“Mood-boosting effects, rather than the religious content, seem to be more directly responsible for the growth of the prosperity gospel movement.”
(Stoyan Zaimov – Christian Post) People who listen to prosperity gospel teachings feel more positive but they’re not necessarily learning any theological content, a new study suggests.
The University of Toronto released last month a study in the journal of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, which named such preachers as Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar.
The study, a copy of which was shared by author Nicholas M. Hobson of the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, noted that the prosperity gospel movement is “one of the fastest growing religious movements in America.”
“The prosperity gospel grew out of the 1950s grassroots Christian revival scene. The boom in prosperity gospel movements resulted from the popularization of ‘televangelical’ figures such as Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, and T.D. Jakes,” it states.
“The central doctrine of the prosperity gospel is that God wants a person to be blessed. It says that material blessings are part of God’s will, and to benefit from these blessings, a person must (a) demonstrate positive thought or speech on a regular basis and (b) donate a certain amount of money to the church ministry.
Research:
Word of Faith/Prosperity Gospel
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