tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post6285051540324195861..comments2024-01-02T18:05:23.666-06:00Comments on Streak's Blog: What happens when your professed beliefs are opposite of how you act?Streakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01443433745929880701noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-3945098747316471972010-08-04T05:00:11.146-05:002010-08-04T05:00:11.146-05:00I live in the epicenter of the Word/Faith movement...I live in the epicenter of the Word/Faith movement here in Tulsa, OK. I can tell you that these beliefs have permeated most Churches here that are not sealed off from the general culture.<br /><br />That being said, I also know LOTS of younger people who are rejecting this mishmash of capitalism/gnosticism/Christianity, and seeking the Christ of the Gospels and letting go of the signs of prosperity that have bankrupted their parents.Monk-in-Traininghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07373661525025912462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5397103.post-68715064134727004902010-08-02T10:14:28.929-05:002010-08-02T10:14:28.929-05:00In my own struggles with faith, I have created two...In my own struggles with faith, I have created two categories. This post touches on the one my brain calls "It's not so much <i>God</i> that I have a problem with as it is modern Christianity."<br /><br />What sickens me the most is guys like Joel Osteen and the hoax that is the "Word Faith Church." These are the guys who preach that to be rich <i>financially</i> means you are blessed by God, and that to be poor or sick is not only in an of itself a sin but is also brought by sin. I just can't abide by any of that sentiment.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/opinions/outlook/worst-ideas/prosperity-gospel.html" rel="nofollow">This WaPo article</a> sums up what I really believe is harmful about the so-called "prosperity gospel," and I honestly can't do any better than this excerpt:<br /><br />"Nowhere has the prosperity gospel flourished more than among the poor and the working class. Told that wealth is a sign of God's grace and favor, <b>followers strive for trappings of luxury they can little afford in an effort to prove that they are blessed spiritually</b>."<br /><br />I blew a gasket when my mother-in-law, whom I love and respect and have a great relationship with, had an Osteen book on her coffee table. m She was in a weird place at the time, so by "blew a gasket" I certainly didn't rip her ears off. But we had a long discussion about the nature of self-help books.<br /><br />Granted, I have never once been to Mass and heard a priest preach the "prosperity gospel." But the Word Faith church and this sort of evangelical bent is no minority within the Christian community. Those big-box megachurches aren't catholic or presbyterian...<br /><br />If a millenium or two of catholic complacency in Europe has lead to religion-tending-towards-agnosticism, I'll take that any day over the materialistic money-making business that the American church has become.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14345059376742159966noreply@blogger.com