responses to materialistic secular values

• prosperity gospel = a form of Christianity which sees wealth, status + privilege as rewards from God for strong faith + good works

  • preacher example: Paula White
  • inauguration of Donald Trump 2017: featured prayers from 2 preachers known for advocating prosperity theology
• post-Reformation views on the value of family life led to a reassessment of attitudes to wealth + possessions: secure family life depended on possessing world goods + enough money to pay for them
• the expansion of Britain as a colonial power created trading opportunities that led to the development of capitalism
• capitalism was reinforced in the 19th century by the Industrial Revolution

  • wealth was created in banking, business + trading
  • this led to terrible financial poverty + appalling living conditions for those families who flocked to towns + cities for work
• the inequality caused by the Industrial Revolution was challenged by Karl Marx through the ideology of socialism

  • development into communism: no class divides, redistribution of wealth
• New Testament attitudes to wealth + possessions:

  • in the time of Jesus, wealth was regarded as a good thing: it was a sign of God's approval
• Jesus' attitudes to materialism:

  • he told the rich man that if he wanted to gain eternal life, he must give everything he had to the poor
  • parable of the rich man + Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) contained a warning of dire consequences for those who enjoyed great wealth but ignored the needs of the poor
  • he did not condemn wealth itself
• New Testament attitude due to Jesus;

  • in the veery early days of Christianity, people shared everything
  • when there was famine in Jerusalem, Christians in Syria collected money to send to those in need
  • the possession of wealth was not seen as wrong in itself; it was the attitude to it that mattered
• Bruderhof movement = an evangelical Christian movement whose members live in communities, having given up all personal property

  • scholar example: Eberhard Arnold - founder of the movement
• most Christian denominations denounce prosperity theology, but neither do they adopt the Bruderhof approach to wealth

  • they think there is nothing intrinsically wrong with wealth but possession of it entails great responsibilities for its use e.g. George + Richard Cadbury - provided housing, reasonable wages, pension scheme + medical care for their employees
• modern day:

  • Christians are expected to be responsible stewards of their wealth, sacrificing it generously + sacrificing with those in need
  • many churches are involved in the running of food banks + encourage their members to become involved in projects that care for the homeless
  • some of the voluntary aid agencies working to end global poverty have a Christian founder e.g. Christian Aid