April 07, 2003 edition
Lead Story

Televangelist Decries Prosperity Message 'Deception'
James Robison says it can 'short-circuit a supernatural response from God'

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By Andy Butcher
TV evangelist James Robison has taken to task fellow preachers who promote what he says is an unbalanced prosperity message.

The host of the daily broadcast "Life Today" says that such "manipulation" has pushed people into bankruptcy, and encourages a self-centered focus that can "short-circuit a supernatural response from God."

Writing in the forthcoming May issue of "Charisma" magazine, Robison says that while he is not accusing anyone of "deliberately misleading or manipulating ... the unhealthy consequences of this type of teaching ... breaks my heart."

Although the principle of sowing and reaping is an important aspect of giving, it has been distorted, he says. "One of the huge deceptions in some personal prosperity teaching is the notion that everybody is going to have a big house, big car or big income," he writes.

"This concept promotes a 'sameness' mentality, and it is simply not scriptural ... If you're just looking for a return, you're a miner. God wants us to be farmers for kingdom purposes."

Robison's warning follows a recent report released in the United Kingdom by the Evangelical Alliance (EA) that says the prosperity message of the Word-faith movement "promotes a lifestyle and ethos, which is fundamentally at odds with the values of the kingdom of God."

The "Faith, Health and Prosperity" report from the organization -- representing over a million evangelical and Pentecostal/charismatic believers -- acknowledges that Word-faith has "a deep appreciation for what God has done in Christ:" and "a desire to take the Word of God with the utmost seriousness."

But it questions whether prosperity teaching is "not simply a means of excusing the lifestyle and assuaging the consciences of wealthy Christians," and observes that the image of "the prosperous, high-profile charismatic leader ... can easily replace Christ as the object of adulation and imitation."

According to "The (London) Times," the EA report was partly born out of concern over the fund-raising activities of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, which "allegedly linked the level of donors' contributions ... with the extent of God's blessing on the donors' lives."

In his article, Robison says that where people put their money reveals a lot about their passion and priorities. "God wants us to put our trust completely in Him," he writes. "Isn't it ironic that the words 'In God We Trust' are printed on the back of our dollar bills? If we don't put our trust in Him, we'll put it in something else -- most likely money."

He says that God does not want people to "play the money game." "This is not spiritual bingo or Bible lottery. Giving is the essence of life. If we release that which He has freely given us, He will increase it for His purpose -- not so we can build bigger barns but so we can live life abundantly."

Robison warns: "Those who focus on earthly treasures and receiving a blessing may get a lot of stuff, but they will not experience fullness of life. In the end, they will rot in their stuff. The Father wants to bless children who can be trusted to release His resources, which certainly includes money, for kingdom purposes."

Robison's article can be read in full in the May issue of "Charisma," out next week.
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