Eat the Meat, Spit out the Bones has always been a statement that bothers me. It is thrown out to say we should not worry about some false teaching mixed in with the bible, but just be mature enough to “Eat the Meat, Spit out the Bones”. I have a friend who asks, would you eat a bowl of ice cream if you knew there was a little dung mixed in, even if you knew you wouldn’t taste it? Of course not, and false teaching is like dung. Below is an article that I tend to agree with:
EAT THE MEAT, SPIT OUT THE BONES
There are a lot of clever-sounding sayings that make the rounds among Christians, and one of these is “eat the meat, and spit out the bones.” Many have written to exhort me to do this, and they mean that I shouldn’t worry so much about exposing error. They wonder why I can’t just “eat the meat, and spit out the bones.”
There is a bit of truth to this saying, in that God’s people are always to exercise biblical discernment when hearing sermons or reading Christian books. We are to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
But the Bible also twice warns that “a little leaven leaventh the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 5:9) and exhorts us to mark and avoid those who teach doctrine contrary to that which we have learned in Scripture (Rom. 16:17). There is great danger in eating the wrong spiritual meat!
What if the meat is rotten or poisoned or hasn’t been cooked or properly stored? The U.S. government regulates how restaurants must cook meat, because undercooked meat is dangerous. When I worked in a restaurant in my youth, I was taught to handle the meat very carefully and to store it properly, because it spoils easily. If you eat meat that is spoiled or poisoned or undercooked, even if you spit out the bones, you will be in trouble. The writings of men like Brian McLaren and Richard Foster and Chuck Colson and Rick Warren contain plenty of rotten meat. Those who advise God’s people to “eat the meat, and spit out the bones,” must explain to us how they know that this “meat” is safe.
Also, what if the bones have splinters or what if you get a bone stuck in your throat? When I was growing up in Florida, I went fishing often with my dad and granddad, and they were careful about which fish they kept and which they threw away, because some had too many bones to eat safely. And Mom was very careful to keep an eye on us when we were eating fish because of the ever-present danger of getting a bone stuck in our throats. This happened from time to time anyway, and it was a very unpleasant thing and, in fact, can be fatal. Likewise, very few Christians are able to wade through sermons or books by compromising preachers on their own and expertly spit out all of the “bones” of error.
And what if you don’t know the difference between meat and bones? A toddler doesn’t know the difference, and if it tries to eat meat and spit out bones, it will quickly be in trouble. Likewise, the average Christian today is far too biblically ignorant and carnal to distinguish properly between truth and cleverly presented error.
My friends, beware of clever sayings that aren’t supported by Scripture.
We live in a shallow, apostate, carnal age, and it behooves us to study the Bible diligently and to think biblically!!!!
I’ll be honest. Doing a blog that challenges the doctrines of a large and popular church in the area is a daunting task. I don’t want to be disobedient to the Lord and I don’t want to be doing it with the wrong motives. After the prosperity with a purpose conference I kind of thought of when Jesus said “let the blind lead the blind”, then I get an email like the one below. I asked Nathan for permission before posting the email, so don’t think just because you send me an email I will post it (although I might).
Also, thank you to others how have also sent emails of encouragement during my time of inactivity – your emails and prayers are very appreciated! I think Nathan’s story is like many out there who see the emptiness of false doctrine and a self-serving form of religion that only puts our eyes on what we can gain in this life, when all we need to gain is Christ.
Hi Craig
I just wanted to share with you some of my story over the past year. I’m an 18-year old living in Ontario, Canada. I was involved with the Pentecostal church for a few years through a local youth group and then their church. I left the Pentecostal church last March after much emotional and some psychological pain and stress.
I was at a youth convention in 2005 where Judah Smith was the speaker, and I found what he had to say really connected with me. Over the next couple years, I began downloading and listening to his podcast sermons, at first only once in a while, but eventually on a weekly basis. I built up a library of Judah’s and other TCC and guest pastors messages that was well over 100.
Through these messages, I effectively became a part of Generation Church despite being thousands of miles away. I loved listening to Judah and Jude Fouquier preach; I enjoyed their elaborate and funny stories, and I always felt that I got some life changing out of each message. Listening to those messages, I believe, brought me a lot closer to God, and made me a lot more enthusiastic about studying my Bible than if I hadn’t heard them.
At the same time, I would sometimes get that little twinge when listening to Judah preach that he seemed to be going off in a weird direction, or might be just a little too arrogant. I’m Anglican-raised, so I guess I have a built in aversion to over-the-top spiritual emotionalism. Anyway, the power of whatever altar call being given at the time was strong enough to convince those doubts to quietly go away. After all, nobody’s perfect, right?
As I mentioned earlier, I went through a long and painful breakup with my local Pentecostal church, which I won’t detail here except to say that it was an extremely difficult time, and a necessary one that brought me closer to God. It was very soon after I left in March 2007 that I stumbled onto your blog. Even thought I had left the Pentecostal church, I was still a loyal disciple of GC, and reading your blog gave me quite the shock. I read the exchange between you and Wendell Smith and had my TCC world rather rocked by it. I didn’t want to accept what you were saying, or I tried to find some kind of explanation for it that would also exonerate TCC and GC. But I kept going back to your blog to read more and more, and the more I read, and the more accounts I was exposed to, the more I saw that TCC was falling deeper and deeper into false teaching¦teachings that I was eagerly lapping up through the podcasts.
Sometime after starting to read the blog, about two months after I started, I just stopped listening to GC messages. It was like a mechanism flipped inside and I just didn’t desire them anymore, where before I craved them like a drug. That’s the best analogy I can come up with; being addicted to Judah’s preaching. While my desire for Judah’s preaching died, the disciplines of Bible study and prayer he helped inspire in me stayed on, ironically. I’ve since gone back and listened to a couple old messages and heard things there I missed before, indications of false teachings and unbiblical doctrines that I was too blinded by to see until later. Having now seen where they’ve gone, I am deeply thankful that God opened my eyes when he did, as it seems things have gone from bad to worse.
I write all this to encourage you, Craig. I enjoy reading your site very much, and I’ve been a bit worried at the lack of posting. I understand we all lead busy lives that take priority, but in case you were feeling really down or discouraged, I want to remind you that you are reaching lives not just in Seattle, but across a continent. The influence of TCC is larger than the city, thanks to the Internet, but so is the reach of your blog I thank God for putting me onto your site. I love the truth, and God used that love, anchored onto your site, to bring me out of my TCC-fueled fantasies and false doctrines. Your open, honest, and humble words, along with many of the loyal commentators, have helped me in my own walk with God. Keep fighting the good fight, keep doing it the way you have been doing it, with humility and truth. Be encouraged, and know that you are being used by God, even when it’s just something as lowly as typing on a keyboard. I’m praying for you Craig. God bless you.
I have listened to several sermons by Pastor Wendell and their doctrine on healing has been pretty well laid out in the healing series. I agree with them that healing is for today and that God can miraculously heal today just as Jesus during His earthly ministry. I believe all healing comes from the Lord.
In listening to their sermons and it seems they feel a need to give God a PR job regarding healing. While giving their sermons they say God is a good God, and because He is good he wants to heal everyone in this life and because He is good He will never put sickness on anyone. It seems to me that they have said if God makes people sick, then He is not good. Also, if God does not desire to heal everyone in the here and now, then He is not good. Below are the reasons I think their definition of good needs to be conformed to the bible.
STATEMENT ONE: God will never, ever put sickness on anyone.
To see this is false, all we need to do is read a little bit of the Bible.
What did God say the punishment for Israel was for not carefully observing His words?
“If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues great and prolonged plagues and serious and prolonged sicknesses. Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Deuteronomy 28:58-60
It sounds like God will make them sick.
In Numbers, God sent a plague that killed 14,700 of the Israelite people for complaining against Moses and Aaron.
In 2 Samuel 24 God sent a plague on Israel because David performed a census of the people that killed 70,000 people.
God struck Uzziah with leprosy for burning incense in the temple in 2 Chronicles 26:19-21.
In the New Testament we find Christians becoming sick because of the judgment of the Lord regarding communion. See 1 Corinthians 11:29-31. Paul says if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. The only judge I know of is God.
In Acts 5 we read of Ananias and Sapphira (Christians) who are killed by the Lord for lying to the Spirit. I would rather catch a cold that be killed.
In Acts 13:7-11 Paul struck blindness (through the power of the Holy Spirit) on a sorcerer.
It does not take much time to see that God does put sickness on people in His sovereignty. His ways are higher than our ways, and if we don’t like an attribute of God we should not make up things contrary to how God has revealed Himself to us. I think the 2nd commandment says something about making a god in another likeness.
One analogy they use is that ‘good earthly father’ analogy that goes something like this – “what father would put sickness on their children to teach them a lesson”. The obvious answer to this is – none. But if we think about it a little further, we see that God’s main purpose isn’t to make us comfortable, but to conform us to the image of His Son. Just as parents send their children to chicken pox parties to make them immune so later in life they won’t get the disease and perhaps die, why wouldn’t God let us get sick or injured if the end result is that we are more sanctified and made closer to the likeness of His Son? What is our main goal here? To live a pain-free life or to be more like Christ?
STATEMENT TWO: It is God’s will that everyone be healed.
The main contention I have with this is that the Bible does not say this plainly anywhere. Yes, God is the God who heals us, and yes God does heal today. The problem with the idea that it is God’s will to heal everyone is that not everyone is healed. Many Christians die of sickness and disease, so does that mean God is not powerful enough to heal them? That is absolutely not the case. The only other option we have then is that we are not doing something right to get healed (lack of faith).
I think the statement above is a sad one to make at a church. They do not think through the true ramifications of their doctrine and the faith of many become shipwrecked. Those who are not healed think they do not have enough faith to be healed…do they have enough faith to be saved?
I think the City Church answer to this is comical. They quote Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
They are saying that when Christians die of sickness that since we know it is God’s will to heal everyone that when God does not heal a Christian who is praying for healing that God made a “secret things” decision.
Let me translate what they are saying “IT IS NOT GODS WILL TO HEAL EVERYONE”. They just don’t want to say it. They want a feel good God who is looking out for our health and wealth, so they make contradictory statements to keep the god who pleases them. If God decides in the “secret things” to not heal someone…it is not His will to heal them.
What is our hope then?
Our hope is in the resurrection of the dead. This world is filled with sin, and sickness and death is the result of a sin filled world. There is not condemnation on the sick, they are just dealing with the outcome of sin in our world (disease and death). If we are sick or healthy we need to continually examine our life in the light of scripture to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If we are sick, we should pray for healing and go to the elders for prayer (James 5:14).
Jesus Christ will come again and abolish all sickness and death. We will have a new resurrected body not tainted by sin, disease and death. We should have our eyes on the prize, eternal life. I think Paul said it well:
Philippians 3:10-12
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Preaching that God wants to heal everyone is a good way to fill the pews and get people riled up, but it is not true to scripture.
I think Cameron did a good job explaining the healing verses used by the pastors of the City Church in the following article, it debunks their use of 1 Peter 2:24 and it explains why healing is not guaranteed with communion.
To end, I would like to say I do believe God still heals today and there are many miracles done by His hand. That is a statement to refute the claim Pastor Wendell makes that I am an “unbelieving believer”.
This post is in response to the many people who have left The City Church. I frequently receive messages from people who have left The City Church, or who have loved ones who are still attending…and I wanted to present some words of encouragement for you.
The first sermon I listed to for the prosperity conference was Where is the Money: Part1 (Wasting time with God) by Pastor Wendell Smith. (listen to the sermon here)
The sermon started off with Pastor Wendell using Galatians 3 to support the foundation of the prosperity gospel. See this article that points out the poor use of scripture needed to support this claim.
To keep this post short, the sermon was a lot of preaching of in defense of critics of the prosperity gospel…with an exhortation to seek the money (hence the title “Where is the Money”). In this sermon we are told the money is (drum-roll please) in the PRESENCE OF GOD!
Honestly, I never thought I would hear this out of Pastor Wendell’s mouth directly. In a nutshell, he was saying if we stay in the presence of God enough and pray enough we will get money. If I am not mistaken, he is saying godliness is a means of gain …spend time with God (godliness) and you will get prosperity (gain).
This scripture comes to mind:
useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 1 Timothy 6:5
I cannot begin to put into words what a travesty this is for a “man of God” to say to his congregation. Basically one of the motivations we should have for seeking God is to get worldly prosperity. This is the opposite of what Jesus did in the Gospel of John Chapter 6. Jesus realized the people were following him for bread (prosperity) and gave them a sermon that drove them all away, all except who followed Him because He gives us eternal life.
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. John 6:26-27
Then Jesus went into one of my favorite sermons about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and to see not the bread that perishes (prosperity), but the bread from heaven (eternal life).
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:66
This fits well with the following scripture:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:6-7
And…
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3
If you are seeking the presence of God to receive prosperity, you are seeking the manna that perishes, and the things of the earth that will rot. You are not seeking God for who and what He is, but being carnally minded on the things of this earth. I really don’t know how more simple it can be.
What is amazing (prophetic) about Pastor Wendell’s title “Wasting time with God” is if you don’t come to him with the right motivation, the time you spend will be a waste.
Here is an email that I (Daniel) sent to a pastor that I know at the $ity Church and his reply to it . . .
The following is the email that I wrote in response to a ministry newsletter that he sent me concerning Pat Robertson (a Christian) inviting Mit Romney (a Mormon) to speak at Regent University.
Brother Ed,
Thank you for sending me the latest ministry letter. It has been very helpful for me to see who in Christendom is supporting this unbeliever Mit Romney. I have been suspect of Pat Robertson for many years. His ecumenical ways seem to drive him further and further away from the orthodox faith. I have a question for you about Rabbi Daniel Lapin. Do you know why the City Church is inviting an unbelieving/unconverted Jew to preach in their Church? Do you agree that this is the same as Pat having Mit speak at his college? Has the City Church compromised their “evangelicalism” to the degree that they will invite an “enemy of the cross of Christ” into the house of God’s children?
Grace and Agape Love,
Daniel Raplee
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
His Response . . .
have no response on the the Rabbi issue. I have no clue, but doubt Wendell is compromising the gospel in having him there at a meeting.
He is not allowing him to preach from the pulpit to the church, but only there to discuss Old Testament prosperity to an elect group studying that single subject.
At least He worships the same God, whereas Romney not only worship a false god, but plans to be one himself.
go figure….
Brother Ed
My Response . . .
Thank you very much once again for taking the time to respond to my emails.I am deeply concerned about the answers that you have provided in defense of Wendell Smith and the City Church inviting an enemy of the Cross Jesus Christ to address their congregation. Once again it would seem that your answers are invariably subjective and lack proper Biblical Theology.
The most concerning and disturbing statement that you wrote is, “At least he (the unbelieving Rabbi) worships the same God (as Ed and Wendell and all other Christians) . . . Does this Rabbi confess Jesus the Christ as his Saviour and Lord? Certainly not. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. 1Jn 2:22,23. This Rabbi “hath not the Father because he denieth the Son therefore he does not and cannot worship the same God as a born-again Christian. He is not regenerated by the Holy Ghost and the blood of Christ has not washed away his sins through faith. If Jesus’ blood is not over his sins then he cannot worship the Father. If he dies in his sin he will spend eternity in Hell (right there with Mit Romney and all other unbelievers, Jews, Greeks, Atheists, Mormons, Catholics, and Buddhists). All of these so called evangelicals that are telling him that he “worships the same God as they do will have to face an angry God on the day of Judgment for helping him to go to hell! I am in fear and trembling for those who will stand guilty of this apostasy-crime before our King.
“Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. . . They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge . . . [they] have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God . . . How shall believe in him of whom they have not heard?
This year they are bringing in Rabbi Daniel Lapin. Below is part of an email Pastor Wendell sent out to justify bringing in a non-Christian to speak on wealth. (Note: Spelling mistakes are from the email…not mine)
Before immigrating to the United States in 1973, Rabbi Lapin studied Torah, economics, physics and mathematics in Johannesburg, London and Jerusalem. This unlikely combination forms the bedrock of his conviction that no conflict exists between faith and wealth, the physical and spiritual, or virtue and strength.
Noted for his best-selling book “Thou Shall Prosper” and radio show on San Fransisco’s KSFO, Rabbi Lapin translates life principles from the Bible into practical and entertaining tools that enhance family, financial and spiritual lives. 2007 Newsweek Magazine included him in its list of America’s 50 most influencial rabbis.
President George W. Bush appointed him to serve two terms on a United States Commission and he has won the admiration of other noted figures such as Dr. James Dobson, John Ashcroft, Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Pastor Joe Hagee, Jack Kemp, Dr. D.J. Kennedy, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Rabbi Avigdor Miller, the late Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon, and Zig Ziglar.
One person is conspicuously absent from this description – Jesus Christ! Why do we need to have a Jewish Rabbi come in and teach about wealth? I am just floored by this. Pastor Wendell fails to mention the controversy that surrounded Rabbi Daniel Lapin.
Here is where Daniel Lapin gets his material for his book “Thou Shall Prosper” (taken from his web site).
By blending contemporary business stories and his own business experiences with the wisdom of the Torah, Talmud, and even examples from the Zohar, (the Jewish book of Kabalah or mysticism), Rabbi Daniel Lapin, your rabbi, explains the essence of each commandment and shows you how to use this knowledge to prosper financially.
Are the people of the city church going to be taught from Kabalah, just like Madonna? What are they thinking? How can they bring in a false teacher who denies Christ to teach principles of wealth using Jewish Mysticism?
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Matthew 15:14
If you attend the city church, WAKE UP you sleepy Christian. Take heed to the command of Christ and forget not your first love. Don’t be drunk with the wine of prosperity and commit adultery with a false gospel.
Below are Daniel Lapin’s 10 commandments of wealth.
1st Commandment: Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business 2nd Commandment: Extend the Network of your Connectedness to Many People 3rd Commandment: Get to Know Yourself 4th Commandment: Do Not Pursue Perfection 5th Commandment: Lead Consistently and Constantly 6th Commandment: Constantly Change the Changeable, While Steadfastly Clinging to the Unchangeable 7th Commandment: Learn to Foretell the Future 8Th Commandment: Know Your Money 9th Commandment: Act Rich: Give Away 10% of Your After Tax Income 10th Commandment: Never Retire
Contrast it with what Jesus said:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
I saw this article at reformedgeek.com, and found it to be exactly what I experienced at the mega-church I attended. It is a good read, and the video at the bottom is a must!
****************************** Article written by Todd Friel.
This might seem a little strange, but hang in there til the end because I think this has a powerful punch line.Proof-texting is one of the main reasons false teachers can find a home inside of evangelicalism. The false teacher can take a verse out of context and apply it to a teaching that the verse was never intended to support. Prosperity teachers love to do this with the Old Testament, especially the Proverbs. How do they get away with this? Most pew-warmers don’t understand what the Proverbs are.
Proverbs are written in a catchy way (the shorter they are, the less likely they are to contain a thorough theology on an issue) that help us remember GENERAL truths that if applied faithfully will TYPICALLY (but not always) make life better. There is a heavy emphasis on physical well being and wealth in the Proverbs and we have to be careful to not pull out these individual guiding PRINCIPLES and turn them into a GUARANTEE.
We must balance the promises of prosperity in the Proverbs with other Proverbs and with the rest of the Bible’s teachings on blessings. Let me give you an example and then I will show you how easily this can be done and why we must be good Bereans.
Proverbs 10:3 says, “The Lord will not let the Godly starve to death, but He refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked. The smiling prosperity preacher will announce, If you are a Christian, you have God’s favor and He won’t let you starve to death.
Wrong.
That is not the PRINCIPLE of the verse. The principle is: God is on the side of His children and He stands opposed to the wicked. How do we know that?
1. The Proverbs are designed to be general principles that typically make life better.
2. Proverbs are not individual promises that guarantee you will always succeed.
3. From a practical standpoint, many Godly Christians have starved to death, or worse.
4. When I read this verse with the rest of the Bible in view, I know that this single verse cannot be a guarantee I will never starve and the wicked will go hungry.
Let’s just take a look at the life of Job. Didn’t he understand this Proverb? What about Psalm 73? Asaph laments that the wicked seem to prosper while he, a Godly man, seems to struggle. That appears to be in direct conflict with this verse IF you teach that the Proverbs are individual guarantees of success.
So what does this have to do with the price of corn in Oklahoma on a Tuesday? It means that we must always, always, always read every verse in the Bible in its immediate context and in context of the whole Bible. If you fail to keep the rest of Scripture in view, you can twist Scripture and the next thing you know, you will have a mega church.
Do you remember the movie The Shining? It was the creepiest, scariest horror movie of the 70’s (and yes, I saw it before God saved me). It was dark, bloody and downright evil. I would like you to watch the attached re-made movie trailer for The Shining. (There is nothing offensive about what you are going to watch and this is NOT an endorsement of the movie.)
What you are about to witness is movie proof-texting. A clever individual pulled out little snippets of this gruesome movie to make it look downright charming. As you view this, keep the context of the whole movie in view. And keep this in mind, if you do not keep the entire context of the Bible in mind when you read Scripture, you might not end up twisting Scripture yourself, but you may be duped by someone who does.
As I wrote about in this entry, the City Church has invited a non-Christian Rabbi to motivate them in getting and giving money. Visit my other article to see why that is extremely revealing of them.
Even more interesting are these articles about Rabbi Daniel Lapin being investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee (sent to me by Cliff). Seems odd to bring him in to a Christian Church to teach. I still wonder how the Apostle Paul would react to such a thing.
As Cliff said: “Hmmm, maybe that’s why he didn’t get invited last year to the ‘Prosperity with Integrity‘ conference.”
And again I will end with a scripture:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Cliff wrote this after reading the book by Wendell Smith called “Prosperity With A Purpose”. It is an excellent commentary on the subtleties used by Wendell Smith to push the false prosperity gospel. I pray for more men in the Church like Cliff who will see the dangers of the prosperity gospel and stand up against its leaven-like spread throughout the body of Christ.
Is Prosperity The Privilege of Every Believer?
I just read Wendell Smith’s book, Prosperity With A Purpose, and I found it to be a mixed bag of truth and error. The chapter entitled “The Dangers of Wealth” was really quite good, and biblically sound. But there seemed to be a logical disconnect between that chapter and the overall message of the book, which is best illustrated by a statement on page 7 of the Introduction: “Prosperity is part of the abundant life provided for every believer.”
Prosperity is defined on p 6 as “having more than enough”, in other words, the abundant life of every believer includes an abundant provision of material wealth. Now, it seems the whole teaching of the book rests on this premise, that prosperity is the privilege of every believer. For myself, I cannot agree with it, because it cannot be established from the Scriptures. Indeed, the Bible gives many examples of believers who were highly regarded by the Lord, who experienced poverty and hardship in this life, as well as examples of those who were righteous and prosperous.
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