Kate Bowler provides readers with an excellent historical account of the prosperity gospel in the USA, from its origins in the late nineteenth century through an amalgamation of New Thought, Pentecostalism, and "an American gospel of pragmatism, individualism, and upward mobility" (p. 11). E.W. Kenyon was a particularly important champion of "positive confession" who stressed a high anthropology and a fundamental unity between God and man and he is often associated with Pentecostalism (p. 15-21). New Thought began incorporating desire, prosperity, and materiality in the 1890s but eventually disappeared, only to re-emerge in the post-war period as "positive thinking" (p. 32, 36).
The prosperity gospel entered a new phase in the post-World War II period where it was mostly propagated through pentecostal revivals (p. 41). Many of its proponents were pentecostal preachers who left their traditional denominations because they believed these denominations were repressing an emphasis on the supernatural (42). These preachers stressed healing, prophecy, evangelism, miracles, and adopted a variety of schemes and practices such as laying on of hands and anointing oil (p. 42-43). The individual most often considered the "father" of the prosperity gospel was Kenneth E. Hagin (1917-2003) who proclaimed the "law of faith" based on Romans 3:27 (p. 45). Other teachings and groups that helped spread the prosperity gospel included the Latter Rain movement and the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (p. 50-52). Significantly, Bowler asserts that the prosperity gospel eased tensions between Pentecostal otherworldliness and consumer culture (p. 53). The post-war generation of prosperity gospel/positive thinking preachers also included Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller, and Reverend Ike (the first national black prosperity gospel preacher). In the process of the prosperity gospel's ascendancy, its greatest proponents eventually replaced leading mainline Protestant figures such as Norman Vincent Peale and Roman Catholic figures such as Fulton Sheen (p. 74). However, there was affinities between the two groups as Bowler explains "the prosperity gospels emerging from pentecostals and mainline positive thinking shared a belief in the power of Christian speech to achieve results" (p. 59). The prosperity gospel's three key arguments were that 1) Jesus came to take away our poverty and that poverty had a spiritual dimension 2) Jesus was apparently rich and 3) prosperity was rooted in covenant theology (p. 95-96).
Once the prosperity gospel had become solidified, it was consolidated through networks, conferences, and media. With the rise of televangelism (with its heyday in the 1980s), the bigger stars such as the Copelands and Bakkers were able to provide platforms for new prosperity gospel stars to be introduced and trained (sometimes these were their own children, p. 87). The first generation of televangelists presented themselves as a family, connected with their audiences, and acted out their family life on-screen all while relying on emotional drama and sentimentality (p. 105-06). However, scandals soon emerged and many of the prosperity gospel's leading lights saw their reputations crumble. Bowler explains that this led to a major shift among prosperity preachers away from flamboyance and emotional toward a suave, businessman image such as Joel Osteen; "the new generation of teachers set aside much of the hard prosperity that had characterized the decade in favor of the therapeutic inspiration of soft prosperity" and "therapeutic language replaced sentimentality as the preferred medium of religious advice giving (p. 110, 127).
After going through the history of the prosperity gospel, Bowler moves on to how it is enacted and lived out, touching on worship, health, megachurches, and spirituality. For instance, she states "performance and belief were linked so that believers acted out their healing before they identified symptoms to confirm it" (p. 142-43). Many churches operated their own fitness centers (p. 170). The lavish lifestyles of prosperity preachers served as evidence for their audiences that health and wealth were possible to achieve if proper faith was held (p. 134). Bowler also explains that in the prosperity gospel "communion was the ritual by which believers ingested God's spirit in order to restore their own to health, a practice that held deep resonances with Catholic notions of the sacraments as a material vehicle of grace" (p. 149).
I appreciate that Bowler includes the story of the African-American prosperity gospel as well as the prosperity gospel's forays among Hispanics as many religious historians divide their analysis along the colour line (she also touches on how the prosperity gospel has been exported worldwide, p.230). Bowler notes how the prosperity gospel has grown and developed alongside a non-Christian and American attitude of pragmatism and positive thinking, such as the self-help teachings of "The Secret" (p. 229). Bowler summarizes that appeal of the prosperity gospel; "The world of prosperity fostered a dizzying global economy of self-help that seemed uncomplicated" and that "the prosperity gospel was constituted by the deification and ritualization of the American Dream: upward mobility, accumulation, hard work, and moral fiber"
(p. 196-97, 226).
Kate Bowler provides readers with an excellent historical account of the prosperity gospel in the USA, from its origins in the late nineteenth century through an amalgamation of New Thought, Pentecostalism, and "an American gospel of pragmatism, individualism, and upward mobility" (p. 11). E.W. Kenyon was a particularly important champion of "positive confession" who stressed a high anthropology and a fundamental unity between God and man and he is often associated with Pentecostalism (p. 15-21). New Thought began incorporating desire, prosperity, and materiality in the 1890s but eventually disappeared, only to re-emerge in the post-war period as "positive thinking" (p. 32, 36).
The prosperity gospel entered a new phase in the post-World War II period where it was mostly propagated through pentecostal revivals (p. 41). Many of its proponents were pentecostal preachers who left their traditional denominations because they believed these denominations were repressing an emphasis on the supernatural (42). These preachers stressed healing, prophecy, evangelism, miracles, and adopted a variety of schemes and practices such as laying on of hands and anointing oil (p. 42-43). The individual most often considered the "father" of the prosperity gospel was Kenneth E. Hagin (1917-2003) who proclaimed the "law of faith" based on Romans 3:27 (p. 45). Other teachings and groups that helped spread the prosperity gospel included the Latter Rain movement and the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (p. 50-52). Significantly, Bowler asserts that the prosperity gospel eased tensions between Pentecostal otherworldliness and consumer culture (p. 53). The post-war generation of prosperity gospel/positive thinking preachers also included Oral Roberts, Robert Schuller, and Reverend Ike (the first national black prosperity gospel preacher). In the process of the prosperity gospel's ascendancy, its greatest proponents eventually replaced leading mainline Protestant figures such as Norman Vincent Peale and Roman Catholic figures such as Fulton Sheen (p. 74). However, there was affinities between the two groups as Bowler explains "the prosperity gospels emerging from pentecostals and mainline positive thinking shared a belief in the power of Christian speech to achieve results" (p. 59). The prosperity gospel's three key arguments were that 1) Jesus came to take away our poverty and that poverty had a spiritual dimension 2) Jesus was apparently rich and 3) prosperity was rooted in covenant theology (p. 95-96).
Once the prosperity gospel had become solidified, it was consolidated through networks, conferences, and media. With the rise of televangelism (with its heyday in the 1980s), the bigger stars such as the Copelands and Bakkers were able to provide platforms for new prosperity gospel stars to be introduced and trained (sometimes these were their own children, p. 87). The first generation of televangelists presented themselves as a family, connected with their audiences, and acted out their family life on-screen all while relying on emotional drama and sentimentality (p. 105-06). However, scandals soon emerged and many of the prosperity gospel's leading lights saw their reputations crumble. Bowler explains that this led to a major shift among prosperity preachers away from flamboyance and emotional toward a suave, businessman image such as Joel Osteen; "the new generation of teachers set aside much of the hard prosperity that had characterized the decade in favor of the therapeutic inspiration of soft prosperity" and "therapeutic language replaced sentimentality as the preferred medium of religious advice giving (p. 110, 127).
After going through the history of the prosperity gospel, Bowler moves on to how it is enacted and lived out, touching on worship, health, megachurches, and spirituality. For instance, she states "performance and belief were linked so that believers acted out their healing before they identified symptoms to confirm it" (p. 142-43). Many churches operated their own fitness centers (p. 170). The lavish lifestyles of prosperity preachers served as evidence for their audiences that health and wealth were possible to achieve if proper faith was held (p. 134). Bowler also explains that in the prosperity gospel "communion was the ritual by which believers ingested God's spirit in order to restore their own to health, a practice that held deep resonances with Catholic notions of the sacraments as a material vehicle of grace" (p. 149).
I appreciate that Bowler includes the story of the African-American prosperity gospel as well as the prosperity gospel's forays among Hispanics as many religious historians divide their analysis along the colour line (she also touches on how the prosperity gospel has been exported worldwide, p.230). Bowler notes how the prosperity gospel has grown and developed alongside a non-Christian and American attitude of pragmatism and positive thinking, such as the self-help teachings of "The Secret" (p. 229). Bowler summarizes that appeal of the prosperity gospel; "The world of prosperity fostered a dizzying global economy of self-help that seemed uncomplicated" and that "the prosperity gospel was constituted by the deification and ritualization of the American Dream: upward mobility, accumulation, hard work, and moral fiber"
(p. 196-97, 226).
April 30, 2019
A glance into the prosperity gospel's past and metamorphosis that seeks to understand without utterly condemning. I understand the appeal of prosperity to those who are sick, impoverished, or hurting, but this movement has taken advantage of them rather than its promised healing. It promotes prosperity, but is certainly not the "gospel".
November 23, 2021
Quizás el mejor libro que he leído este año. Es un libro triste y difícil de leer porque he sido testigo del desastre que el falso evangelio de la prosperidad que importamos de EEUU ha causado en nuestras iglesias. Es una lectura recomendad y necesaria para poder entender el movimiento, extender gracia a quienes han caído en él y poder combatirlo con toda la fuerza del Evangelio.
January 3, 2023
This reads like the published dissertation it is, so don't pick this up looking for a thriller. Bowler does a perfectly fine job tracing the history of the prosperity gospel movement and its impact today. I'd love to read an analysis of the impact of PG teaching on the American church at large - it seeps into other places more than folks would like to admit.
October 11, 2018
Sometimes the best way to ridicule a thing, is simply to hold it up. Kate Bowler does an excellent job holding up the putrid prosperity gospel. She's tries to remain objective, but at times I think you can see her nose wrinkle and her face turn as she too is about to barf.
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