THE DARK SIDE OF MEGACHURCHES

MEGACHURCHES SPREAD THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL

When you think of megachurches, chances are you think of a slick, smiling pastor standing in front of a huge crowd, probably wearing a really nice suit. And that pastor probably travels around in a private plane and lives in a mansion, because many megachurches are associated with what's known as the "prosperity gospel." As explained by Vox, the prosperity gospel is a concept that boils down to a belief that God rewards faith with material success—in other words, if you pray hard enough, God will make you rich. If that seems a little counter to traditional Christian concepts, you would be correct—it excuses any societal inequalities and puts the blame for being poor on you, personally. The implication is that if you're suffering, you don't have enough faith.

As Vox also explains, it provides cover for greedy pastors. Guys like Joel Osteen, pastor of the megachurch Lakewood Church and worth about $50 million, don't have to hide the money they get from the church because their wealth is simply a sign of their holiness and faith. In fact, some have speculated that the subprime housing crisis of 2008 was in part caused by prosperity gospel-believing people who took on mortgages they couldn't afford because they reasoned God was rewarding their faith. And it's not unique to the U.S.: As Reuters notes, the wealth of megachurch pastors in Africa has been controversial for years now.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/596092/the-dark-side-of-megachurches/?utm_campaign=clip

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