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| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Blessed Kate Bowler, 2013 Gospels -- Faith -- Wealth -- Health -- Victory -- American blessing -- Megachurch table -- Naming names. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Blessed Kate Bowler, 2013-05-08 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. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Preacher's Wife Kate Bowler, 2020-09-15 Although most evangelical traditions bar women from ordained ministry, many women have carved out unofficial positions of power in their husbands' spiritual empires or their own ministries. The biggest stars write bestselling books, grab high ratings on Christian television, and even preach. Bowler offers a sympathetic and revealing portrait of megachurch women celebrities, showing how they must balance the demands of celebrity culture and conservative, male-dominated faiths. And black celebrity preachers' wives carry a special burden of respectability. A compelling account of women's search for spiritual authority in the age of celebrity. -- adapted from jacket |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Everything Happens for a Reason Kate Bowler, 2018-02-06 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Health, Wealth, and Happiness David W. Jones, Russell S. Woodbridge, 2017-07-25 Be faithful in your giving and God will reward you financially. It's not always stated that blatantly but the promises of the Prosperity Gospel--or the name-it-and-claim-it gospel, the health-and-wealth gospel, the word of faith movement, or positive confession theology--are false. Yet its message permeates the preaching of well-known Christian leaders: Joyce Meyer, T. D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, and many more. The appeal of this teaching crosses racial, gender, denominational, and international boundaries. Why are otherwise faithful Christians so easily led astray? Because the Prosperity Gospel contains a grain of biblical truth, greatly distorted. For anyone who knows that Prosperity Gospel theology is wrong but has trouble articulating and refuting the finer points, this concise edition contains all the robust arguments of the hard-hitting original edition in a shorter, more accessible form. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Health, Wealth, and the (Real) Gospel Sean Demars, Mike McKinley, 2022-03-11 By 2 pastors with experience of prosperity gospel Highlights problems Refutes claims made by prosperity preachers |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Good Enough Kate Bowler, Jessica Richie, 2022-02-17 ***THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*** We begin to feel less alone, more loved and less judged when good is . . . enough. In this collection of 40ish short spiritual devotionals, Good Enough reveals the small things we can do to inch toward a deeper, richer, truer kind of faith. Through blessings, prayers and human truths, learn to live with imperfection in a culture of self-help that promotes endless progress, and discover a companion for when you want to stop feeling guilty that you're not living your best life now. Hailed by Glennon Doyle as 'the Christian Joan Didion', in these gorgeously written reflections Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie proffer fresh imagination for how truth, beauty, and meaning can be discovered amidst the chaos of life. Their words celebrate kindness, honesty and interdependence in a culture that rewards ruthless individualism and blind optimism. Ultimately, in these pages we can rest in the encouragement to strive for what is possible today - while recognising that though we are finite, the life in front of us can still be beautiful. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel Costi W. Hinn, 2019-07-09 A captivating first-person look at one of the world's most powerful prosperity dynasties that offers a unique perspective on greed, the Church, and the journey toward Truth. Millions desperate for hope and solutions are enticed by the promise of the prosperity gospel--that God will do whatever they need with just a little faith and a financial gift. All the while, prosperity preachers exploit the poor and needy to stockpile their riches. What can followers of the true gospel do to combat the deception? Through a remarkable and fascinating journey, Costi Hinn went from a next-generation prosperity preacher to the first to abandon the family faith and share the true gospel. Nephew of the world-famous televangelist, Benny Hinn, Costi had a front-row seat to the inner workings and theology of the prosperity gospel. But as Costi's faith deepened, so did his questions about prosperity teaching. As the deceptions in his past were exposed, Costi came face to face with the hypocrisy and devastation caused by his belief system, and the overwhelming truth about the real Jesus Christ. This captivating look into the daily lives of one of the world's leading prosperity dynasties offers a thoughtful perspective on the perils of greed, the power of the true gospel, and hope for the future of the global church. Through real-life stories, Costi challenges and equips readers to be living lights pointing the way to the true gospel and the saving grace of Christ. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel will bolster your faith and encourage your own journey toward the Truth. Spanish edition also available. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: A Companion to American Religious History Benjamin E. Park, 2021-02-09 A collection of original essays exploring the history of the various American religious traditions and the meaning of their many expressions The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History explores the key events, significant themes, and important movements in various religious traditions throughout the nation’s history from pre-colonization to the present day. Original essays written by leading scholars and new voices in the field discuss how religion in America has transformed over the years, explore its many expressions and meanings, and consider religion’s central role in American life. Emphasizing the integration of religion into broader cultural and historical themes, this wide-ranging volume explores the operation of religion in eras of historical change, the diversity of religious experiences, and religion’s intersections with American cultural, political, social, racial, gender, and intellectual history. Each chronologically-organized chapter focuses on a specific period or event, such as the interactions between Moravian and Indigenous communities, the origins of African-American religious institutions, Mormon settlement in Utah, social reform movements during the twentieth century, the growth of ethnic religious communities, and the rise of the Religious Right. An innovative historical genealogy of American religious traditions, the Companion: Highlights broader historical themes using clear and compelling narrative Helps teachers expose their students to the significance and variety of America’s religious past Explains new and revisionist interpretations of American religious history Surveys current and emerging historiographical trends Traces historical themes to contemporary issues surrounding civil rights and social justice movements, modern capitalism, and debates over religious liberties Making the lessons of American religious history relevant to a broad range of readers, The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History is the perfect book for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in American history courses, and a valuable resource for graduate students and scholars wanting to keep pace with current historiographical trends and recent developments in the field. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: No Cure for Being Human Kate Bowler, 2021-09-30 ***A SUNDAY TIMES AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR AND INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*** The bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (And Other Lies I've Loved) asks, how do you move forward with a life you didn't choose? Hailed by Glennon Doyle as 'the Christian Joan Didion', Kate Bowler used to accept the modern idea that life is an endless horizon of possibilities, a series of choices which if made correctly, would lead us to a place just out of our reach. A beach body by summer. A trip to Disneyland around the corner. A promotion on the horizon. But then at thirty-five she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, and now she has to ask one of the most fundamental questions of all: How do we create meaning in our lives when the life we hoped for is put on hold indefinitely? In No Cure for Being Human, Kate searches for a way forward as she mines the wisdom (and absurdity) of our modern 'best life now' advice industry, which offers us exhausting positivity, trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn and out-perform our humanness. With dry wit and unflinching honesty she grapples with her cancer diagnosis, her ambition and her faith and searches for some kind of peace with her limitations in a culture that says that anything is possible. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate's irreverent, hard-won observations in No Cure For Being Human chart a bold path towards learning new ways to live. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory Randall Herbert Balmer, 1990 An expansion of the 1989 edition which was a companion to the PBS series. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Healing Candy Gunther Brown, 2011-02-24 Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity is a global phenomenon that comprises a quarter of the world's two billion Christians and is growing rapidly. This volume reveals that the primary appeal of pentecostalism worldwide is as a religion of healing. Contrary to popular stereotypes of flamboyant, fraudulent, anti-medical faith healing televangelists who preach a materialistic, health and wealth gospel, handle serpents, or sensationally exorcize demons, this book offers a more nuanced portrait. The collected essays illumine local variations, hybridities, and tensions in practices on six continents, and depict the extent of human suffering and powerlessness experienced by people everywhere and the attractiveness to many of a global religious movement that promises material relief by invoking spiritual resources. This is the first book of its kind. Achieving the twin goals of thick description and comparative analysis of global practices is best achieved by bringing area experts into conversation. This volume's distinguished, international team of contributors includes sociologists, anthropologists, historians, political scientists, theologians, and religious studies scholars from North America, Europe, and Africa. Read together, these essays set the agenda for a new program of scholarly inquiry into some of the largest forces of change at work in the world today-globalization, pentecostalism, and healing-each of which is extremely powerful in itself and which together are reshaping our world in vastly significant ways. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Prosperity? Ken Mbugua, Michael Maura, Dr John Piper, 2016-09-27 If even an angel preaches a gospel contrary to God's word, he is under a curse. There is not a Christian in the world that does not need to seriously consider Paul's words to the Galatians. The gospel is the church's most precious gift to cherish, protect, and pass on. We must never stop checking what we believe and preach, and then ask the question: Is this the gospel? Is this the gospel that God has revealed to us in the Bible? There is a false gospel--the prosperity gospel--sweeping across continents. There are many churches preaching this false gospel. It is a dangerous lie wrapped in a covering of religion. Those affected by it are being led away from God's good news to a man-centered deception. Paul took nothing more seriously than the danger of a different gospel and we feel the same way. Nothing is more serious; our souls depend on it. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction Mark A. Noll, 2011-08-25 Mark A. Noll presents a fresh and accessible history of Protestantism from the era of Martin Luther to the present day. Beginning with the founding of Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist churches in the sixteenth-century Reformation, he also considers the rise of other important Christian movements like Methodism and Pentecostalism. Focussing on worldwide developments, rather than just the familiar European and American histories, he considers the recent expansion of Protestant movements in Africa, China, India, and Latin America, emphasising the on-going and rapidly expanding story of Protestants worldwide. Noll examines the contributions from well-known figures including Martin Luther and John Calvin, along with many others, and explores why Protestant energies have flagged recently in the Western world yet expanded so dramatically elsewhere. Highlighting the key points of Protestant commonality including the message of Christian salvation, reliance on the Bible, and organization through personal initiative, he also explores the reasons for Protestantism's extraordinary diversity. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: White Evangelical Racism, Second Edition Anthea Butler, 2024-10-29 The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals play a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler argues that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power. Propelled by the benefits of whiteness, white evangelicals used scripture to defend slavery and nurture the Confederacy during the Civil War era. During Reconstruction, they used it to deny the vote to newly emancipated blacks. In the twentieth century, they sided with segregationists in avidly opposing movements for racial equality and civil rights. White evangelicals today, cloaked in a vision of Christian patriarchy and nationhood, form a staunch voting bloc in support of white leadership. Evangelicalism's racial history festers, splits America, and needs a reckoning now. In a new preface to the second edition, Butler takes stock of how the trends she identified have expanded as Donald Trump mounts a third campaign for the presidency, evangelicals celebrate and respond to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and ferocious backlash against racial equity has injected new venom into evangelicalism's role in American politics. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: I Thought There Would Be Cake Katharine Welby-Roberts, 2017-08-17 EVER THOUGHT LIFE ISN’T TURNING OUT QUITE AS YOU EXPECTED? Growing up, Katharine Welby-Roberts imagined that being an adult was one big party. But depression, anxiety and crippling self-doubt led her to alienate herself from others. To replay events and encounters as nightmares. Occasionally, to be unable to leave the house. Aware of the cacophony of voices in her head, Katharine invites us to join her as she journeys to the depths of her soul. Here, with instinctive honesty and humour, she confronts the parts of her story that hinder her most. As she charts a course that offers ways of coping with everyday issues, we are encouraged to embrace our own self-worth. To recognize the value of our existence. To let ourselves be loved. Exactly as we are. ‘Brilliantly honest, often funny and wonderfully readable’ Martin Saunders, Youthscape ‘Wholly authentic in the face of suffering and struggle’ Will van der Hart, The Mind and Soul Foundation |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: A Three Dog Life Abigail Thomas, 2007-02-01 When Abigail Thomas’s husband, Rich, was hit by a car, his brain shattered. Subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations, he must live the rest of his life in an institution. He has no memory of what he did the hour, the day, the year before. This tragedy is the ground on which Abigail had to build a new life. How she built that life is a story of great courage and great change, of moving to a small country town, of a new family composed of three dogs, knitting, and friendship, of facing down guilt and discovering gratitude. It is also about her relationship with Rich, a man who lives in the eternal present, and the eerie poetry of his often uncanny perceptions. This wise, plainspoken, beautiful book enacts the truth Abigail discovered in the five years since the accident: You might not find meaning in disaster, but you might, with effort, make something useful of it. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Andrew Carnegie Speaks to the 1% Andrew Carnegie, 2016-04-14 Before the 99% occupied Wall Street... Before the concept of social justice had impinged on the social conscience... Before the social safety net had even been conceived... By the turn of the 20th Century, the era of the robber barons, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) had already accumulated a staggeringly large fortune; he was one of the wealthiest people on the globe. He guaranteed his position as one of the wealthiest men ever when he sold his steel business to create the United States Steel Corporation. Following that sale, he spent his last 18 years, he gave away nearly 90% of his fortune to charities, foundations, and universities. His charitable efforts actually started far earlier. At the age of 33, he wrote a memo to himself, noting ...The amassing of wealth is one of the worse species of idolatry. No idol more debasing than the worship of money. In 1881, he gave a library to his hometown of Dunfermline, Scotland. In 1889, he spelled out his belief that the rich should use their wealth to help enrich society, in an article called The Gospel of Wealth this book. Carnegie writes that the best way of dealing with wealth inequality is for the wealthy to redistribute their surplus means in a responsible and thoughtful manner, arguing that surplus wealth produces the greatest net benefit to society when it is administered carefully by the wealthy. He also argues against extravagance, irresponsible spending, or self-indulgence, instead promoting the administration of capital during one's lifetime toward the cause of reducing the stratification between the rich and poor. Though written more than a century ago, Carnegie's words still ring true today, urging a better, more equitable world through greater social consciousness. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: PreachersNSneakers Ben Kirby, 2021-04-27 Founder of the phenomenon social media account PreachersNSneakers tackles how faith, capitalism, consumerism, and (wannabe) celebrity have collided and asks both believers and nonbelievers alike: how much is too much? What started as a joke account on Instagram has turned into a movement. Through this provocative project, the founder of PreachersNSneakers is helping thousands of Jesus followers wrestle with the inevitable dilemmas created by our Western culture obsessed with image and entertainment. In PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities, Ben Kirby approaches many of the difficult questions plaguing countless Christians’ minds, presenting experiences and input from both sides of difficult questions, such as: Should pastors grow wealthy off of religion, and can their churches ever be too large? Do we really believe that divine blessings are monetary, or is that just religious wallpaper to hide our own greed? Is there space in Christendom for celebrities like Kanye and Bieber to exist without distorting the good news? What about this: Is it wrong for someone—even wrong for author Ben Kirby—to call out faith leaders online and leverage “cancel culture” to affect change? PreachersNSneakers will navigate these challenging questions and many more with humor, wit, candor, and a few never-before-published hijinks. Each chapter will explore the various sides of the debate, holding space for us to make up our own minds. This book is not about finding the perfect, “right” way to do something, but instead learning how to articulate what we believe, why we believe it, and what to do when we want to stand up against cultural norms. This book will doubtlessly become a staple for church small groups, college ministries, and book clubs, emboldening struggling believers who want to live a more genuine faith. After all, the Lord works in mysterious colorways. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: New England Invite Kate Bowler, 2018-10-01 Classically, deliciously New England. This essential cookbook for the New England table gives the seasoned host and the busy novice the ingredients they need to fill their plates and homes. New England Invite is the complete package for creating a welcoming, beautiful, fun feast for all seasons. More than 70 seasonal recipes make for great gatherings all year round. Sidebars include local wine and beer pairing tips, guides to seasonal blooms, and super doable DIY projects to make any party pop, from a family clam bake to harvest-season pumpkin porch parties. Author Kate Bowler captures the spirit of New England cooking and presentation to get friends and family excited to celebrate and make life entertaining. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans Almeda Wright, 2017-07-03 How do young African Americans approach their faith in God when continued violence and police brutality batters the news each day? In The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans, Almeda M. Wright argues that African American youth separate their everyday lives and their spirituality into mutually exclusive categories. This results in a noticeable division between their experiences of systemic injustices and their religious beliefs and practices. Yet Wright suggests that youth can and do teach the church and society myriad lessons through their theological reflections and actions. Giving special attention to the resources of African American religious and theological traditions, Wright creates a critical pedagogy for integrating spirituality into the lives of African American youth, as well as confronting and navigating spiritual fragmentation and systemic injustice. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Your Best Life Now Joel Osteen, 2007-09-03 In this remarkable New York Times bestseller, Joel Osteen offers unique insights and encouragement that will help readers overcome every obstacle in their lives. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Price of Panic Jay W. Richards, William M. Briggs, Douglas Axe, 2020-10-13 WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The human cost of the emergency response to COVID-19 has far outweighed the benefits. That’s the sobering verdict of a trio of scholars—a biologist, a statistician, and a philosopher— in this comprehensive assessment of the worst panic-induced disaster in history. As the media fanned the flames of panic, government officials and a new elite of scientific experts ignored the established protocols for mitigating a dangerous disease. Instead, they shut down the world economy, closed every school, confined citizens to their homes, and threatened to enforce a regime of extreme social distancing indefinitely. And the American public—amazingly enough—complied without protest. Modestly but relentlessly focused on what we know and don’t know about the coronavirus, Douglas Axe, William M. Briggs, and Jay W. Richards demonstrate in this eye-opening study what real experts can contribute when a pandemic strikes. In the early spring of 2020, the panic of government officials, the hysteria of the media, and the hubris of suddenly powerful scientists produced a worldwide calamity. The Price of Panic is the essential book for understanding what happened and how to avoid repeating our deadly mistakes. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Holy Bible (NIV) Various Authors,, 2008-09-02 The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Ordinary Michael Horton, 2014-10-07 Radical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.” Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace. Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering, Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Gospelbound Collin Hansen, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, 2021-04-06 A profound exploration of how to hold on to hope when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture, from two respected Christian storytellers and thought leaders. “Offers neither spin control nor image maintenance for the evangelical tribe, but genuine hope.”—Russell Moore, president of ERLC As the pressures of health warnings, economic turmoil, and partisan politics continue to rise, the influence of gospel-focused Christians seems to be waning. In the public square and popular opinion, we are losing our voice right when it’s needed most for Christ’s glory and the common good. But there’s another story unfolding too—if you know where to look. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra counter these growing fears with a robust message of resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news. Join them in exploring profound stories of Christians who are quietly changing the world in the name of Jesus—from the wild world of digital media to the stories of ancient saints and unsung contemporary activists on the frontiers of justice and mercy. Discover how, in these dark times, the light of Jesus shines even brighter. You haven’t heard the whole story. And that’s good news. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: World of Faith and Freedom Thomas F. Farr, 2008-11-07 Most trouble spots have some sort of religious component, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Israel and Palestine. These conflicts are of great geo-political importance and of interest to the US. Yet, argues Farr, our foreign policy is handicapped by an inability to understand the role of religion in these places. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The New Prophets of Capital Nicole Aschoff, 2015-04-06 As severe environmental degradation, breathtaking inequality, and increasing alienation push capitalism against its own contradictions, mythmaking has become as central to sustaining our economy as profitmaking. Enter the new prophets of capital: Sheryl Sandberg touting the capitalist work ethic as the antidote to gender inequality; John Mackey promising that free markets will heal the planet; Oprah Winfrey urging us to find solutions to poverty and alienation within ourselves; and Bill and Melinda Gates offering the generosity of the 1 percent as the answer to a persistent, systemic inequality. The new prophets of capital buttress an exploitative system, even as the cracks grow more visible. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Disease of the Health & Wealth Gospels Gordon D. Fee, 2006 Perhaps no other issues more directly affect the lives of professing Christians as do the issues of health and wealth and their relationship to the will of God. In Disease of the Health & Wealth Gospels, Dr. Gordon Fee looks at the treatment of these two themes as frequently found in popular Christian teaching. Based on solid exegesis of the Scriptures, looking at each theme separately, this book suggests that there may be yet a more excellent way in viewing these emotionally charged issues.--Page 4 of cover. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: A Rhythm of Prayer Sarah Bessey, 2021-02-09 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For the weary, the angry, the anxious, and the hopeful, this collection of moving, tender prayers offers rest, joyful resistance, and a call to act, written by Barbara Brown Taylor, Amena Brown, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and other artists and thinkers, curated by the author Glennon Doyle calls “my favorite faith writer.” It’s no secret that we are overworked, overpressured, and edging burnout. Unsurprisingly, this fact is as old as time—and that’s why we see so many prayer circles within a multitude of church traditions. These gatherings are a trusted space where people seek help, hope, and peace, energized by God and one another. This book, curated by acclaimed author Sarah Bessey, celebrates and honors that prayerful tradition in a literary form. A companion for all who feel the immense joys and challenges of the journey of faith, this collection of prayers says it all aloud, giving readers permission to recognize the weight of all they carry. These writings also offer a broadened imagination of hope—of what can be restored and made new. Each prayer is an original piece of writing, with new essays by Sarah Bessey throughout. Encompassing the full breadth of the emotional landscape, these deeply tender yet subversive prayers give readers an intimate look at the diverse language and shapes of prayer. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Systematic Theology Louis Berkhof, 2020-03-21 2020 Reprint of the 1941 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Considered one of the classics on Systematic Theology, the book covers all the basics on the reality of God, the atonement of Christ and the final state of man and the last things. Anyone who wishes to study theology would be wise to read this book as many in the Reformed tradition hold that it is a landmark in its field. It is arguably the most important twentieth century compendium of Reformed Theology. 'The work seemed particularly important to me', writes the author, 'in view of the widespread doctrinal indifference of the present day, of the resulting superficiality and confusion in the minds of many professing Christians, of the insidious errors that are zealously propagated even from the pulpits, and of the alarming increase of all kinds of sects. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Happiness as Enterprise Sam Binkley, 2014-03-01 Examines the contemporary discourse on happiness through the lens of governmentality theory. Recent decades have seen an explosion of interest in the phenomenon of happiness, as evidenced by self-help books, talk shows, spiritual mentoring, business management, and relationship counseling. At the center of this development is the expanding influence of positive psychology, which places the concern with happiness in a new position of professional respectability, while opening it to institutional applications. In settings as diverse as college education, business, military training, family, and financial planning, happiness has appeared as the object of a new technology of emotional self-optimization. As such, happiness has come to define a new mentality of self-governmentor a governmentality as the concept is developed in the work of Michel Foucaultone that Sam Binkley demonstrates is aligned closely with economic neoliberalism. Happiness as Enterprise blends theoretical argumentation and empirical description in an engaging and accessible analysis that brings governmentality theory into contact with sociological theories of practice and temporality, particularly in the work of Pierre Bourdieu. This book invites readers not only to consider the new discourse on happiness for its relation to contemporary formations of power, but to rethink many of the assumptions of governmentality theory in a manner sensitive to the mundane practices and everyday agencies of government, and the unique and specific temporalities these practices imply. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Pastures of Plenty Andreas Heuser, 2015 The book discusses religio-scapes of Prosperity Gospel in Africa and beyond in theological, sociological and anthropological perspectives. It compares African prosperity theologies with North- / South American and Asian variants. A feature of African Prosperity Gospel is its influence on other religions, such as African Islam and African Religion. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Handbook of Megachurches Stephen J. Hunt, 2019-11-26 The megachurch is an exceptional recent religious trend, certainly within Christian spheres. Spreading from the USA, megachurches now reached reach different global contexts. The edited volume Handbook of Megachurches offers a comprehensive account of the subject from various academic perspectives. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Kristin Kobes Du Mez, 2020-06-23 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Roman but Not Catholic Jerry L. Walls, Kenneth J. Collins, 2017-10-17 This book offers a clearly written, informative, and fair critique of Roman Catholicism in defense of the catholic faith. Two leading evangelical thinkers in church history and philosophy summarize the major points of contention between Protestants and Catholics, honestly acknowledging real differences while conveying mutual respect and charity. The authors address key historical, theological, and philosophical issues as they consider what remains at stake five hundred years after the Reformation. They also present a hopeful way forward for future ecumenical relations, showing how Protestants and Catholics can participate in a common witness to the world. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Faith in African Lived Christianity , 2019-09-16 Faith in African Lived Christianity – Bridging Anthropological and Theological Perspectives offers a comprehensive, empirically rich and interdisciplinary approach to the study of faith in African Christianity. The book brings together anthropology and theology in the study of how faith and religious experiences shape the understanding of social life in Africa. The volume is a collection of chapters by prominent Africanist theologians, anthropologists and social scientists, who take people’s faith as their starting point and analyze it in a contextually sensitive way. It covers discussions of positionality in the study of African Christianity, interdisciplinary methods and approaches and a number of case studies on political, social and ecological aspects of African Christian spirituality. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Miracle of Seed-Faith Oral Roberts, 2017-03-16 Oral Roberts was barely making ends meet when he discovered the three key principles of Seed-Faith in God’s Word. “They have never failed me,” he shares. “When I had no earthly source or person to turn to, when I was alone with nothing but big problems and challenges facing me, these principles showed me God is my Source. They showed me how to use my giving as a seed I was planting, and to expect God to multiply it even if it took a miracle.” The Miracle of Seed-Faith has revolutionized the lives of millions of people. As you read it, let God show you how you can get your needs met through His eternal plan of seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. Man’s economic systems may fail, but God’s plan never does. By getting into the rhythm of Seed-Faith living, you’ll learn that His more-than-enough resources are always available to you. |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: The Laws of Prosperity Kenneth Copeland, 2012-05-01 There are instructions set forth in the Word of God to teach men how to live a prosperous life. True prosperity is the ability to apply the power of God to meet any need spiritual, mental, and physical. In this book, Kenneth Copeland shares the revelation of spiritual laws that govern prosperity. The Laws of Prosperity is written to teach you... |
| blessed a history of the american prosperity gospel: Living Radical Discipleship Laura S. Meitzner Yoder, 2021-01-31 John Stott’s legacy of faithful Christian discipleship continues to impact Christians on every continent and in every sphere of life. This book pays homage to that legacy and to Stott’s unwavering commitment to Christ’s transformative Lordship over all facets of existence, especially those we may find particularly convenient to ignore. In this collection of essays, integral mission scholars and practitioners from around the world – many of whom knew John Stott personally and worked with him extensively – reflect on several of the concerns that developed and deepened over the course of Stott’s life, reminding us that Christian obedience must include caring for God’s creation, engaging in social action and advocacy, and supporting church leadership of the Majority World. Living Radical Discipleship calls us to repentance, to recommitment, and to wholehearted discipleship. |
BLESSED Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of BLESSED is held in reverence : venerated. How to use blessed in a sentence.
BLESSED | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
BLESSED definition: 1. having been given help and protection by a god, or having been called or made holy: 2. bringing…. Learn more.
10 things you should know about Blessed Carlo Acutis
2 days ago · Vatican City, Jun 13, 2025 / 15:09 pm. It’s official! Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis on Sept. 7 together with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as the first new …
Blessed - definition of blessed by The Free Dictionary
1. endowed, supplied, granted, favoured, lucky, fortunate, furnished, bestowed, jammy (Brit. slang) He's the son of a doctor, and well blessed with money. 2. happy, contented, glad, …
BLESSED definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
You use blessed to describe something that you think is wonderful, and that you are grateful for or relieved about. The birth of a live healthy baby is a truly blessed event. Rainy weather brings …
BLESSED - Meaning & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
You use blessed to describe something that you think is wonderful, and that you are grateful for or relieved about.
The Meaning of Blessed - Bible Hub
The term "blessed" holds significant theological and spiritual meaning within the Christian tradition, appearing frequently throughout the Bible. In the original languages of Scripture, the …
blessed adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage …
Blessed are the poor. [only before noun] giving you a sense of peace or a feeling of freedom from worry or pain. [only before noun] (old-fashioned, informal) used to express mild anger. I can't …
BLESSED | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
BLESSED meaning: 1. pleasant and wanted very much: 2. holy: . Learn more.
blessed - definition and meaning - Wordnik
Bringing happiness; pleasurable; joyful: as, a most blessed time; “a blessed sight to see,” Endowed with or possessing healing virtues.
BLESSED Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of BLESSED is held in reverence : venerated. How to use blessed in a sentence.
BLESSED | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
BLESSED definition: 1. having been given help and protection by a god, or having been called or made holy: 2. bringing…. Learn more.
10 things you should know about Blessed Carlo Acutis
2 days ago · Vatican City, Jun 13, 2025 / 15:09 pm. It’s official! Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis on Sept. 7 together with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as the first new …
Blessed - definition of blessed by The Free Dictionary
1. endowed, supplied, granted, favoured, lucky, fortunate, furnished, bestowed, jammy (Brit. slang) He's the son of a doctor, and well blessed with money. 2. happy, contented, glad, …
BLESSED definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
You use blessed to describe something that you think is wonderful, and that you are grateful for or relieved about. The birth of a live healthy baby is a truly blessed event. Rainy weather brings …
BLESSED - Meaning & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
You use blessed to describe something that you think is wonderful, and that you are grateful for or relieved about.
The Meaning of Blessed - Bible Hub
The term "blessed" holds significant theological and spiritual meaning within the Christian tradition, appearing frequently throughout the Bible. In the original languages of Scripture, the …
blessed adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage …
Blessed are the poor. [only before noun] giving you a sense of peace or a feeling of freedom from worry or pain. [only before noun] (old-fashioned, informal) used to express mild anger. I can't …
BLESSED | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
BLESSED meaning: 1. pleasant and wanted very much: 2. holy: . Learn more.
blessed - definition and meaning - Wordnik
Bringing happiness; pleasurable; joyful: as, a most blessed time; “a blessed sight to see,” Endowed with or possessing healing virtues.
