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Prosperity Theology Thwarts God's Purpose
29th October 2006
The Rt Rev’d Richard Randerson, Dean and Assistance Bishop of Auckland.
Reading: Job 42.12 : And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning . . .
The book of Job was written around the 6th century BC, a literary construct that addressed the question of why the good suffer. It was the common view that good faith was linked to material well-being, and when all Job’s family and wealth were stripped away, a major theological problem arose. His friends give him the traditional answers that he must be a sinner, and should repent. Job knew he was not perfect, but nor was he an evil-doer who deserved this kind of suffering. He argues with God, but maintains his faith, and in the end affirms the mystery and the majesty of God, and is restored to material prosperity.
This “all lived happily ever after” ending, however, undermines the basic theological truth that whether rich or poor we belong to God. Whatever our life situation, God is with us and is trustworthy. The book would be stronger without Job’s wealth restored. It also reinforces what is known as prosperity theology – that God blesses the faithful with wealth and the good life. “God doesn’t want his people to be poor”, it is said. That is true, but God wants ALL his people to be provided for, not for some to prosper while millions live destitute. Would we say that clearly the faith of Christians in the West must be stronger than that of Christians in Africa, otherwise why would we have so much and they so little? Such theology ignores the lesson of Job. On this theology, when hard times come, faith can be shattered.
Such theology leads us not only to ignore the cries of the poor, but also to adopt consumerist attitudes to spend and to accumulate. This has severe environmental consequences in terms of over-use of the Earth’s resources, and the pollution of our planet. The WWF “Living Planet” report this week rated NZ in the ten worst nations in this regard.
It also leads to military adventurism when we seek not merely to gain wealth but then also to protect it against perceived threats. Nations with power and wealth believe they have the right to intervene in other nations in their own self-interest, as the USA and UK have done in Iraq. This intervention is now widely seen in America as being ill-conceived. Some may feel this because of the almost 3000 Americans killed there – that is a tragedy in itself, but peanuts compared with the estimated 650,000 innocent Iraqis killed, and millions more maimed, bereaved or made refugees.
As Christians we are called to read the signs of the time, to read them through the eyes of Christ and then engage with God in seeking shalom - that well-being which embraces all people, so no one lives in poverty, and war is no more. But how do we discern the signs of the times through God’s eyes? The Pope’s recent controversial speech really had nothing to do with attacking Islam. The quote was incidental to his main thesis which was about the interplay between divine revelation and human reason. It is revelation that gives us discernment so that we come to see, as blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10.46) came to see as a result of his encounter with Christ.
Notice two things about Bartimaeus, First, he had put himself in the way of Christ, and was open to Christ’s healing touch. Second, possessed with restored vision he followed Jesus. Here is the pattern whereby we gain clarity of vision as followers of Jesus Christ. If all our life is attuned to movements in the markets, then it will not be surprising if the only revelations that come to us are about how to make money. But if our hearts are attuned to Jesus, then our thinking will be about how to achieve God’s shalom for all people. The cries of the poor, the cries of the people of Iraq, the cry of Planet Earth itself will come to us. The compassion of Jesus will be activated and we will commit to achieving his purposes.
Through his torments Job affirms the purposes of God, even if God’s ways are mysterious. God’s ways are not our ways, but God’s purposes are nonetheless achieved. The worm turns, regimes tumble, injustices are over-thrown, peace blossoms. To be with God does not equate with human riches and military might. To be with God is to know that God’s justice and peace will prevail, and that we have the choice to be part of that victory, of seeing good triumph over evil.
It is here we discern the mission of the Church, and our calling as disciples of Christ. We are called to follow in Jesus’ way, to be co-partners with God in restoring God’s shalom, affirming with Job (42.2) that God’s purposes can never be thwarted.
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