Reform or counter Reform?
Forget poverty, the Crucified!
“Good news to the poor!”, you have all heard
of it! What about the “Gospel of Prosperity?” Perhaps you haven’t taken it
seriously, even if you have heard. We have been speaking of it in our earlier
posts, casually. So don’t be a doubting Thomas, here it is for you
to touch and see! It is also getting a very receptive audience, especially in
developing countries.
As can be
expected, it had its origin in the US,
the most affluent country in the world, where a throw away culture rules roost.
The cut-throat competition in the market prompts everyone there to buy and
posses the latest fashionable thing in the market. Speaking of cars, the saying is, they change their wives as quickly as they go
for latest cars.
America
first, also with ‘Prosperity Gospel’
After all aren’t we
constantly reminded of this by President Trump with his oft-repeated push to make
“America First” every where and in every thing. Prosperity gospel was first preached by
Pentecostals in America in the 1950s. It then proliferated with astonishing
speed across the Christian world, finding a particularly receptive audience in
developing countries.
Option for the Poor
It spread first to South American countries
ravaged by poverty and conflict between dictatorial rulers. That provided
fertile soil for “prosperity gospel” and also for the growth of liberation theology, with its war cry: “Option for the
poor.” The Argentinian Pope
Francis is the shining example and defender of the poor with his all-out
efforts to make his “a poor church for the poor.”
From Latin American countries, the
“prosperity gospel” spread to many African countries. The Catholic Herald, with
headquarters both in US abd UK gives an elaborate spread of the “prosperity
gospel” in its report published below. What is worse, it is now coming back
with a vengance to its country of origin.
Why Prosperity Gospel?
What propels the growth of the
“prosperity gospel” is the fast declining credibility of the hierarchical
church – the privileged minority created by clerical devide, or the cancer of
“clericalism” as Francis calls it -- where Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and
priestly class, as a whole have become a counter witnesses to the self-emptying
MAN from Nazareth, the living symbol of LOVE & SERVICE whom they are bound
to follow and imitate.
But a very simplistic off-the-cup
explanation could be this. Words move, examples draw. People may be moved by the sermons of
these professional preachers. But ordinary people, shrewd as they are
also watch their private personal lives and find they do just the opposite of
what they preach – they live a life of ease and
comfort, eating, drinking and fornicating
-- a double life literally without sweating. And the Laity’s instant reaction
in private is: “If they can do it, why can’t we?”
Born in cattle shed & migrant
For more profound reason, compare the life style of the clerical class
with that of Jesus. For him, his life
from birth to death was one of poverty,
hardship. Literally true was the saying: “Birds of the air have
nests….the son of man has no place to rest his head.” To start with, there was
“no room in the Inn”, in the homes of
the comfortable class, for him to get
born. So Mary his mother had to deliver him in a cattle shed. He was equally a
migrant to Egypt and back.
By the sweat of his brow
He lived by the sweat of his brow
working as a carpenter. During his three years of public life he was without a
home address, went about as a bear foot preacher, doing the works of a good Samaritan – healing the sick, feeding
the hungry, comforting the afflicted, pardoning prostitutes and drunkars. His first and last “limousine” ride was on the back of an Ass to enter
Jerusalem.
Condemned to death he was betrayed by
his own disciples – betraying, denying, doubting – who fled for their lives.
His way of the cross was a spectacular
litany of FALLS, thrice on the way. On death he was buried in a borrowed tomb as he had no place to call his own!
Counter witnessing!
Now compare the life style of present
day hierarchical class in the various “Churchianities” --
dressed up in other-worldly costly dress in silk and satin and sporting
heavenly titles that defy any earthly
comparison. When a Pope dressed
in worldly glory, rode a white horse for war(Crusades), “You represent
Constantine, the emperor, not Peter the firsherman” (St.Bernard about his
contemporary Pope.) You can apply that rebuke today to every one of the highly
placed hierarchical class who parade themselves in royal splendor. If this is not “counter-witnessing” what else is it today?
Dust of the Empire
Is there any bishop in the country or
anywhere in the world ready to give up this “dust of the
Empire” (worldly titless and
imperial claims) spoken of by “Good Pope” John XXIII? Do you need any better
example for counter-witnessing to the life and teachings of Jesus? There have
been umpteen attempts by well meaning laity pleading with the hierarchy to give
up these antediluvian practices, but to no avail, always met by stony silence
or counter command: You just “Pray, Pay and Obey”, the only things to be done by the
laity.
That
being the case any reform of the present hierarchical church of gender inequality and counter-witnessing to
Jesus, is impossible to think of or
attempt. So, “Long live the “Gospel of Prosperity!” You shall know it by its fruits. Each dog, has to have
its day! The land of Jerusalem where the Prince of Peace was born and angels
sang: “Peace to men of good-will”, has not tasted peace to this day. Will it
ever?
So
too we shall always have the poor with us, till the end of times, also the peddlers of the “Prosperity Gospel”, to be separated, one for heaven and the other for hell, unless
belief in these are just flights of
fancy or eternal absurdities, to fool the credulous. james
kottoor, editor ccv.
Please read below report on
‘Prosperity Gospel’ in the Catholic Herald, US, UK
Increasing numbers of
Catholics are embracing the belief that money can buy divine rewards.
Catholic pilgrims pray outside the Our Lady of the Peace
basilica in Yamoussoukro (Getty Images)
Gospel of Prosperity, Not Poverty?
How Catholics
are falling
for the
Prosperity Gospel
The cover for the
November 30, 2018 issue (Christian Adams)
Increasing numbers of Catholics are embracing the
belief that money can buy divine rewards!
Outwardly, it looks like a typical
African Mass. But after Holy Communion, the priest does not dismiss the
congregation. Instead, he launches into a new “liturgy” that would be
unfamiliar to millions of Catholics around the world.
“It’s quite strange,” reports Fr Donald
Zagoré, a priest of the Society for African Missions. “After the post-Communion
prayer which should mark the end of the Liturgy of the Eucharist – and
evidently the end of the whole Mass, save the closing rites – another liturgy starts, sometimes even
longer than the Liturgy of the Eucharist: the
liturgy of money.”
Fr Zagoré is describing what happens
when Catholics adopt the so-called “prosperity gospel”, a
theological movement that originated in Pentecostalism. In a recent essay
for La Croix, the priest explained that during the “liturgy of money” lay
people urge the congregation to make donations. The greater the gift, they
say, the greater will be the divine reward.
Fr Zagoré pointed out that this practice
is sharply at odds with traditional Catholic theology. Referring to Christ’s
teaching, in Matthew 6:24, that it is impossible to serve both God and money,
he wrote: “No one can deny the fact that money is necessary for the wellbeing
of all structures, but making it the centre of our liturgical celebrations is,
frankly, exaggerated.”
Fr Zagoré is not the only priest worried
that prosperity theology is making
inroads into the Catholic Church. In September, at a theological congress
in Ivory Coast, clergy lambasted Africa’s prosperity gospel preachers. Bishop
Ignace Bessi Dogbo, president of the Ivory Coast bishops’ conference, urged
Catholic leaders to confront the “heresies” promoted by “communities which
mushroom everywhere by roadsides claiming to be Christian, but which deny
the centrality of the Cross, and preach that prosperity could come like a magic
wand”.
Earlier in the summer, papal confidant
Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ issued a similar warning in the Vatican-approved
periodical La Civiltà Cattolica.
Noting that the prosperity gospel had spread from its birthplace in the United States to Latin America, Africa and Asia,
he said that “Pope Francis has often warned against the perils of this theology
that can ‘overshadow the Gospel of Christ’.”
Since the 1950s, when the
prosperity gospel was first preached by Pentecostals in America, it has
proliferated with astonishing speed across the Christian world, finding a
particularly receptive audience in developing countries. Although initially
limited to the Pentecostal flock, through a process of osmosis the prosperity
gospel has entered the teachings of many Catholic clergymen.
Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory
Coast, South Africa and Uganda are among those nations in Africa where
Neo-charismatic movements have flourished, magnifying their message through
televangelism and social media activities. Many African nations are afflicted
by poverty and disease, and struggle with high unemployment rates and political
instability. Given that there are limited institutional resources to
resolve health problems and other difficulties, many Africans seek succour in
spirituality.
The prosperity gospel is a particularly
popular option. It teaches that precariousness is a curse, and that sickness
and scarcity can be overcome if one is willing to tithe generously and
faithfully attend services where, through the person of the priest, the Holy
Spirit manifests itself, offering miracles ranging from healing to abundant
wealth.
One of Africa’s most prominent advocates
of the prosperity gospel is the Nigerian pastor Chris Oyakhilome. Known as
Pastor Chris, he disseminates his charismatic credo via Facebook to more than
two million followers and thousands of subscribers on YouTube. Combined with
his three satellite TV channels, this ensures that his reach extends beyond
Africa, including to Britain, where he has a large following. With his own
hotel, fast-food chain and mansions, Pastor
Chris has amassed a fortune. In 2011, Forbes Magazine estimated his net worth
at $30-50 million (£23-30 million).
Pastor Chris encourages his flock to make
confessions and affirmations during services. He also leads healing sessions
where he claims to cure everything from cancer to HIV by exorcising demons and
imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thousands attend his services, many
fuelled by the desperate hope that he will not only offer them an explanation
for their tribulations but also allow them to extricate themselves.
Evangelisation is an essential part of
both Charismatic Catholic and Pentecostal movements, accounting for the
burgeoning numbers of faithful. Pastor Chris encourages his congregants
to convert others. In one of his leaflets on the subject, Pastor Chris urges
churchgoers to identify “spiritual thirst” in their entourage and cultivate it
to save their friends and acquaintances from “heading to hell”. In keeping with
the zeitgeist, he also encourages followers to become digital evangelists,
using computers and smartphones to spread the word of God.
African Catholic clergy are, as we have
seen, appalled by pastors who promise believers that the more money they give
to the Church, the more they will receive. They argue that in this heretical
version of faith Jesus Christ is seen as holding the keys to a cosmic
supermarket where he gives out freebees to the faithful. The Holy Spirit is
regarded as a kind of supernatural servant who responds to the worldly desires
of individuals.
Yet the expansion of churches promoting
the prosperity gospel has been almost impossible to thwart and is not limited
to Africa. In Latin America too this seductive theology has found notoriety
and success.
Home to both the world’s largest
Catholic and Pentecostal populations, Latin America is the region where the
health and wealth gospel first found traction beyond the US and where it has
most flourished. Over the past four decades the theology has quickly morphed
from a controversial set of beliefs and practices on the margins of mainstream
Christianity into a hegemonic dogma in Latin American Pentecostalism. It has
become common currency among Catholics, especially those who belong to the
Charismatic Renewal.
More than any other Pentecostal
denomination, Brazil’s controversial Universal Church of the Kingdom
of God has been at the vanguard of propagating prosperity theology throughout
the region.
The Church was founded in the late 1970s by a former employee at the state
lottery of Rio de Janeiro, Bishop Edir Macedo (now a billionaire). The
Neo-Pentecostal denomination promises to turn poverty-related affliction into
wealth and health. To this end, in both Spanish-speaking Latin America and in
the US, the denomination employs a different name for the Church: Pare de
Sufrir (“Stop Suffering”).
Historically, Pentecostalism has been
most popular among the poorest sectors of the region. Research in Brazil
reveals that the Universal Church attracts among the very poorest Brazilians.In
Latin America and much of the Global South, believers typically seek to receive
divine blessings by forming contractual relations with sacred figures. For
example, grassroots Catholics make a promise or vow to a saint or the Virgin
Mary in return for a favour generally involving health, wealth or love.
The same logic operates among
Pentecostals, who say they deal directly with God instead of saintly mediators.
At the Universal Church, and in prosperity theology in general, pastors
encourage congregants to “make a challenge with God” in which they aggressively
request, if not demand, that He deliver on their particular petition. To
increase the chances of God answering requests, pastors encourage congregants
to prove their faith in the Almighty through tithes and offerings.
During Universal Church services in
Brazil, pastors spend up to a third of a two-hour worship service soliciting
donations, starting with the highest denomination of Brazilian currency and
working their way down to the lowest. Congregants often place their cash
donations on an open Bible placed strategically at the altar. Soliciting
donations is of such importance at the Universal Church that an oft-heard joke
in Brazil is that the founder Bishop Macedo increased the tithe from 10 to 30
per cent, with 10 per cent each for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Since the 1990s, the health and wealth
gospel has grown in influence within Catholicism, most significantly through
the Charismatic Renewal, which has adopted myriad Pentecostal beliefs and
practices. Some Catholic churches in Brazil now hold “tithers’ Masses” which
imitate Pentecostal fundraising tactics, albeit with a less hard-sell approach.
The benefits of global capitalism and
modernity have not extended uniformly across the planet but have created spaces
of exclusion, particularly in the developing world. While many people are privy
via the media to a global flow of images, allowing them to consume luxury items
and lavish lifestyles visually, most are unable to enjoy them in reality.
Additionally, access to basic services such as healthcare is often rudimentary,
meaning that many in the Global South live in great uncertainty, yearning for
affluence and wellbeing.
It is in this context that the
prosperity gospel flourishes. Its axioms mimic those of 21st-century economics.
Just
as stocks are expected to yield dividends for the shareholder, so the believer
who tithes generously, prays regularly and proselytises expects to see a return
on investment in the form of abundant health and wealth from God.
Catholic clergy push back against the
prosperity gospel by citing Mark 4:19, that “the deceitfulness of wealth and
the desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful”.
Yet for those suffering economic and physical hardship, hope is the only thing
that springs eternal.(Dr Kate Kingsbury is
an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta. Dr Andrew Chesnut is Bishop
Walter F Sullivan Chair in Catholic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies
at Virginia Commonwealth University)
*****************************
ISAAC GOMES adds:
Readers may
read the following article in Catholic Herald dated 29 October 2018
African
Church warns against illusions of ‘prosperity gospel’
29
October, 2018
It reads:
African
church leaders cautioned churchgoers against a false “gospel of prosperity”
after a bishop in Ivory Coast said it was gaining ground in Catholic parishes.
“People
seeking quick solutions are being hypnotized into believing a single prayer can
become a magic formula for riches and the good life,” said Fr Paul Sandi,
secretary-general of the Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Gambia and Sierra Leone.
“Although
it isn’t rampant yet in the Catholic Church, we’ve had to caution charismatic
priests not to encourage the prosperity gospel, especially when it’s brought in
by outsiders,” he told Catholic News Service.
“The
Catholic Church will never endorse such ideas, which deceive people into
thinking that, by some so-called miracle, manna will fall from heaven,” he told
CNS on October 26.
“You have
to work to achieve something, and the church would rather empower people
through education and vocational training,” Mgr Anondee said.
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