LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Prosperity Gospel in Liberia: A Theological Alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
A Thesis Project Submitted to
the Faculty of School of Divinity
In fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
the Doctor of Ministry Degree
Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries
by
Jerome A. Newman, Sr.
Lynchburg, Virginia
November 2020
ii
Copyright © 2020 by Jerome A. Newman, Sr
All Rights Reserved
iii
Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
Thesis Project Approval Sheet
______________________________
Dr. Gregory Faulls
Mentor
______________________________
Dr. David Wheeler
Reader
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, to God be the glory for the great things that he has done in my life.
Second, I would like to express my gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Gregory Faulls. He has
encouraged me and guided me throughout this doctoral thesis project. I am thankful to my
reader, Dr. David Wheeler, for his support. Third, I like to thank Rev. Emmanuel A. Stevens and
all pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, for
their participation in this research study.
I mainly give special thanks to my wife Helen, for faithfully walking with me through
this long journey of this doctoral thesis, and my children, Jerome, Iviola, and Jermaine, for all of
their patience and sacrifice. Finally, I dedicate this doctoral thesis to my wife, children, and
Unity Light Ministry Network family in both the United States and the Republic of Liberia.
v
THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT
Jerome A. Newman, Sr.
Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, November 2020
Mentor: Dr. Gregory Faulls
Many indigenous Liberian pastors are not theologically grounded on a solid biblical
foundation. As such, many Liberian Christians lack foundational knowledge of the truths of the
Gospel of Christ for salvation. The prosperity gospel or “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in
Liberia is a significant deviation from the Gospel of Christ that undermines sound hermeneutical
interpretation of Scripture. This study examines why a growing number of pastors in Liberia are
replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel. An anonymous survey research
study of 12 pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata,
Liberia, West Africa found that most Liberian pastors view the prosperity gospel message as the
most critical threat to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spiritual growth of the church. However,
this study concluded that preaching the prosperity gospel in the church increases quantitative
growth.
Thesis project abstract length: 144 words
vi
Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1
Faith and Positive Confession ............................................................................................. 4
The Seed Faith Principle (Material Wealth).......................................................................... 5
Multiplication Factor (Hundred-fold Return) ........................................................................ 5
Health (Healing) .................................................................................................................. 6
Gospel of Jesus Christ ......................................................................................................... 7
The Comprehensiveness of Salvation .................................................................................. 9
Justification.......................................................................................................................... 9
Sanctification ....................................................................................................................... 9
Ministry Context ..................................................................................................................... 11
Problem Presented .................................................................................................................. 18
Purpose Statement .................................................................................................................. 19
Basic Assumptions ................................................................................................................... 20
Definitions................................................................................................................................ 20
Limitations and Delimitations ................................................................................................ 21
Thesis Statement ..................................................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................... 23
Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 23
Prosperity Movement ......................................................................................................... 25
Overview of Prosperity Gospel .......................................................................................... 29
Deeper Understanding of Prosperity Gospel in Africa ........................................................ 40
Theological Foundations ......................................................................................................... 44
Theoretical Foundations ......................................................................................................... 50
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 55
Intervention Design ................................................................................................................. 57
Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 57
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 59
Procedure ........................................................................................................................... 61
Data Analysis & Evaluation ............................................................................................... 62
Implementation of Intervention Design ................................................................................. 69
Content Analysis ................................................................................................................ 72
Hermeneutical Analysis ..................................................................................................... 73
Thematic Analysis ............................................................................................................. 74
vii
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ........................................................................................................ 77
Results of the Prosperity Gospel in Liberia Survey ............................................................... 78
Survey: Part I ..................................................................................................................... 78
Survey: Part II .................................................................................................................... 83
Survey: Part III .................................................................................................................. 88
Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 97
Common Themes and Strategies .......................................................................................... 107
Common Themes ............................................................................................................. 107
Suggested Strategies ........................................................................................................ 108
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 110
The Consequence of Prosperity the Gospel Message ........................................................... 111
The Focus of Prosperity Gospel in Liberia .......................................................................... 112
A snapshot of the Prosperity Gospel Framework .............................................................. 115
The Prosperity Gospel Message in the West ..................................................................... 116
The Prosperity Gospel in Sub-Saharahan.......................................................................... 117
The Prosperity Gospel in Liberia ...................................................................................... 117
The Liberian Culture and Tradition .................................................................................... 117
Recommendation for Future Research ................................................................................ 124
Findings ................................................................................................................................. 127
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 128
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 132
Appendix A: Liberty University IRB Approval ....................................................................... 137
Appendix B: Informed Consent ............................................................................................... 138
Appendix C: Research Survey ................................................................................................. 140
1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Many books and articles have been penned about the prosperity gospel (Faith, Wealth,
and Health) message in sub-Sahara Africa.
1
However, a lot of scholastic works have not been
written within the scope of the Liberian context. Christianity, in post-colonial Africa, has been
highly influenced and shaped by the prosperity message.
2
Lausanne Theology Working Group
posits that the prosperity gospel “teaches that believers have a right to blessings, health, and
wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the
‘sowing of seeds’ through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings.”
3
This explosive growth
of a popular materialistic gospel is sweeping across the Continent because of the massive nature
of African Christianity and the exploitation that poor Christians need to think positively and
ignite the Godly power within them to get material possession.
4
The prosperity gospel is very
complex and diverse; it is a global phenomenon that is not unique to Africa but is almost always
synonymous with the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches with its roots in the United States.
5
The
prosperity gospel is not confined to a particular denomination or a specific school of thought.
6
It
overlaps both the charismatic and non-charismatic spectrum as a blend of positive thinking and
1
Thinandavha D. Mashau and Mookgo S. Kgatle. “Prosperity Gospel and the Culture of Greed in Post-
Colonial Africa”, Verbum et Ecclesia 40:1 (2019), 208.
2
Ibid.
3
Andreas Heuser. “Charting African Prosperity Gospel Economies”, Hervormde Teologiese
Studies 72, no. 4 (2016): 1-9.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Vhumani Magezi and Peter Manzanga, “Prosperity and Health Ministry as a Coping Mechanism in the
Poverty and Suffering Context of Zimbabwe”, In Die Skriflig 50, no. 1 (2016):1-10.
2
faith healing ministries that promise health and wealth.
7
Thus, the effect of the prosperity gospel
in contemporary African Christianity cannot be overstated.
As defined previously, the Lausanne Theology Working Group, the prosperity gospel
“teaches that believers have a right to blessings, health, and wealth and that they can obtain these
blessings through positive confessions of faith and the ‘sowing of seeds’ through the faithful
payments of tithes and offerings.”
8
A study on mapping African prosperity gospel details the
vital debate on prosperity gospel in Africa and its relevance for socio-economic change.
9
The
prosperity gospel message centers mainly on speech acts surrounding faith, wealth, and victory
combined with ritual enactments around divine blessings, claiming worldly success and material
well-being as signs that grace has created an African religio-scrapes of prosperity.
10
The prosperity gospel finds its theological roots in what is called the New Thought
Movement.
11
The prosperity gospel promises material blessings to believers; hence, the promise
of material wealth to the believer who seeks first the kingdom of righteousness is a constant
refrain across the African Pentecostal universe, which places an indecorous emphasis on wealth
and personal accumulation.
12
Correspondingly, material blessings are signs of divine blessings.
13
7
Magezi and Manzanga, “Prosperity and Health Ministry”
8
Andreas Heuser. “Charting African Prosperity Gospel Economies”, Hervormde Teologiese
Studies 72, no. 4 (2016): 1-9.
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid., 7.
11
Costi Hinn. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies.(
Grand Rapids: Zondervan), 2019, 153.
12
Obadare. “Raising Righteous Billionaires”, 1-8.
13
Jonathan Kangwa. “The Role of the Theology of Retribution in the Growth of Pentecostal-
Charismatic Churches in Africa”, Verbum Et Ecclesia 37, no. 1 (2016):1-9, 4.
3
Prosperity gospel message promises material wealth, health, and happiness to all
believers.
14
The materialistic prosperity gospel is sweeping across the African continent because
prosperity gospel message encourages poor people to think positively and ignite the Godly
power within them to instruct their checkbooks or bank accounts yield abundance or to embrace
the spirit in the “name it and claim it” movement when it comes to material possession.
15
As such, prosperity gospel churches believe strongly that the gospel must go along with material
blessings.
16
Thus, proponents of the prosperity gospel message assert that material blessings are
a good thing.
17
The prosperity gospel (theology) aims to help Africans (including Liberians)
improve the quality of their lives by teaching them various improvements strategies.
18
The
feature of the prosperity gospel in Africa can be generally outlined as follows:
19
1. A mindset of hope in a positive future.
2. An entrepreneurial attitude of ‘winning ways’, which in Africa usually means breaking
with the past and the broader claims of extended families and culture.
3. The use of life enhancement strategies that might include an ethic of hard work or how to
cope with life through ‘strong prayers.’
14
Randell J. Stephen. “Understanding the Prosperity Gospel,” Fides Et Historia 47, no. 2 (Summer,
2015):55-9, 58.
15
Mashau and Kgatle. “Prosperity Gospel and Culture of Greed”, 1.
16
Asea Wilson and Rantoa Letsosa. “Biblical Principles Towards a Pastoral Strategy for Poverty
Alleviation Amongst the Youth in Uganda”, Hervormde Teologiese Studies. 70, no. 2 (2014):1-7, 4.
17
Daisy L. Machado. “Capitalism, Immigration, and the Prosperity Gospel”, Anglican Theological
Review, 92, no. 4 (Fall, 2010): 723-30.
18
Frahm-Arp, M. Pentecostalism, Politics, and Prosperity in South Africa. Religions 2018, 9, 298.
19
Ibid.
4
4. Consistent tithing or utilizing various means to sow ‘seed’ offering gives money to the
church.
5. Preacher-prophets gifted with extraordinary powers to speak against and fight the ‘spirit
of poverty.
Prosperity gospel (theology) strongly encourages its followers to engage in rigorous positive
thinking, confession, and faith to get results from God on their prayers.
20
Faith and Positive Confession
Some tenets of the prosperity gospel (faith, health, and wealth theology) are as follows:
21
1. Faith-the belief system of the Prosperity Gospel Movement that portrays a misinterpreted
understanding of faith as actually “positive thinking”; as such, faith is exercised to get
things from God.
2. Positive Confession-The spoken word has the power to translate things into reality. This
reality can either be a positive confession or negative confession. Accordingly, each time
one confesses positively, God realizes it; positive confessions cause God to bring into
existence what one desires for his life. Hence, one must first visualize, and then speak
into reality, what one desire.
Faith is not a positive confession. Faith, as defined in Hebrews 11:1, “is the reality of what is
hoped for and the proof of what is not seen.” Faith is possible because God is faithful.
22
As the
body without the spirit is dead, faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26).
20
Magezi, Vhumani and Peter Manzanga, “Prosperity and Health Ministry as a Coping Mechanism in the
Poverty and Suffering Context of Zimbabwe”, In Die Skriflig 50, no. 1 (2016):1-10.
21
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
22
Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group), 2001, 432.
5
Faith rests on God’s promise; thus, faith in God involves the right belief about God.
23
Biblical faith is not about visualizing whatever one wants, and it comes to pass. Biblical faith
“always acknowledges God as God at all times ad it must rest on God, not what one wants;
hence, the believer must approach God in total obedience and trust, recognizing his sovereign
will in every situation.
24
The Seed Faith Principle (Material Wealth)
The “seed-faith” principle is one of the teachings of the prosperity gospel that is greatly
infiltrating indigenous Liberian churches. The seed faith principle persuades church members to
bring their money or anything of value (seeds) to the ‘man of God’ (sometimes a pastor) to be
prayed over for multiplication. The seed faith principle assumes that what one gives to God must
always multiply and that those that sow big will reap big.
Multiplication Factor (Hundred-fold Return)
The multiplication principle persuades church members that what one gives to God will
always be multiply. MacArthur summarizes the formula for seeding and multiplying as:
25
“… take out the largest bill or check (cheque) you have …$100, $50, or $20 bill…
Hold it in your clean hands and say, ‘In Jesus’ name, I declare this gift to God’s work…
and expect a return of this money. Through this Gift of Discernment… God is showing
me a large check coming…in the next short while. I mean large… looks like over a
1000 dollars”.
23
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary.
24
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
25
MacArthur. Charismatic Chaos, 324.
6
Four arguments against “the seed-faith principle”:
26
1. Preachers assume God’s position to conceive ‘whatever’ and do ‘anything’; there
is no room left for God at all.
2. Biblical faith is not about ‘conceiving whatever’; it can put our confidence in God
to accomplish what he wills.
3. The seed-faith teaching opposes the truth that our giving to God is, first and
foremost, an act of worship.
4. Galatians 6:7, used by Oral Roberts as the basis of the seed-faith principle, is
treated out of context.
Health (Healing)
The Prosperity Gospel teaches that God will grant wealth and good health to people who
have enough faith.
27
The prosperity gospel incorrectly teaches that there is healing in the
Atonement. As such, proponents of the prosperity gospel teach Christ died for our sickness and
our sins, and on that basis, Christians may claim health.
28
Jesus died for our sins and not our
diseases. However, “the gift of healing is based on the authority Christ gives the apostles (Matt.
10:7-8; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 9:1-6); thus, healing and deliverance from demonic power are
integral parts of evangelism”.
29
According to Paul Enns, “teaching and healing are together
considered preaching the gospel (Matt.14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11).”
30
26
Adeleye, Different Gospel.
27
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
28
Paul Enns. The Handbook of Theology. (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008), 675.
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid, 675.
7
The New Testament presents healing in several ways:
31
1. Healing may occur through preaching the Word.
2. Those preaching the Gospel may have the gift of healing to effect salvation.
3. Healing may occur through prayer and the ministry of elders.
4. Select people may possess the gift of healing within and outside the community.
The most divisive theological characteristic of divine healing is its relationship to the
Atonement. One view maintains that the privilege of physical healing is governed by the will and
sovereignty of God; however, most supporters of divine healing believe that physical healing,
like salvation, is an inheritance of every believer through the atoning death of Christ;
thus, one receives his physical healing by faith just as he receives his salvation.
32
Gospel of Jesus Christ
The heart of the ministry of the church is the Gospel of Christ. It is the Good News of
Jesus Christ described by the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The one factor that
shapes everything the church does and lies at the heart of all its functions is the Gospel, the Good
News.
33
When Jesus started his ministry, he announced that he had been explicitly anointed to
preach the Gospel, and later, he charged the apostles to continue his ministry by spreading the
Gospel.
34
Jesus entrusted to the believer the good news that has characterized his teachings and
preaching from the very beginning.
35
31
Enns. The Handbook of Theology.
32
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary, 432.
33
Millard Erickson. Introducing Christian Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic), 2001.
34
Ibid.,1069.
35
Ibid.
8
Jesus placed particular importance on the commitment of his followers to preach the
Gospel to the poor (Luke 7:22), teaching the Gospel in the synagogues, and preaching the good
news of the kingdom and healing disease and sicknesses (Matt. 9:35). Jesus also requires loyalty
and faithfulness to preaching the Gospel of Christ by connecting it with allegiance to him:
36
Truly I tell you, Jesus replied, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother
or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as
much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields, along
with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:29-30).
Jesus proclaims that the Gospel of Christ, the good news, must be preached to all nations
or throughout the world before the end (Matt.24:13; Mark 13:10). Preaching the Gospel of Christ
is particularly important because Jesus thought of himself not only as declaring, but also consist
of the good news.
37
The gospels are good news in that they represent the proclamation of Jesus’
actions for our salvation written from a specific theological perspective.
38
The writers of the
gospels wanted to convince readers that their proclamation is true and requires a decision.
39
It is
the exuberant proclamation of God’s redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf of humans
enslaved by sin.
40
As such, the Gospel of Christ is also a message of salvation, justification, and
sanctification.
36
Erickson. Christian Doctrine.
37
Ibid.
38
Lea and Black. Thomas D. Lea and David Alan Black. The New Testament its Background and Message
(2nd ed.). (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman), 2003.
39
Ibid.
40
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary, 513.
9
The Comprehensiveness of Salvation
The comprehensiveness of salvation may be shown in several ways:
41
1. By what we are save from. This includes sin and death; guilt and estrangement; ignorance
of the truth; bondage to habit and vice; fear of demons, of death, of life, of God, of hell;
despair of self; alienation from others; pressures of the world; a meaningless life.
Salvation also extend to society, aiming at realizing the kingdom of God; to nature;
ending its bondage to futility (Rom. 8:19-20); and to the universe, attaining final
reconciliation of a fragmented cosmos (Eph.1:10; Col. 1:20).
2. By noting that salvation is past. That is, salvation includes what is given freely by God’s
grace (forgiveness, friendship, or reconciliation; Atonement, sonship, and new birth).
3. By distinguishing salvation various aspects: religious (acceptance with God); emotional
(strong assurance, peace, courage, hopefulness, joy) practical (prayer, guidance,
discipline, dedication, service); ethical (new moral dynamic, freedom, victory); personal
(new thoughts, convictions, motives, satisfactions, self-fulfillments); social (new sense of
community and compassion toward all, overriding impulse to love as Jesus has loved)
42
.
Justification
The basic fact of biblical religion is that God pardons and accepts believing sinners; the
doctrine of justification determines the whole character of Christianity as a religion of grace and
faith, it defines the saving significance of Christ’s life and death by relating both to God’s law.
Sanctification
Sanctification is the process of becoming holy; to be purified or free from sin.
The Apostle Paul gives testimony that salvation brought him peace with God, access to God’s
favor and presence, hope for regaining the glory intended for me, endurance in suffering,
steadfast character, an optimistic mind, inner motivations of divine love, and power of the spirit,
ongoing experience of risen Christ within his soul and sustaining joy in God (Rom. 5:1-11).
43
41
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary, 1050.
42
Ibid, 1050.
43
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary,948.
10
It is imperative to preach the Gospel of Christ because preaching is the communication of
truth; manifestation of the Incarnate Word from the written word; it is interpreting life with light
from Scripture to meet the needs of the hearer now guide the hearer in doing God’s will
tomorrow.
44
Nothing in the Bible is more important than the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, the savior of the world. It is also essential to preach the Good News of the Gospel of
Christ because Jesus commanded it: “He said to them ‘Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to all creation’(Mark 16:15).”
For many Christians, no study of the Word of God can be more important than Jesus and
the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) because Jesus is the focus of the Christian faith.
45
The early church recognizes that the understanding of Jesus’ nature and identity is essential to
Christianity and a prerequisite for experiencing salvation and enjoying a relationship with God.
46
Whereas the Old Testament predicted the coming of Jesus and later portions of the New
Testament frequently refer to Jesus, the most thorough description of Jesus’ life and teachings
are in the four canonical gospels of Christ.
47
The Apostle Paul summarizes the Gospel of Christ
as a message of the death, burial, and appearance of the resurrected Christ. (1 Cor. 15:1-8).
44
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary,948.
45
Andreas J Köstenberger. L. Scott Kellum, Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown:
An Introduction to the New Testament. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group), 2009.
46
Köstenberger et. al., The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown.
47
Ibid.
11
Ministry Context
Prosperity gospel (Faith, Wealth, and Health) message in Africa, especially Liberia, is a
theological deviation from the Gospel of Christ based on the core belief that faith, wealth, and
health lie in the power of positive confession. Believers can claim those mentioned above in the
name of Jesus Christ because Christians have authority over health, wealth, and prosperity.
Charismatic teaching of prosperity preachers addressed concerns of spiritual and moral poverty
but gave Christians the belief that they have the power to make their futures.
48
Prosperity gospel
(Faith, Wealth, and Health) message is “biblically flawed; it emotionally damages believers and
is often blasphemous because its teachings and claims demean Christ and exalt man to the deity
which is outside historic, biblical Christianity and must be rejected as stated by Jesse Shipley
49
and Paul Enns.”
50
Prosperity gospel (Faith, Wealth, and Health) message is a travesty of the
Gospel of Christ that undermines sound hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture.
There are many unreached peoples in the world today. Over 7000 people groups remain
unreached, and the churches in their areas lack the necessary resources to evangelize their
people.
51
The Scripture teaches that God is a missionary God, and He desires to be worshiped by
peoples of all nations, races, and tongues (Mt. 24:14; Ps. 96:3; Gen.12:3). Although Christians in
Liberia have continued to decrease, there are still many unreached people in Liberia.
Unity Light Ministries, International is a non-denominational international Christian
ministry (Unity Community Church) headquartered in Fredericksburg, Virginia (USA).
48
Jesse Weaver Shipley. “Comedians, Pastors, and the Miraculous Agency of Charisma in Ghana.”
Cultural Anthropology 24, no. 3 (08, 2009): 523-52.
49
Ibid.
50
Enns. Handbook of Theology.
51
Joshua Project. http://www.joshuaproject.net/(access August 10, 2019).
12
Unity Light Ministries, International has partnered with other churches and organizations
working in Liberia to plant a non-denominational ministry (church) called Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church). One challenge to the spiritual growth of the Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, is the prosperity gospel (Faith,
Wealth, and Health) message. The prosperity gospel (Faith, Wealth, and Health) message
proliferates in Africa, where there are challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and health
problems.
52
The prosperity gospel preaching on wealth, health, and success provide believers
with hope.
53
According to Heuser, the prosperity gospel comprises a complex flow of theologies
of hope.
54
Prosperity Gospel (Faith, Wealth, and Health) message in sub-Saharan African
countries, like Liberia, thrives around enactments of tithings and offerings.
55
The Republic of Liberia is black Africa’s oldest independent nation; unlike the rest of
Africa, Liberia was never colonized.
56
The American Colonization Society (settlers) purchased
the area known today as “The Republic of Liberia” in the first half of the 19
th
Century as a
settlement for freed slaves from the United States.
57
Liberia is located in West Africa, roughly
the size of the State of Ohio. Before the arrival of the Americo-Liberians (free slaves from the
United States) who introduced Christianity to Liberia in the nineteenth century,
52
Joshua Project.
53
Ibid.
54
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
55
Magezi, Vhumani and Peter Manzanga, “Prosperity and Health Ministry as a Coping Mechanism in the
Poverty and Suffering Context of Zimbabwe”. In Die Skriflig 50, no. 1 (2016):1-10.
56
Luasanne World Paulse http:// www.lausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles-php/1064/12-2008
(accessed August 10, 2019).
57
The Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles-Liberia website.
http://www.prayway.com/unreached/countries/liberia.html (accessed August 15, 2019).
13
Liberia was a land that was deeply entrenched with African traditions, native religions, and
institutionalized secret societies characterized by spirituality and rituals.
58
Even though Liberia was founded as a Christian nation by the American settlers,
numerous indigenous peoples do not yet have a viable church planting movement.
59
In addition
to its Christian heritage, “Liberia was founded on the principles of freedom and democracy that
mirrors the United States, but after one and a half centuries of its existence, the country
descended into destruction in which both democracy and human rights was compromised.”
60
The church has the responsibility to speak for the voiceless and the marginalized, and its ministry
should be inclusive for all people.
61
Relating to a recent census (2008) of Liberia, 85.5% of the
respondents called themselves Christians.
62
The 2008 census further shows that the Muslim
population in Liberia was about 12.2 %, and the indigenous religious beliefs population was
about 0.5%.
63
The Christian church in Liberia is often taking radical and uncompromising stands
against some social-ills or sins and often ignores the rest.
64
Liberian churches mostly preach
against adultery, fornication, drunkenness, and theft, but is entirely silent on sin about
discrimination, corruption, political assassination, and unfair distribution of the country’s wealth
in favor of the elite.
65
58
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity, 5.
59
The Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles-Liberia website.
http://www.prayway.com/unreached/countries/liberia.html (accessed August 10, 2019).
60
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity, 5.
61
Ibid., 8.
62
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity, 5.
63
Ibid., 5.
64
Ibid., 6.
65
Ibid., 6
14
The church is silent on the institutionalized sin of oppression, marginalization, subjugation, and
exploitation.
66
In 1989, Liberia descended into a 14-year civil war. According to Gbote and
Kgatia, Liberia lost about 250,000 citizens during the civil crisis, and the war had a significant
impact on the country’s economy and people.
67
A paradox lies in the fact that with the perception of a nation built on Christian precepts,
the force of disunity and destruction steered the country to the worst human catastrophes.
68
Since
the end of the war, Liberia struggles with a high rate of inflation, high unemployment rate, and
the value of life continues to diminish.
69
It difficult for one to understand the Unity Light
Ministry context without understanding that Unity Light Mission in Liberia is a thriving
Christian ministry network (church) that is a combination of Evangelical (based on its American
Evangelical heritage) and African Indigenous Charismatic (based on its African heritage) church.
Accordingly, there is a wide range of Christian views and cultural practices that indigenous
African Christians in Unity Light Ministry (Liberia) follow, including a form of “neo-Pentecostal
Charismatic worship characterized by an emphasis on prophecy and divine revelations, the
power of the Holy Spirit to heal, and Liberian cultural rites of passage such as birth, marriage,
sickness and death which have spiritual significance and in some cases, are purposive acts of
spiritual forces that are evil forces that limits or hinders one’s physical and/or spiritual well-
being.
66
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity, 6.
67
Ibid.
68
Ibid., 6.
69
Ibid.
15
Consequently, some activities that are central to the congregation’s culture include fast
and prayers, intercessory prayers, healing services, and continuous community outreach
programs such as crusades and revivals and an insatiable need to have the power to overcome
disease, poverty, and human sufferings. The prosperity gospel has spread in Africa, especially
Liberia, not because African Christians are religiously illiterate, but they are traditional in
character based on the influenced African traditional religion; there is no distinction between the
sacred and secular; religious and non-religious traditions; between spiritual and material.
70
According to Magezi and Manzanga, the prosperity gospel gives hope to distressed people.
71
Accordingly, “prosperity teachings flourish in contexts of terrible poverty; and that for
many people it presents their only hope, in the face of constant frustration, the failure of
politicians and NGOs, etc. for better future, ore even for the more bearable present”.
72
Prosperity gospel promises material wealth (blessings), health, and happiness to faithful
Christians.
73
However, the prosperity gospel is a faulty interpretation of Scripture that asserts
that God wants believers to get rich or healthy. Still, He cannot bless them unless they first send
money known as “seed-faith” to the spiritual leader or pastor who tells them about God’s plan
for their lives.
74
Prosperity Gospel in sub-Saharan African countries, like Liberia, thrives around
enactments of tithings and offerings; it proliferates in Africa where there are challenges such as
poverty, unemployment, and health problem.
75
70
Mashau and Kgatle. “Prosperity Gospel”, 208.
71
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
72
Ibid.
73
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
74
Ibid.
75
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
16
The prosperity gospel preaching on wealth, health, success provides believers with
hope.
76
It comprises a complex flow of theologies of hope.
77
The prosperity gospel finds its
theological roots in what is called “New Thought.”
78
According to Costi, the prosperity gospel is essentially a metaphysical healing cult
founded on the idea that the mind is key to unlocking true reality.
79
The prosperity gospel is so
dangerous because it distorts the interpretation of the biblical Gospel by making it all about you
and your staff.
80
False teachers use deception in the interpretation of scriptures to get rich; Costi
warns of the dangers that the church faces when false teachers are disguised as good guys, and
Christians believe them.
81
As such, we need a well-thought-out approach to interpreting the
Bible so that Christians do not get fool by misinterpretation of scriptures.
82
We believe in the
interpretive process of the Bible based on the sound hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture.
83
According to Costi, the prosperity gospel is essentially a metaphysical healing cult
founded on the idea that the mind is key to unlocking true reality.
84
75
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
76
Ibid.
77
Ibid., 2.
78
Hinn. God, Greed, (Prosperity) Gospel, 153.
79
Hinn. God, Greed, (Prosperity) Gospel.
80
Ibid.
81
Hinn. God, Greed, (Prosperity) Gospel, 153.
82
William Klein, Blomberg, Craig and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson), 2004.
83
Walter Kaiser and Moises Silva. Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2007), 10.
84
Ibid
17
The prosperity gospel is so risky because it distorts the interpretation of the biblical Gospel by
making it all about you and your staff.
85
False teachers use deception to interpret scriptures to
get rich, and Costi further warns of the dangers that the church faces when false teachers are
disguised as good guys, and Christians believe them.
86
One needs a well-thought-out approach to
interpreting the Bible so that Christians do not get fool by misinterpretation of scriptures.
87
Christians also believe in the interpretive process of the Bible based on the sound
hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture.
88
Prosperity gospel teachings should follow the
guidelines above. David W. Jones asserts the prosperity gospel is reinforced by numerous
individuals, including members of evangelical churches, who possibly unknowingly, regularly
watch prosperity gospel teachers on television.
89
Correct theological beliefs are essential to one’s relationship with God, and the biblical
Gospel must be correctly proclaimed to the world.
90
The prosperity gospel misinforms Christians
by taking a lot of scriptural reading out of context for its purposes. One example of the aforesaid
is the prosperity gospel interpretation of Galatians 3:14, which is fundamentally flawed. In
Galatians 3:14, the prosperity gospel preachers/teachers ignore the second half of the verse: “that
we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
85
Kaiser and Silva, Biblical Hermeneutics.
86
Ibid.
87
Klein, Blomberg, Craig and Hubbard. Biblical Interpretation.
88
Walter Kaiser and Moises Silva. Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2007), 10.
89
Kaiser and Silva. Biblical Hermeneutics.
90
David W. Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness: How the Prosperity Gospel Overshadows the Gospel of
Christ. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), 2011.
18
Paul was reminding the Galatians of the spiritual blessings of salvation, not the material
blessings of wealth.
91
There is a serious problem in how prosperity gospel preachers/teachers
view scriptures.
92
Some proponents of the prosperity gospel deny the inerrancy of scriptures;
they adjust scriptures that completely change the meaning of the passage.
93
Hence, the prosperity
gospel in Liberia is a significant deviation from the Gospel of Christ that undermines sound
hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture.
Problem Presented
The prosperity gospel in Africa, especially Liberia, is a theological deviation from the
Gospel of Jesus Christ based on the core belief that faith, wealth, and health lies in the power of
positive confession, and believers can claim the aforementioned in the name of Jesus Christ
because Christians have the authority over health, wealth and prosperity.
94
Many Christians in
Liberia lack the foundational knowledge of the truths of the Gospel of Christ because they are
hostile toward theological training, resulting in vulnerability among Christians to teachings that
are not theologically grounded on a solid biblical foundation.
95
The problem is a growing
number of pastors in Liberia, in Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), are
replacing the Gospel of Christ with the prosperity gospel.
91
Jones, David. The Bankruptcy of the Prosperity Gospel: An Exercise in Biblical and Theological Ethics.
Online 1/1/2009.
92
Enns. Handbook of Theology.
93
Ibid.
94
Enns. Handbook of Theology.
95
Aaron B. Phillips. “An Examination of the Prosperity Gospel: A Plea for Return to Biblical Truth.”
Liberty University, 2015, 1.
19
Purpose Statement
Some prosperity preachers/teachers adjust scriptures verses to accommodate their
particular doctrines or even deny the inerrancy of Jesus Christ.
96
The prosperity Gospel offers
distorted teachings of the Gospel of Christ that views success in terms of status, wealth, and
position rather than holiness, faithfulness, and obedience to God.
97
The purpose of this research
is to survey a representative sample of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community
Church) pastors, to build a report on the current ministry problem of preaching and teaching the
prosperity gospel, that helps the researcher critically analyze the survey results and suggests
ways to improve the ministry situation.
In addition to the misinterpretations and misapplications of scriptural passages, the
prosperity gospel preachers/teachers have promoted a faulty view regarding the Atonement to
support their prosperity gospel message. Proponents of the prosperity gospel message falsely
claim physical healing and financial prosperity have been provided for in the Atonement.
98
This view is consistent with Kenneth Copeland, who believes that “the basic principle of the
Christian life is to know that God put our sins, sickness, disease, sorrow, grief, and poverty on
Jesus at Calvary.”
99
Copeland is wrong because, in the Atonement, we come to is a crucial
point of the Christian faith; reconciliation of God and humankind through Christ.
100
96
Phillips.“Examination of the Prosperity Gospel.”
97
Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
98
Ken L. Sarles. “A Theological Evaluation of the Prosperity Gospel,” Bibliotheca Sacra 143 (Oct.-Dec.
1986):339.
99
Kenneth. Copeland, The Troublemaker. (Publisher: Kenneth Copeland Publications), 1996.
100
Millard Erickson. Introducing Christian Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic), 2001.
20
The prosperity gospel in sub-Saharan Africa is highly influenced and shaped by the
prosperity message. This research contributes to ministry leadership because there is no
academic study in the Liberian context on why pastors replace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with
the prosperity gospel message. Moreover, this research examines the teachings of the prosperity
gospel in Liberia and communicates findings to contemporary Christians to make informed
decisions about how the prosperity teachers interpret Scripture and the authenticity of teachings
of this Gospel to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Notwithstanding, all of Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church) pastors in Kakata, Liberia, have been trained to preach and
teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
101
This research project will survey twelve (12) pastors
associated with Unity Light Ministries, International, to understand why these pastors are
preaching the prosperity gospel.
Basic Assumptions
The first assumption of this thesis project is that the pastors who will respond to the
survey questions will answer truthfully.
The second assumption is that the survey’s pastors are a representative sample of Unity
Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church).
Definitions
African Christianity – a combination of Christianity and African Traditional Religion.
102
African Traditional Religion (ATR)- a worldview that condenses certain culturally-inborn sense
that includes a belief in a world in which the physical is indicative of spiritual truths, in contrast
to western Christianity, that, to a certain extent abandoned belief in wicked powers.
103
101
Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
102
Joel Mokhoathi. From Contextual Theology to African Christianity: The Consideration of Adiaphora
from a South African Perspective. Religions 2017, 8, 266.
103
Marius Nel. The African Background of Pentecostal Theology: A Critical Perspective. In die Skriflig/In
Luce Verbi. (2019) 53.
21
Christian - “a person who has accepted the Christian faith and made a decision to become a
follower of Jesus Christ.”
104
Christianity, “as a ‘non-cultural entity,’ encompasses different cultures as an institution that
regards the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”
105
Prosperity gospel (Prosperity Theology)- refers to “bringing into existence what we state with
our mouth since faith is a confession.”
106
Word of Faith- refers to “the ability to speak words to produce positive results in life, whether a
preferred parking place or wealth.”
107
Revelation-refers to “claims that one receives direct revelation from God.”
108
Limitation and Delimitations
This doctoral research study has several self-imposed limitations intended to refine the
problem by establishing its boundaries. This project was limited in the following ways:
First, this doctoral thesis project did not include pastors of all denominations in Liberia.
It only had a sample of pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network in Kakata, Liberia.
Second, this project included a limited sampling pool because it will only include pastors
of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) who are willing to openly express
their honest opinions and attitudes toward the teaching of “prosperity gospel” on the survey
instrument.
Third, this study focused on specific tenets of the prosperity gospel and did not examine
every nuance of the prosperity gospel message (Word of faith theology) because such a study
would require time and resources beyond the scope of the research study.
104
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology to African Christianity, 266.
105
Ibid.
106
Enns. The Handbook of Theology, 676.
107
Ibid, 678.
108
Ibid, 678.
22
Thesis Statement
The pProsperity gospel focuses on teaching that believers have a right to a blessing of
health and wealth; they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and
sowing to faith (tithes and offerings); prosperity gospel in Africa thrives around ritual
enactments of tithings and offerings that have caused intense debate as an academic discourse.
109
Prosperity Gospel is more than a fundamental adjustment to the theological views to the essence
of Christ. Still, an integrative motif of prosperity being imposed over the sound hermeneutical
interpretation of Scripture.
110
Prosperity gospel in Africa, especially Liberia, is a major deviation
from the Gospel of Christ that undermines sound hermeneutical interpretation of scripture.
109
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
110
Phillips. Prosperity Gospel, 1
23
CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Literature Review
Philosophy can be viewed as the essential activity whose purpose is to embrace an
examination of its nature and meaning.
111
Olatuni Oyeshile asserts that African philosophy
directly relates to history and culture, which reflect African intelligentsia upon total historical
being representative of a significant moment in Africa's intellectual response.
112
Oyeshile further
asserts that “ the process of constant self-reflection, inherent in the nature and practice of
philosophy bears not only upon its purposes, objectives, and methods, but upon its relation to the
world and human experience in its multiple expressions, upon its status among other disciplines
and forms of intellectual pursuit and discourse, but also, most radically upon its very nature as an
activity and as an enterprise.”
113
Lewis Gordon posits that “Africana philosophy (African
philosophy) involves theoretical questions raised by critical engagements with ideas in Africana
cultures and their hybrid, mixed, or creolized forms worldwide.”
114
Bruce Janz argues that most African philosophies have been concerned with defining
African philosophy’s ethnophilosophical limits and recognizing what distinguishes it from other
philosophical traditions.
115
Shahadah posits that the African philosophy and spirituality
history has been there since time immemorial.
116
111
Olatuni A. Oyeshile. ‘On Defining African Philosophy: History, Challenges, and Perspectives’,
Humanity & Social Sciences Journal 3 (2008) (1), 57-64.
112
Ibid.
113
Ibid.
114
Lewis R. Gordon. An Introduction for Africana Philosophy. (Cambridge University Press), 2008.
115
Janz, Bruce B., 2009, Philosophy in an African Place, Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books,
https://books.googl e.com/books?isbn=0739136682 Accessed date 9/10/2020.
116
Shahadah, A., 2016, African Spirituality, viewed in africanholocaust.net/africanspirituality/.
24
African spirituality is culturally formed and involves profound human principles and
beliefs based on the African perspective. Dalian Adofo states that African spirituality is a
fascinating tapestry of philosophy; it is such a brilliant thing to observe because it’s about
connecting oneself to one’s higher self. Adofo states:
117
In the African worldview, the nature of being does not comprise solely of what we can
perceive with our visual sense, that is, our eyes. There are two aspects to the created
universe; the physical and spiritual. The spiritual realm is also stratified into various
spaces or abodes those of departed ancestors, spirits (deities), and that of the penultimate
source of Creation of all things in existence. Adofo further asserts that these two realms
are in constant interchange with each other, and what happens in one realm can have an
impact on the other, in doing so, keeps order and harmony in the cosmos and on earth.
Kourie and Kretzschmar assert that:
118
African spirituality is identified as reflecting the wholeness of life and is important in
harmonizing life in all its fullness. African spirituality has to do with the concept of
nation-building and the integrity of creation. In that life, everyone is involved in
rebuilding, spirituality in the lives of others ancestors are also involved in this
process.
Maake Masango affirms that:
119
African spirituality is holistic, and it impacts on the whole of life. It is not considered as
an individual affair because it is expressed in all levels of society, socially, economically,
politically as well as among people, therefore it contributes in the building of a nation”.
Spirituality is the personal quest for understanding the ultimate questions that relate to
sacred or which may lead to or arise from the development of religious rituals and the formation
of the community, we cannot divorce spirituality from religion and religion from spirituality.
120
117
Dalian K.Y. Adofo, 2016, Ancestral Voices: Spirit is Eternal, www.ancestralvoices.co.uk Date of
Access 9/10/2020.
118
Kourie, C., and Kretzschmar L, Christian Spirituality in South Africa. Pietermaritzburg, Cluster
Publications, 2000, 3.
119
Maake Masango. African Spirituality that Shapes the Concept of Ubuntu, Verbum et Ecclesia Journal,
(2006), 27(3): 930-943.
120
Hufford, J.D., 2005, An Analysis of the Field of Spirituality, Religion, and Health,
https://www.metanexus.net/analysis-field-spirituality-religion-and-healthdavidjhufford/ Date of Access 9/10/2020.
25
Prosperity Movement
The prosperity gospel has its early origin in New Thought and Christian Science.
121
According to Paul Enns, E. W. Kenyon popularized this teaching with a source in New Thought.
This doctrine is traced to Phineas P. Quimby, who studied spiritism, occultism, and hypnosis and
was influenced by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science.
122
Accordingly,
Kenyon’s Gospel is labeled a ‘Pentecostal Christian Science’ because he taught the same
doctrines of healing, positive confession, and prosperity that New Thought and Christian Science
had been preparing for decades”.
123
In claiming to receive direct revelation from God, the health
and wealth preachers have made a radical departure from historical or orthodox Christianity.
124
Modern-day proponents of the prosperity gospel include the following persons:
1. Kenneth Hagin, who says, “[God] also put teachers in the church to renew our minds and
bring revelation and knowledge of God’s word. 2. Reverend Ike infers the apostle Paul was in
error when in said, ‘the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). Ike asserts that ‘the
lack of money is the root of all evil. 3. Kenneth Copeland says, ‘you are all-God. 4. Earl Paulk
suggests believers are ‘little-gods.’ 5. Creflo Dollar believes that people cannot only claim
wealth, but they will receive wealth from unbelievers. 6. Joyce Meyer, the most popular female
teacher in the movement, follows the prosperity teaching although her doctrinal views
fluctuate.”
125
121
Paul Enns, Handbook of Theology, 681.
122
Ibid.
123
Ibid.
124
Ibid.
125
Ibid.
26
Some teachers of the prosperity gospel in Africa include Prophet Emanuel Makandiwa,
Prophet Walter Magaya, and Uebert Angel, all in Zimbabwe.
126
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye
and Dr. Daniel Kolawole of Nigeria
127
and other prosperity gospel teachers throughout Africa.
According to Christopher A. Stephenson, “the prosperity gospel or word of faith
movement is mostly associated with famous figures like Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland,
and Frederick K.C. Price teaches that believers should ‘claim their inheritance’ as children of
God by using carefully articulated prayers as ‘positive’ or ‘faith’ confessions.”
128
Stephenson further asserts that a study from the Pew Research Center indicates 78 percent of
self-described Pentecostals and Charismatics in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and
Asia affirm that God will grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith.
129
On the other hand, Jones posits that: E.W. Kenyon greatly influenced Kenneth E. Hagin,
and in turn, Hagin has influenced a host of other ministries in the Word of Faith movement,
including Kenneth Hagin, Jr., Kenneth Copeland, Federick Price, Robert Tilton, Benny Hinn,
Charles Capps, and Jerry Savelle.
130
According to Jones, the Trinity Broadcast Network, founded
in 1973 by Paul and Jan Crouch along with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, serves as a platform
for numerous prosperity teachers, including Rod Parsley, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Kenneth
Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, and Kenneth Hagin, Jr.”
131
126
Magezi and Manzanga, “Prosperity and Health”.
127
Ebenezer Obadare. “‘Raising Righteous Billionaires’: The Prosperity Gospel Reconsidered.” Hervormde
Teologiese Studies. 72, no. 4 (2016):1-8.
128
Christopher A. Stephenson.“Proclaiming the Mystery of Faith Together: Toward Greater Common
Witness between Pentecostals and Roman Catholics on the Lord’s Supper,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 48, No.
1 (Winter 2013): 85.
129
Ibid.
130
Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness,54.
131
Ibid., 54.
27
David Jones further asserts “that ‘soft’ advocates of the prosperity gospel such as Joel
Osteen, Joyce Meyer, and T.D. Jakes are well-known names that have large followings,
especially in South America and Africa.
132
Andreas Heuser states that Kenneth E. Hagin posits
that prosperity gospel is not an ‘American gospel.’ It will work in Africa, India, China, or
anywhere else where God’s people practice the truth of His Word. If it is not true in the poorest
place on earth, it is not true at all!
133
The prosperity gospel is not confined to a single source,
denomination, or school of thought. Prosperity gospel originated from the New Thought
Movement around 1895.
134
The pioneer of the movement mentioned above was Emmanuel
Swedenborg and Phineas Quimby.
135
The prosperity gospel is a broadly based movement that
overlaps both charismatic and non-charismatic spectrums.
136
According to Magezi and Manzanga, the Prosperity Gospel Movement's belief system
traces its roots to Kenneth Hagin.
137
Accordingly, Kenneth Hagin described faith as positive
thinking.
138
In the context, as mentioned above, faith can is be exercised to get things from God;
the prosperity gospel also teaches that “spoken words” has the power to translate something into
reality.
139
This reality can be either a positive or a negative confession.
140
132
Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
133
Andreas Heuser. “African Prosperity”, 1.
134
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
135
Ibid.
136
Ibid.
137
Ibid.
138
Ibid.
139
Ibid.
140
Ibid.
28
Kenneth Copeland asserts that specific laws govern the prosperity gospel in God’s Word,
and faith causes them to function.
141
Gloria Copeland agreed and further argued that these laws
would work when put to work and stop working when one-stop the force of faith.
142
Prosperity
gospel strongly encourages its followers to engage in rigorous positive thinking.
143
According to Magezi and Manzanga, there is a thin line between prosperity gospel
preachers who practice it and magicians.
144
The “seed faith principle,” for instance, is one of the
teachings that secretly infiltrating the Protestant churches.
145
Magezi and Manzanga further
assert that the “seed faith principle” assumes that what one gives to God must always multiply
and that those that sow big seeds will reap big.
146
For the above reasons, the “seed-faith
principle” is often called the “hundred-fold return.”
147
Gloria Copeland, the wife of Kenneth
Copeland, further explained “hundred-fold return” as “if you give $1.00 for the gospel sake and
the full hundredfold return would be $100, Ten dollars would be $1,000, and a hundredfold
return on $1000 would be $100,000, et cetera.
148
The hundredfold return is a multiplication
factor of “100” for every dollar one gives to the gospel.
141
Kenneth Copeland. The Laws of Prosperity. Fort Worth: (Kenneth Copeland Publications), 1974, 15.
142
Gloria Copeland. God’s Will is Prosperity. Fort Worth: (Kenneth Copeland Publications), 1978, 71.
143
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
144
Ibid.
145
Ibid.
146
Ibid.
147
Ibid.
148
Copeland. God’s Will, 71.
29
Overview of Prosperity Gospel
Early in the 19
th
-century, groups of freed slaves and mulattoes from the United States
immigrated to Liberia and was later known as the Americo-Liberians.
149
Colin Waugh asserts
that Liberia was established on the principles of freedom and democracy that mirrored that of the
United States.
150
According to Gbotoe and Kgatla, the Americo-Liberian arrival led to a
transformation of tribal lands into a predominantly Christian country.
151
Before the advent of
Christianity in Liberia, the country was firmly entrenched with African traditions, native
religions, and secret societies characterized by spirituality and rituals.
152
A literature review revealed a vast amount of resources available on the prosperity gospel
(theology). There are very few resources on prosperity gospel (theology) in the Liberian context.
Paul Enns asserts that prosperity gospel is a theological aberration that refers to “bringing into
existence what we state with our mouth since faith is a confession.
153
Enns further asserts that
progressive gospel places emphasis on “health or healing, abundance or prosperity, wealth and
happiness.”
154
Lausanne Theological Working Group (2010) posits, “prosperity gospel is
defined as the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth through
positive confessions of faith and payments of tithes and offerings” (n.p.).
155
149
Fred P.M. Kraaji. The Past and Present: Liberian Perspective. African Studies Centre. Leiden, 2014.
150
Waugh, Colin. M. Charles Taylor and Liberia: Ambition and Atrocity in Africa’s lone Star State. (Zed
Books, London, 2011.
151
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
152
Ibid.
153
Enns. Handbook of Theology, 676.
154
Ibid., 676.
155
Luasanne Theology Working Group, 2010. A Statement on Prosperity Gospel accessed August 10,
2019, from https://www.luasanne.org/content/a-statement-on-the-prosperity-gospel.
30
Thinandavha D. Mashau and Mookgo S. Kgatle write about Christianity in post-colonial
Africa. They report that Christianity in post-colonial Africa is highly influenced and shaped by
the prosperity message in their article Prosperity gospel and the culture of greed in post-colonial
Africa: Constructing an alternative African Christian Theology of Ubuntu.
156
This paper argues
against previous missiological perspectives on the prosperity gospel and the culture of greed and
proposes an African theology of Ubuntu as an alternative to prosperity gospel because it is a
practical theology of life, care, solidarity, economic justice, hope, and accompaniment.
157
The
authors assert that prosperity gospel is a popular and materialistic gospel that is sweeping across
the continent like a gale-force wind, which is irresistible and the authors argue for the critical
need for theological scrutiny and reflection concerning these current unconventional practices
from new Charismatic churches.
158
The authors suggest that to boost phenomenal growth in terms of membership in their
churches, prosperity preachers in America and elsewhere in the world have developed a theology
of affluence called prosperity gospel. Hence, the author defines prosperity gospel as “more
significant than motivation in bringing about success is a theology that is called the prosperity
gospel, or faith gospel, or the health and wealth gospel, according to which a Christian (through
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross) is already healthy and wealthy, and all he or she must do to take
possession of health and wealth is to claim possessions.”
159
156
Thinandavha D. Mashau and Mookgo S. Kgatle. “Prosperity Gospel and the Culture of Greed in Post-
Colonial Africa”, Verbum et Ecclesia 40:1 (2019), 2.
157
Ibid.
158
Ibid.
159
Ibid.
31
Andreas Heuser argues that prosperity gospel in Africa is relevant for socio-economic
change. In his article, Charting African Prosperity Gospel Economies, Andreas Heuser asserts
that prosperity gospel mainly centers on speech acts surrounding faith, wealth, and victory,
combined with ritual enactments around secondary evidence of divine blessings.
160
According to
Heuser, prosperity gospel claims worldly success and material well-being as signs of grace that
has captured public spheres and created African religio-scapes of prosperity.
161
Andreas Heuser
asserts that “prosperity gospel indicates a decisive, if not paradigmatic change in Pentecostal
theologizing.”
162
According to Heuser, this paradigmatic change comprises two radical breaks in
Pentecostal theology:
163
1. The first is connected to a reframing of being in the world;
2. The second is connected to the discovery of the spiritual value of material substance and
wealth.”
Andreas Heuser further asserts that a survey on the socioeconomics of African
prosperity-oriented Pentecostalism firstly traces the historic genealogy of Prosperity Gospel as a
transposable message.
164
According to Heuser, prosperity gospel appears to be a generic formula
in paradigmatic reinventions of Pentecostalism in post-second and cold war America and its
globalization in post-colonial Africa.
165
160
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
161
Ibid.
162
Ibid.
163
Ibid.
164
Ibid.
165
Ibid.
32
Prosperity and Health Ministry as a Coping Mechanism in the Poverty and Suffering
Context of Zimbabwe: A Pastoral Evaluation and Response, by Vhumani Magezi and Peter
Manzanga is about how the preaching on prosperity and health has significantly increased in
Zimbabwe.
166
The authors claim that while preaching of prosperity, the Gospel gives ‘hope’ of
prosperity, wealth, health, and success to its followers, poverty and suffering are also increasing,
which is a contradiction.
167
The authors also argue that the prosperity gospel movement tends to
multiply where there are challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and health problems.
168
This newly conceived Gospel focuses on human potential for successful living, emphasizing
health and wealth rather than glorifying God's grace in salvation.
169
The prosperity message is not alien to the Africans because the notion of salvation among
the indigenous African people emphasizes abundant life, prosperity, vitality, and financial and
material security.
170
However, the challenge of faith care as life care is to develop a theological
perspective that fosters realistic hope founded on a constructive and appropriate attitude of
God.
171
The authors challenge practical theology to be evaluative of theological perspectives
because failure to do this will result in a ‘bubble faith’ devoid of an appropriate and constructive
conception of God’s working as revealed in Scripture.
172
166
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
167
Ibid.
168
Ibid.
169
Ibid.
170
Ibid.
171
Ibid.
172
Ibid.
33
Vhumani Magezi and Christopher Magezi focus on an overview description of the nature
of the spiritual insecurity which still grips African Christians by delving into the traditional
African worldview of spiritual powers (such as the notions of a Supreme Being, lesser divinities,
spirits, and ancestors) and the centrality of traditional powers such as diviners in addressing this
insecurity.
173
In “A Pastoral Evaluation and Responses to the Challenge of Spiritual Insecurity in
African Pastoral Ministry and Christianity,” the authors posit that “there is a form of Christian
syncretism operating in African Christians’ use of traditional African powers to address their
spiritual insecurity challenges that arise from their former traditional African worldview of
spiritual powers.”
174
The authors assert three prevalent views offered by theological scholars as a response to
the spiritual insecurity of African Christians as follows:
175
1. The first stance calls African Christians to discontinue anything that is linked to traditional
African spiritual worldview because Christianity involves a complete new ontological being.
2. The second stance criticizes African Christians’ dependence on traditional African powers and
argues that Christian ministry should not import anything positive from the African spiritual
world system for contextualizing the gospel.
3. The third position advocates for Christians’ continual reliance on traditional African spiritual
powers in addressing their African contextual needs.
173
Vhumani Magezi and Christopher Magezi. “A Pastoral Evaluation and Responses to the Challenge of
Spiritual Insecurity in African Pastoral Ministry and Christianity,” Verbum et Ecclesia 38, no. 1 (2017).
174
Ibid.
175
Ibid.
34
Vhumani Magezi and Christopher Magezi conclude this article by drawing from various
theological reactions to the spiritual insecurity of African Christians to ensure a Christian
ministry that is thoroughly biblical and contextual in African Christianity.
176
Christopher Magezi and Jacob T. Igba highlight in their article, African Theology and
African Christology: Difficulty and Complexity in Contemporary Definitions and
Methodological Frameworks, the complexity of defining African theology and its
methodological approaches through a background sketch of the development of African
theology.
177
The authors acknowledge that African Christian theology, as a theology, should be
derived from the interplay between Scripture, Christian tradition, and African cosmology.
178
The authors also acknowledge an ongoing challenge in defining African theology
because of two critical reasons:
179
1. the quest for a definitive African theology is a relatively
recent pursuit and 2. the vastness and diversity of the African continent. The authors also assert
that many scholars have identified a need to clarify the question of Jesus’ identity in the African
theological space.
180
The authors further claim that Scripture's centrality is necessary for the
African theological endeavor to engage globally to have some shared reference point with other
Christian theologies to contribute unique African perspectives to global theological discourse.
181
176
Magezi and Magezi.“A Pastoral Evaluation.”
177
Christopher Magezi and Jacob T. Igba. “African Theology and African Christology: Difficulty and
Complexity in Contemporary Definitions and Methodological Frameworks,” Hervormde Teologiese Studies 74, no.
1 (2018).
178
Magezi and Igba. “African Theology”.
179
Ibid.
180
Ibid.
181
Ibid.
35
Although there are challenges associated with doing African theology, the authors conclude that
the centrality of the Bible in the African Christian theological endeavor should not be
sacrificed.
182
In Charismatic Religions and the Demise of Development and Africanism, Phemelo
Olifile Marumo examines the aftermath of the partitioning of Africa and how that led to the
introduction of religion, which advocated liberalism.
183
Marumo asserts that one of Africa's
facets is a liberal religion combined with colonial violence to display as a source of inspiration,
strength, and belonging for the disorientated Africans.
184
As an alternative to these religious
structures articulating what Africans aspire to become, these churches' charismatic heads are
money-driven.
185
The author posits that African people are not religiously illiterate but are
traditionally based on a particular tribe or clan worldview in Africa; hence, African traditional
religion emanated from there.
186
The author also posits that African traditional religion
permeates all areas of life.
187
There is no formal distinction between the sacred and the secular,
between religious and non-religious, between spiritual and material.
188
This article implies that
the rituals, ancestorism, and belief in the supreme power form the African religion's cornerstone.
182
Magezi and Igba. “African Theology”.
183
Marumo. "Charismatic Religions”, 207-23.
184
Ibid., 207-23.
185
Oliver and Oliver. "African Reformation."
186
Ibid.
187
Ibid.
188
Ibid.
36
The author concludes by suggesting a developmental approach that could contribute towards
bringing back the dignity and identity of Africans through an Afrocentric religion.
189
The African Reformation must indeed be about deeds, in line with the 44th thesis of
Luther: Because love grows by works of love, man thereby becomes better.
190
The authors
further argue that Africa needs a Reformation, created through a thorough reading of the Bible
and understanding of God's message within its pages.
191
Hence, the African Reformation must
break away from creeds and dogma, pointless endeavors without practical influence and
empowerment.
192
Ebenezer Obadare deconstructs the Pentecostal prosperity gospel in Africa in Raising
Righteous Billionaires: The Prosperity Gospel Reconsidered. According to Obadare, two
overlapping arguments are advanced:
1. first, in atomizing the individual, Pentecostal prosperity gospel discounts power relations and
the political, effectively dislocating the individual believer from the social matrix within
which his or her agency is forged.
193
2. Secondly, the Pentecostal prosperity gospel suggests that this attitude towards both the
individual and the state puts Pentecostalism firmly within the orbit of neoliberalism.
194
189
Oliver and Oliver. "African Reformation."
190
Eric Gbote and Selaelo T. Kgatla. “Prosperity Gospel: A Missiological Assessment,” Hervormde
Teologiese Studies 70, no. 1 (2014): 1-10.
191
Ibid.
192
Ibid.
193
Obadare. “Righteous Billionaires”.
194
Ibid.
37
Erna Oliver, and Willem H. Oliver, in An African Reformation, represents a breakthrough
in the life of the Church of the Reformation and also in the life of Christians worldwide.
195
For the past decade, the megachurch trend is very much alive in Africa, with churches mostly
belonging to the Pentecostal groups, modeled on their counterparts in the United States and
Charismatic groups. According to the authors, some of these megachurches can hold up to 200
000 worshipers.
196
However, the authors argue that the African Christian context needs
reformation, transformation, and change.
197
Eric Gbote and Selaelo T. Kgatla in Prosperity Gospel: A Missiological Assessment
endeavors to establish that prosperity gospel is rooted in the faulty interpretation of several
biblical passages.
198
The authors posit that the fundamental teaching of the prosperity gospel is
that “God wants believers to get rich or healthy, but he cannot bless them unless they first send
money known as ‘seed-faith’ to their spiritual leader or pastor who tells them about the plan.”
199
The authors examine the teachings of prosperity gospel from a missiological perspective, a
gospel that promises material wealth, health, and happiness to faithful Christians.
200
Contrary to the prosperity gospel, Lutheran believes that the doctrine of justification by
faith teaches that God's gracious will saves Christians without merit. God bestows his saving
grace upon humanity at no cost or price, and the salvation of humankind comes purely from God
195
Oliver and Oliver. "African Reformation."
196
Ibid.
197
Ibid.
198
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
199
Ibid.
200
Ibid.
38
for Christ’s sake.
201
The authors posit that the teaching of justification by faith is at the core of
the Reformation, rooted in the mandate Jesus gives the disciples to go on a mission and make
more disciples (Mt. 20:28).
202
The authors also posit that Jesus gives his disciples an explicit mandate to bring the
Gospel to the nations; therefore, any form of preaching that contradicts the original message of
the Gospel needs urgent attention.
203
Thus, the authors declare that the prosperity gospel is
contrary to the teaching of justification by faith and explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
204
In Africa, where most of the population lives on one dollar a day, churches promoting religion's
practical benefits such as preached by the prosperity gospel are generally full.
205
In contrast to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the authors assert that the prosperity gospel uses
faith to decree health, wealth, and happiness that depict religion as a matter of believing in
created things rather than believing in God as the Savior, the Lord, and Liberator.
206
The authors deduced that the prosperity gospel is detrimental to the sound teachings of Scripture,
which state that salvation and God's blessings are the gracious and merciful work of the
Creator.
207
201
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
202
Ibid.
203
Ibid.
204
Ibid.
205
Ibid.
206
Ibid.
207
Ibid.
39
Prosperity gospel contradicts the teaching that humanity is not saved by the merits of our deeds
but by faith through Christ's death and resurrection.
208
The author concludes that
“We must be content with what we have and serve God without any condition.”
209
Akiki Gloria Alamu states that scholars thoroughly discuss the phenomenon of
Pentecostalism in the contemporary and topical issue.
210
Pentecostalism of African Christianity
has become a new phenomenon that engages many scholars' attention since the mid-1960s.
Alamu also contends that Africa, perhaps, Nigerian Pentecostalism, has constituted the fastest-
growing Christianity in the world.
211
African indigenous churches strongly believe in the Holy
Spirit's endowments, prophecies, and the ability to speak in strange tongues.
212
Thus, many
African indigenous churches, especially Nigerian Pentecostalism, combines a personal
relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit with the possibility of dramatic
transformation.
213
Alamu further acknowledges that as African Christianity has found comfort in African
indigenous churches, so also it has become a breeding ground of Pentecostal/charismatic
activity.
214
In African indigenous churches, there is a compelling belief in visions and dreams
and the ability to interpret these phenomena.
208
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
209
Ibid.
210
Akiti Glory Alamu. ““Putting Old Wine in New Wine Skins”: The Place of African Indigenous
Churches in the Nigerian Pentecostals." African Renaissance 16, no. 2 (06, 2019): 165-85.
211
Ibid, 165.
212
Ibid, 174.
213
Ibid, 174
214
Alamu. “Old Wine”, 165-85.
40
Pentecostals have re-invigorated the power of visions and dreams as efficacious in the strife for
church growth.
215
Andreas Heuser emphasizes uncertainties in Pentecostal social capital's
transformative character that traditionally kept distance from worldly affairs.
216
The rituals of
prosperity gospel cause numerous interpretations of the character of the Pentecostal social
agency.
217
Prosperity gospel in Africa, especially Liberia, has grown with both its positives and
negatives.
218
Deeper Understanding of Prosperity Gospel in Africa
Liberians referred to the prosperity gospel message by different names, including Faith
Movement or the Faith-Formula Movement, the Positive Confession Movement, Word of Faith
theology, the Wealth, Health, and Faith Gospel. However, the most used name is the Prosperity
Gospel. Prosperity Gospel (Word of Faith theology) is not limited to a particular denomination
or a specific tradition of faith (indigenous Liberian churches); it has assimilated into many
evangelical churches and even some liberal mainline churches. The prosperity gospel has
incorporated into many evangelical churches and even some liberal mainline churches.
219
Lausanne Movement (Cape Town Commitment 2010) defined the prosperity gospel as
“… the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth, and that they
can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the “sowing of seeds”
through financial or material gifts.”
215
Alamu. “Old Wine”.
216
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity, 2.
217
Ibid.
218
Mashau and Kgatle. “Culture of Greed”, 3.
219
Van Biema D & Chu J. 2006. Does God want you to be rich? Online article:
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1533448,00.html, 2010- 07-15.
41
Paul Enns describes prosperity gospel (also known as the Health and Wealth Gospel) as a
movement that “adherents believe that Christ died not only for our sins, but also sickness, and for
that reason, believers can claim health.”
220
Paul Enns further asserts that the prosperity gospel also views believers as ‘little gods,”
and believers have the same authority through the “word of faith” to claim health and wealth.
221
On the other hand, Andreas Heuser argues that the prosperity gospel teaches that “God will grant
wealth and good health to people who have enough faith.
222
Farah posits that the word of faith
message is possibly the most attractive message being preached in the contemporary church.
223
Anderson claims that the prosperity gospel (word of faith theology) is so popular until it
is often modified to suit the particular context of the adherents; thus, producing various hybrid
strands of the movement.
224
On the other hand, Bruce Baron asserts that the Gospel of healing
and prosperity (prosperity gospel) is the parent and child of the modern “faith movement” that
has enticed millions of people and has also produced some highly noticeable and controversial
ministries.
225
Barron also asserted that this purpose for writing about the movement is to describe
it and evaluate it as accurately as possible to “lay the groundwork for meaningful dialog and
resolution of conflict” between the movement and its critics.
226
220
Enns. Handbook of Theology, 720.
221
Ibid.
222
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
223
Farah C. This Cancer Kills: A Critical Analysis of the Roots and Fruits of Faith Formula Theology.
(Portland, OR: Charis Life), 1982.
224
Anderson A. An Introduction to Pentecostalism. Cambridge, UK: (Cambridge University Press), 2004.
225
Bruce Barron. The Health and Wealth Gospel Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1987.
226
Ibid.,12.
42
Andreas Heuser writes that “throughout history, the prosperity gospel represents a rather
controversial strand of global Christianity, and it cannot be labeled or bound up in a single
definition; it is ‘transformative in nature and adapting to contexts …”
227
Heuser further asserts that the quality of the prosperity gospel covers a sense of spiritual
advancement, but, in most cases, the emphasis is on material prosperity.
228
Heuser argues that:
the “Prosperity Gospel in sub-Saharan Africa highlights the Pentecostalisation of African
religious landscapes.
229
Furthermore, the emergence of trans-religious beliefs and practices
around concepts of material salvation has created what I called ‘religio-scapes of Prosperity
Gospel’ in Africa”.
230
Many Christians may argue that prosperity gospel finds its origin in the Pentecostal and
Charismatic faith traditions, but McConnell disagrees; he claims that this belief is not historically
accurate.
231
McConnel further maintains that some of the prosperity gospel teachings and some
of the early proponents of the movement emerged from Pentecostalism at large; however, certain
tenets of the word of faith theology do not support a classical Pentecostal worldview.
232
227
Heuser, Andreas. ‘Religio-scapes of the Prosperity Gospel: An Introduction’ in Andreas Heuser (ed.),
Pastures of Plenty: Tracing Religio-scapes of the Prosperity Gospel in Africa and Beyond 2015, p. 15–30, Peter
Lang, Frankfurt, 16.
228
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
229
Ibid.
230
Ibid.
231
McConnell D. A Different Gospel (updated ed). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1995.xx.
232
McConnell, A Different Gospel .
43
Andreas Heuser disagrees, and he claims:
233
Prosperity Gospel indicates a decisive, if not paradigmatic change in Pentecostal
theologising. The paradigm consists of two radical breaks in Pentecostal theology: the
first is connected to a reframing of being in the world; the second is connected to the
discovery of the spiritual value of material substance and wealth. In short, the new
‘gospel message’ cultivated the classical ‘prospects of faith-healing and wellbeing and
counted on the self-motivation of a believer to act against all desperate reality.’
Stephen Hunt asserts that “there is Pentecostal basic of the prosperity gospel and he
summarizes it by identifying the emphasis on the ‘second baptism’ (of the Spirit), the so-called
‘gifts of the Spirit’ (charismata such as speaking in tongues, the importance of prophecy) and the
enthusiasm for revival.”
234
Notwithstanding, Eric Gbotoe emphasizes “a problematic issue
regarding the image of God – respondents in his research have redefined God as a God who
wants everyone to be rich and wants humanity to be affluent and enjoy the good of all things in
the world.”
235
Andreas Heuser asserts that in “the African context, and especially in African
Pentecostalism, ‘claiming domains of prosperity has become a generic theme…’”
236
Eric Gbotoe posits some factors that caused the propagation of the prosperity gospel in
Africa: poverty, consumerism, utilitarianism, and globalization.
237
Gbotoe also argues that
traditional African religious beliefs created a fertile ground for propagating the prosperity
gospel's core elements.
238
233
Heuser, ‘Religio-scapes’., 17.
234
Hunt, Stephen. ‘“Winning Ways”: Globalization and the Impact of the Health and Wealth Gospel’,
Journal of Contemporary Religion (2000)15(3): 331–347.
235
Gbotoe. ‘Commercialized Gospel’, 109.
236
Heuser, ‘Religio-scapes’, 20.
237
Gbotoe, Eric Z.M. ‘Commercialized Gospel: A Missiological Assessment of Prosperity Gospel’, M.A.
(Theology) Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 2013, 56.
238
Ibid.
44
Prosperity gospel in Africa takes place within varying contexts. Keum asserts that the Gospel
takes root in different contexts through engagement with specific cultural, political, and religious
realities.
239
Respect for people and their cultural and symbolic life-worlds are necessary if the
gospel takes root in those different realities.
240
Theological Foundations
The theological foundations for this thesis project are based on several passages of
Scripture dealing with the importance of preaching the Bible. The project researcher intends to
determine why some pastors of the Unity Light International Ministry (church) are preaching
prosperity gospel (theology) rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Ministers of the Gospel
must correctly interpret scriptures because God chooses to speak and commissions His servants
to preach scriptures that are both authoritative and trustworthy. All Scripture is God-breathed and
is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the servant of
God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
241
Without a shadow of a doubt, pastors of Unity Light International Ministry Network
(Church) need to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul admonished to “preach the
word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience
and careful instruction.”
242
Thus, preaching the Word of God should be done as an act of
obedience rather than a means to get one’s message to his or her congregation. When one
preaches the Word of God, he must proclaim Christ biblically. As the Apostle Paul states, “For
239
Keum, Jooseop (ed.). Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, with a
Practical Guide, WCC Publications, Geneva, 2013.
240
Ibid., 35.
241
(2 Tim. 3:16-17).
242
(2 Tim. 4:2).
45
when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach; woe to me if I do not
preach the gospel!”.
243
Pastors of Unity Light International Ministry (Church) need to preach the
Gospel of Christ. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to diving soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.”
244
There are so many ways that God could have made himself known, but
He chose preaching. Apostle Paul lived in Rome for two whole years at his own expense. “He
proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and
without hindrance!”
245
Many publications by various authors have noted the significance and
importance of Africans in the evangelicalism of the African continent.
246
The first church in
tropical Africa was not a missionary creation.
247
Most Africans have always heard the gospel
from other Africans, and virtually all the great movements towards the Christian faith in Africa
have been African led.
248
However, in North American and European circles, the story of
Africa's evangelization has little acknowledgment of the African’s participation. On the other
hand, Africa’s religious map was permanently changed as new religion was carried into
numerous communities by African agents' wide-varying activities.
249
243
(1 Cor. 9:16).
244
(Heb. 4:12).
245
(Acts 28:3)
246
Martin Klauber and Scott M. Manestch, eds. The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of
World Missions. (Nashville: B & H Academic), 2008, 165.
247
Ibid.
248
Andrew F. Walls. The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark), 2002,
45.
249
Lamin Sanneh. West African Christianity: The Religious Impact. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books), 1983.
46
This African factor was not unique to West African countries like Liberia, Ghana,
Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
250
Harris, a Liberian Methodist/Anglican preacher, teacher, and
catechist, established the foundation of subsequent missionary work in West Africa.
251
One of the cornerstones of this theological foundation texts is the Great Commission
found in Matthew 28:16-20:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to
go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came
to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
According to Klauber, the Great Commission is the ongoing imperative for world
missions.
252
Klauber posits that the controlling verb is to make disciples not make decisions or
entertain the sheep.
253
Klauber further asserts that three supporting participles for carrying such
imperative force require us to go, baptize, and teach the disciples everything Jesus has
commanded.
254
Another form of the Great Commission is found in Luke 24:46-49 as follows:
He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on
the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send
you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with
power from on high.”
Klauber posits that this form of the Great Commission in Luke 24:46-49 is cast as fulfillment and
prediction; a fulfillment in that Jesus Christ’s passion and resurrection was predicted in
250
Klauber and Manestch, Great Commission, 167.
251
Ibid.
252
Klauber and Manestch, Great Commission, 167.
253
Ibid.
254
Ibid., 176.
47
Scripture, and prediction for the consequence of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and repentance
for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
255
Similar themes are found in other passages of Scripture. Acts 1:8 is a geographical extension of
the ministry of witness to “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.
256
The Lord's biblical command to carry and proclaim his Gospel to all nations is recorded
in both the Old Testament ( Isa. 45:22, Gen 12:3) and New Testament (Matt. 9:37-38; 28:19;
Acts 1:8).
257
The message to be carried out the historical events of Jesus Christ’s life, particularly
his crucifixion (1 Cor. 15:3; Col. 2:14-15), his resurrection and ascension (Luke 24:46-48; Rom.
4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Eph. 1:20-23).
258
Christ is an excellent example of carrying out the Great
Commission. Jesus went around doing good (Acts 10:38), proclaiming his message of
redemption (Mark 10:45), and seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10).
259
Jesus also taught and
preached the good news of the Kingdom (Matt. 4:23), so that his disciples should teach and
proclaim Jesus and his resurrection (Acts 4:2).
260
The method in carrying out the Great
Commission involves preaching (2 Tim. 4:2) and teaching the Word (Matt. 28:20), with
accompanying good works extended to all people (Acts 9:36; Gal. 6:9-10; Eph. 2:10) for the
glory of God.
261
255
Klauber and Manestch, Great Commission, 167.
256
Ibid.
257
Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group),
2001, 524.
258
Ibid.
259
Ibid.
260
Ibid.
261
Ibid.
48
Mortimer posits that the Great Commission from Matthew 18:16-20 has been the obligatory
reference in the discussion of mission and evangelism during most of this century.
262
Sim asserts
that the Great Commission is a fitting end to the evangelist’s narrative.
263
Jesus was evident in the Great Commission that the church needs to go into the
world and make disciples of all the nations. Jesus stated in John 17:18, “as you sent me into the
world, I have sent them into the world.” In Mark 16:15, “He said to them, “Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to all creation.” As such, Jesus made it clear what he wanted the church
and members of the church to do. However, many churches today have chosen to look inward
and isolate themselves from the world.
The basis of the Christian worldview is truth-telling. The Christian worldview, like many
other worldviews, at its deepest level, is a system of truth claims, or assertations about reality.
264
Like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the prosperity gospel must adhere to the Christian worldview,
which tenets must consist of truth claims or assertations about reality. Christianity claims to be
true. Apostle Paul said if Christ has not been raised from the dead, Christians are not the most
deceived and miserable urchins on the planet (1 Cor. 15:17-19). Christian throughout history and
today differ in their understanding of what convictions should be.
262
Arias Mortimer. “Church in the World: Rethinking the Great Commission.” Theology Today 47, no. 4
(01, 1991): 410.
263
David C. Sim, “Is Matthew 28:16-20 the Summary of the Gospel?” Hervormde Teologiese Studies 70, no.1
(2014): 1-7.
264
Douglas Groothuis. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. (Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press), 2011, 75.
49
Notwithstanding, the Christian biblical worldview tries to capture Christianity's essential
ideas, its fundamental doctrines, and how they hank together in explaining God.
265
A Christian
worldview begins with the basis of authority; for Christians, it is appropriately interpreting and
applying the Bible.
266
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the center of the Christian worldview
and Christian devotion.
267
Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that the Gospels do not end with the death of Jesus:
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than
that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God
that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not
raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ
has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who
have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of
all people most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:14-19).
Douglas Groothuis posits, “If Christ has not been raised:
268
1. Christian preaching is useless;
2. Christian faith is useless;
3. Christian are false witnesses about God;
4. Christian faith is futile;
5. Christian are unforgiven and left in their sins;
6. Those who have dies in Christian hope are lost;
7. Those who hope in Christ are supremely pitiable since their hope ends with this life”.
265
Groothuis. “Christian Apologetics”
266
Ibid.
267
Ibid., 75.
268
Ibid.
50
The history of the church and the history of preaching leads us to believe that there is
little transformation without the Word of God.
269
Throughout the scriptures, especially in the
New Testament, preaching was the primary means that God used to transform people from those
under God’s wrath to a people made new by his grace.
270
The ministry of the Lord Jesus was
characterized by preaching and teaching.
271
Thus, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is pivotal
to the Christian faith.
Theoretical Foundations
Christian preaching dates back to the first-century, originating from the divine instruction
of the Great Commission.
272
According to Klauber and Manetsch, “the 11 disciples traveled to
Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped,
but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, all has been given to Me in heaven
and on earth. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the
Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything have commanded
you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matt. 28:16-20)”.
273
Pastors of
Unity Light International Ministry (Church) need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ as God
commanded Christians to do. Caldwell asserts that we must understand the primary function of a
pastor is to feed the Word of God to the people.
274
269
Paul Pettit. Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ.
(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), 2008.
270
Ibid.
271
Ibid.
272
(Mt. 28:16-20)
273
Martin Klauber and Scott M. Manestch, eds. The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of
World Missions.(Nashville: B & H Academic), 2008,1.
274
Happy Caldwell. The Heart of a Pastor: Understanding and Pastoring Supernaturally. Tulsa, OK:
(Harrison House Publishers), 1982,184.
51
Jesus told Peter three times to feed His sheep; the number one priority for a pastor is to
feed people the Word.
275
Jesus said to Simon Peter: If you love me more than these? Yes, Lord,
he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “feed my lambs.”
276
Sheep are very needed; they
depend on the shepherd to feed and care for them.
277
In the New Testament, a preacher is a
person who has the inner call from the Holy Spirit and the external call from the church and has
been duly set apart to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
278
The primary task of a preacher is to speak as a personal witness to God’s revelation,
interpreting it, explaining it, and applying it to the needs of the people.
279
Preaching is also a
divine truth voiced by a chosen personality to meet humanitarian needs; thus, preaching means
interpreting life today with light from scriptures to meet the hearers' daily needs by guiding the
hearer in doing God’s will.
280
In the Old Testament, the preacher's word is “to tell the good news”; to call or
proclaim.
281
Preaching in the Old Testament has the essential elements of proclamation and
announcing.
282
275
Caldwell. “The Heart of a Pastor.”
276
(John 21:15).
277
Ibid.
278
Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group),
2001, 948.
279
Walter A. Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group),
2001, 948.
280
Ibid., 948.
281
Ibid.
282
Ibid.
52
The preacher is one who tells the message which the preacher receives from God.
283
John, the
Baptist, was the connecting link between the Old Testament and the New Testament; he was the
last and the greatest of the prophets and the first preacher of the new era.
284
Jesus preached in
various locations and to various sizes of audiences. Sometimes he spoke to small groups;
sometimes, he interpreted scripture in a synagogue service while preaching in the fields or by the
sea. Jesus blended parables, aphorisms, arguments, and scriptural expositions in his preaching.
285
Jesus also sends out his disciples (apostles) on preaching missions to preach God's kingdom and
heal the sick (Luke 9:1-3). Moreover, Jesus gives them practical instructions on how to carry out
their ministry in Matthew, chapter 10.
Two crucial elements of Christian preaching are evangelism and instruction.
286
Other
aspects of Christian preaching includes a free presentation to all people of the claims and
demands of the gospel of Jesus Christ and orderly public teaching of believers in worship based
upon scriptures.
287
According to Walter A. Elwell, “the preaching of John was transitional, the
preaching of Jesus was unique, while the preaching of the apostles and the early church becomes
our model.”
288
Elwell posits “contemporary trends in preaching include liturgical preaching,
holistic preaching, preaching based on communications theory, liberation preaching (some
homileticians include black and feminist preaching in this category), preaching build around
283
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology
284
Ibid.
285
Ibid.
286
Ibid., 948.
287
Ibid.
288
Ibid.
53
language theory, life-situation preaching, inductive preaching, narrative preaching, and a
renewed interest in theological preaching.”
289
Elwell further asserts that “so last as Christianity
remains a religion of the Word of God, the preacher will be needed to interpret the Word of God
so that people may have God’s help in their daily life.”
290
The Christian church will grow, flourish, and accomplish God’s purposes as long as
people respond to God’s call to preach His Word.
291
He commanded us to preach to the people
and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead (Acts
10:42). Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and
encourage—with great patience and careful instruction (2 Tim. 4:2).
John MacArthur asserts that:
292
Among the varied responsibilities assigned to a pastor, that of preaching stands head and
shoulders above the rest in importance. Paul repeatedly emphasized the importance of
preaching to Timothy, sounding a note of echoes continually throughout the New
Testament. High points in church history have verified the importance of biblical
preaching.
According to MacArthur, God-ordained means to save, sanctify, and strengthen His church is
preaching. The gospel's proclamation is what elicits saving faith in those whom God has chosen
(Rom. 10:14).
289
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 949.
290
Ibid.
291
Ibid.
292
MacArthur. Pastoral Ministry, 204.
54
MacArthur further proclaims that:
293
The proper foundation of preaching is the Word of God, a foundation that is missing in
much contemporary preaching. The content of preaching should include teaching matter
as well as exhortations to behavior based on that teaching. Only preaching by one whose
commitment is intense can be persuasive with listeners. Among other ways, that
commitment exhibits itself in the hard work the preacher is willing to put into the
preparation of his sermons.
Through the preaching of the Word comes the knowledge of the truth that results in
godliness (John 17:17; Rom. 16:25; Eph. 5:26).
294
Preaching encourages believers to live in the
hope of eternal life, enabling them to endure suffering (Acts 14:21-22).
295
The faithful preaching
of the Word is the most critical element of pastoral ministry.
296
Preaching was central to the early
church ministry.
297
Throughout history, the true church has strongly emphasized biblical
reaching; according to John Macarthur, “no man’s pastoral ministry will be successful in God’s
sight who does not give preaching its proper place.
298
293
MacArthur. Pastoral Ministry.
294
Ibid.
295
Ibid.
296
Ibid.
297
Ibid.
298
Ibid.
55
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
Prosperity gospel movement
299
message is outside of historical, traditional, and biblical
Christianity.
300
It is a theological deviation from the Gospel of Jesus Christ that claims that
Christians have the authority over health, wealth, and prosperity.
301
According to Paul Enns, “a
serious problem with making prosperity gospel an alternative to the Gospel of Christ is how
prosperity teachers view the Scriptures.”
302
As a global phenomenon, the prosperity gospel rides
on the wave of capitalism, which is sweeping the global economy.
303
The underpinning of the
prosperity gospel is a theology of affluence; members are encouraged to give to receive God’s
blessings.
304
The prosperity gospel found fertile soil in Africa the exploration of charismatic
Christian churches.
305
This doctoral thesis project seeks to explain why many Unity Light Ministry Network
Church (Unity Community Church) pastors frequently preach the prosperity gospel message.
This research project is an exploratory study that utilizes a researcher-designed survey
instrument based on the literature review of Chapter 2. Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity
Community Church) pastors need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. This qualitative research
seeks to understand Unity Light Ministry Network Church Pastors’ understanding and attitudes
towards preaching the prosperity gospel message in Liberia.
299
Prosperity gospel is also known as wealth and health movement.
300
Enns. Handbook of Theology, 676.
301
Ibid, 676.
302
Ibid, 683.
303
Mashau and Kgatle.“Culture of Greed”.
304
Ibid.
305
Ibid.
56
The highlighting thesis for this research is the prosperity gospel in Africa, especially
Liberia, which is a significant deviation from the Gospel of Christ, undermines sound
hermeneutical interpretation of Scripture. As stated earlier in chapter one, many Christians
(including pastors) in Liberia lack the foundational knowledge of the truths of the Gospel of
Christ because they are hostile toward theological training, resulting in vulnerability among
Christians to teachings that are not theologically grounded on a solid biblical foundation.
306
This methodology section includes considering the subjects involved in the study, data
collection, setting, and analysis techniques.
307
This study is designed specifically for pastors of
Unity Light Ministry Network Church in Kakata, Liberia, a branch of Unity Light Ministries,
International located in the United States of America. An ancillary goal of this study is to offer
insights for other churches that are facing similar problems. This action research project focused
on the need to understand how things are happening, rather than merely on what is happening,
and to know how stakeholders, people concerned with the issue, perceive, interpret, and respond
to events related to the problem investigated.”
308
The prosperity gospel is a theological deviation from the Gospel of Jesus Christ; thus, a
severe problem with making prosperity gospel an alternative to the Gospel of Christ is how
prosperity teachers view the Scriptures. This doctoral thesis project intended to investigate and
acquire an increased understanding of why increasing numbers of pastors of Unity Light
Ministry Network (UCC) preach the prosperity gospel rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
306
Aaron B. Phillips. “An Examination of the Prosperity Gospel: A Plea for Return to Biblical Truth.”
Liberty University, 2015, 1.
307
Tim Sensing. Qualitative Research: A Multi-Methods Approach to Projects for Doctor of Ministry
Theses. Oregon: (Wipf & Stock Publishers), 2011.
308
Ernest T Stringer, Action Research, 4th ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2014), 36.
57
Intervention Design
This intervention study seeks to develop broad explanations for why increasing numbers
of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) pastors are shifting to the
prosperity gospel message.
Objectives
This doctoral thesis seeks to answer the research question of why a growing number of
pastors in Liberia, in Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), are replacing
the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel message. As such, this survey research
design and methodology are vital to facilitating the process. The research involves a biblical and
theological analysis of some of the tenets of the prosperity gospel (Word of Faith) to
comprehend why these Liberian pastors preach the prosperity gospel message. Even though this
research study was conducted within an indigenous Liberian church's parameters, this study's
findings apply to the broader Liberian Christian community. More explicitly, this study was
divided into five chapters. This doctoral thesis begins with an introduction (Chapter 1), followed
by three introductory chapters (Chapters 2-4), ending with a conclusion (Chapter 5).
First, an introduction is given (Chapter 1) in which the following considerations are
detailed:
a) Ministry Context
b) Purpose Statement
c) Basic Assumptions
d) Definitions
e) Limitation and Delimitations
f) Thesis Statement
58
The first component of Chapter 2 is a literature review, which consists of a survey of
scholarly sources such as books, journal articles, and theses related to the prosperity gospel in
other to establish the research project relative to existing knowledge. The second component of
Chapter 2 is theological foundations, which denotes the biblical underpinnings or foundation of
this doctoral thesis project.
The third component of chapter 2 is the theoretical foundation, which outlined what sort
of research that has been done on the prosperity gospel, and models of ministry related to the
research topic, and how they relate to the topic at hand.
Chapter 3 is the research methodology. The first component is the intervention design
that addressed the ministry context problem and the research question. In this section, the
researcher kept the intervention simple to implement, and results could be measured. The second
component of Chapter 3 is the implementation of the intervention design. The section above
offered a narrative of the implementation and collection of data. The third component of chapter
3 outlined how the researcher will analyze once the data collection is completed.
Chapter 4 detailed the results of the research project’s intervention plan. It includes
illustrated graphs and charts to give the reader a glance at the measurable changes. The
researcher used tables and diagrams to show changes that emerge that are directly traceable to
the intervention plan. In Chapter 5, a conclusion is offered. This chapter also includes a summary
of the research findings, recommendations for further study, and the contribution of the doctoral
thesis project to practical theology and answered the research question why a growing number of
pastors in Liberia, in Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), are replacing
the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel message.
59
Participants
The Assistant Executive Director of Unity Light Ministries, International & Ministry
Network for Global Missions, selected pastors to participate in this doctoral thesis project. The
assistant director mentioned above is also the General Secretary of Unity Community Church in
Liberia. The participants of this study consisted of active pastors of Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church) who were willing to participate in this research study.
The Assistant Executive Director of Unity Light Ministries, International & Ministry Network,
encouraged pastors to participate in this research by personal letters to individual pastors inviting
them to participate, at council meetings, from the pulpit, in the bulletins, and through the
newsletter encouraging pastors to participate in the study.
The participants of this doctoral thesis project were a purposive sample of 12 pastors of
Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, a reasonably
representative of the Unity Light Ministry Network Church’s clergy in the Republic of Liberia.
This sample's demographics varied in education, age, marital status, and years of pastoral
experience. Twelve pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in
Kakata, Liberia, voluntarily participated in this study. Even though the researcher is a pastor in
Unity Light Ministries, International, the researcher did not participate. Moreover, the researcher
did not offer any money or financial incentives to pastors who participated in the study. This
group of pastors was surveyed to answer the research question because there was no realistic
alternative way to collect information about why pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity
Community Church) preach prosperity gospel message without seeking information and opinions
sample of the pastors described above.
60
Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) is led by pastors with formal
theological and biblical training so that their congregations are not at risk of hearing incorrect
teachings and misunderstandings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unity Light Ministries,
International as an Evangelical Charismatic Christian Ministry, believes that training pastors
with a combination of biblical knowledge of God's Word and theological truths will have a direct
and profound impact in their local communities. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most
significant and most important news that any human being ever hears; this Gospel is the Holy
Scriptures' central message and is crucial to understanding them. As evangelical pastors, the 12
pastors participating in this research study were trained to understand the primacy of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, which focused on the message of salvation, justification, and sanctification, as
explained by the apostle Paul in the Book of Romans; accurate interpretation of Scriptures and
practical disciplines, such as missions, evangelism and church planting.
The 12 pastors who participated in this research project were selected pastors of a Unity
Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) congregations between 18-65, capable of
giving consent. The researcher explained the purpose of the study in the recruitment letter, and
the consent forms were placed on the first page of the survey/questionnaire. The participants
were not required to sign and return consent forms because the research designed the survey to
be anonymous. However, participants acknowledged consent to the terms of the surveys by
proceeding to take the surveys.
61
Procedure
This study's selected participants arrived at the Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity
Community Church) headquarter between Saturday, July 18, and Monday, July 20, 2020. The 12
pastors that participated in the study completed survey questions at the Unity Light Ministry
(Unity Community Church). The completely anonymous surveys that lasted between 15 to 20
minutes; the survey did not include personally identifiable information about the participants,
such as first name, last name, email address, and congregation name. Participants used one of
two laptop computers provided by the researcher to access the online survey questions. The
participants completed the surveys over three days.
The surveys required each participant to answer 15 questions and describe characteristics
or understandings about why pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network Church preach the
prosperity gospel. The researcher did not use surveys or questionnaires developed by other
researchers for this project. The researcher used a researcher-developed study approved by the
Liberty University Institutional Review Board for collecting data from the participants. All
participants were asked the same questions under the same circumstances, and information from
the survey was gathered utilizing participants’ self-completion of the surveys. The researcher-
designed survey employees fixed choices to describe characteristics and understandings of the
pastor of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church).
309
As such, the main
emphasis of the survey questions was on fact-finding.
310
309
Sensing. Qualitative Research.
310
Ibid.
62
The researcher used this researcher-developed survey of lengthy questions that employ fixed
choice responses to questions about the prosperity gospel with the main emphasis on fact-finding
about various aspects of the pastors’ beliefs about the preaching of the prosperity gospel. The
researcher designed this anonymous survey on prosperity gospel to be eye-catching, uncluttered,
clear, and readable to guide the participants’ eye through the questions to help the pastors think
about why a growing number of them are preaching prosperity gospel as an alternative to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The research project participants volunteered information about their attitudes, behaviors,
opinions, and beliefs about preaching and teaching the prosperity gospel message in the Liberian
context. The participants’ answers closely matched, in a systematic way, the researcher's
expectation based on information that the research had gleaned from past and present articles and
academic research on the prosperity gospel. Data gleaned from the survey provided the
researcher with an appropriate means of gathering information because this research's goals are
both quantitative and qualitative.
Data Analysis & Evaluation
The researcher used the data collected from the surveys to summarize data collected and
interpreted through analytical and logical reasoning to establish patterns, relationships, or trends.
The researcher further used data analysis to go from a massive amount of data to meaningful
information. Moreover, a research analysis should make sense of data after they have been
collected.
311
As such, the researcher understands that a well-chosen method for data collection
and analysis is critical for all types of evaluations.
311
Charles, C. M., and Craig A. Mertler. Introduction to Educational Research. Boston: (Allyn and Bacon),
2002, 161.
63
The researcher conducted an inductive data analysis to build patterns, categories, and themes by
organizing the data into progressively more intellectual information elements. This inductive
process illustrated working back and forth between the themes and the database until the
researcher had established an all-inclusive set of themes. After the researcher has demonstrated
an all-inclusive set of themes, the researcher focused more on learning the meaning that the
participants hold about the prosperity gospel rather than the meaning that the researcher brings to
the project or what the researcher found in the literature review expressed by other writers.
Hence, the researcher's critical focus is to learn why the pastors of the Unity Light Ministry
preach the prosperity gospel message from the participants and address the research to obtain
that information.
The researcher used data from the survey to specified themes, issues, and questions with
a predetermined sequence that correlates with the project’s problem and purpose statements.
312
The researcher then reviewed all of the data, made sense of it, and organized it into categories or
themes gleaned from the surveys. The researcher systematically gathered data from the pastors
participating in this project to make judgments about their use of prosperity gospel preaching in
congregational worship services. The researcher delivered the survey questionnaire in an
electronic format self-administered by the participants. The researcher used the method described
above because Internet-based questionnaires are relatively low cost and practical for the
prevailing Covid-19 situation in Kakata, Liberia. The researcher alone interpreted data from the
surveys and issued a report at the end of the research. The researcher analyzed the data once it
has been collected from the survey questions.
312
Sensing. Qualitative Research, 106.
64
The researcher also used differing approaches for analyzing data from the survey
questions as follows:
1. Processes: the researcher organized and described critical processes that form an
analytical framework for managing a qualitative description of data from the survey
questions.
313
2. Issues: the research analyzed vital matters as the primary evaluation of the survey
questions.
314
Data collection is a significant part of this project. The researcher’s principal method for
collecting data for this study is the Prosperity Gospel survey instrument driven by the research
question. The researcher used a mixture of narrow-focused closed-ended and open-ended
questions for some narrative response from each participant in the form of short answers
response to open-ended questions.
Response from the prosperity gospel survey was unpacked, organized, and analyzed for
evaluation. The researcher collected data from the study and discussed the areas of significant
overlaps as themes and patterns. The researcher used data theme analysis that involves sorting,
organizing, and index to generate themes and patterns for making sense of the problem.
Collecting and identifying themes was the primary way the researcher processed, analyzed and
interpreted the survey data. The researcher started with a logical summary of the data from the
prosperity gospel survey to determine the main themes that emerge from each category to
employ graphs, charts, tables, or matrices.
313
Tim Sensing. Qualitative Research: A Multi-Methods Approach to Projects for Doctor of Ministry
Theses. Oregon: (Wipf & Stock Publishers), 2011, 106.
314
Ibid.
65
The researcher used generalizability, validity, and reliability to ensure the research
project's credibility and understanding of the problem being studied with standards of
consistency and accuracy. The evaluation of this research project was strictly focused on the
pastors’ use of prosperity gospel message rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The specific
tool that the researcher used to gather data is the prosperity gospel survey questions. The
researcher did not keep a reflective journal during the entire project to bracket any biases.
However, the researcher wanted to keep a reflective journal to log information from the project
participants while the researcher’s memory is still fresh. However, the research was not able to
do so due to unforeseen circumstances.
The researcher’s criteria to evaluate the intervention are data collection of information
from surveys to provide a complex view of the intervention to analyze and interpret why pastors
of Unity Light International Ministry preach the prosperity gospel message. Successful outcomes
in this intervention are as follows:
1. to prevent unintentional preaching and teaching of the prosperity gospel message as an
alternative to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. to promote positive change by training pastors of Unity Light International Ministry
Network (Church) on the dangers of preaching prosperity gospel messages to their
congregations.
In the old approach, the pastors of the Unity Light International Ministry (Unity
Community Church) had varying academic training levels. There is no comprehensive Ministry
training program to guide against unintentional preaching or teaching of prosperity message.
66
After the intervention, the new approach will be different because every pastor, regardless of
academic qualification, will train in proper principles of biblical interpretation to guide against
unintentional preaching and teaching of prosperity gospel messages to their congregations.
Even though this exploratory research study was limited to the experience of an intact
group of pastors at one church, the results represent a wide variety of congregational contexts,
and generalizability may be used by churches of a similar size, socioeconomic background, and
governing board structure. The nineteen questions was answered on a sliding scale that runs from
“strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” and a short answer question. This survey served two
purposes. First and foremost, to evaluate Unity Light Ministry Network Church pastors’ response
to why they preach the prosperity gospel message. Second an overall evaluation of Unity Light
Ministry Network Church pastors’ hermeneutical interpretation of Scriptures. Third, the short
answer questions examine Unity Light Ministry Network pastors’ theological and biblical
understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The researcher used responses from pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network Church to
extrapolate why a growing number of pastors of this church are preaching prosperity gospel
messages rather than the Gospel of Christ. The researcher conducted a thematic analysis to
identify broad themes and common patterns from responses from the “short answer” question on
the survey. The researcher used thematic analysis to understand Unity Light Ministry Network
Church pastors’” perceptions and motivation for preaching the prosperity gospel message. The
researcher used content analysis to evaluate responses of the “short answer” question for
categorizing keywords, phrases, and sentences. The researcher used thematic analysis to study
the responses of the “short answer” question for a correlation between the preaching of the
prosperity gospel message to the African and Liberian socioeconomic contexts.
67
The researcher-designed survey effectively establishes a causal relationship and provides
an in-depth understanding of why Unity Light Ministry Network pastors preach and teach the
prosperity gospel message. The researcher used common themes to generate tables, graphs, and
other visual aids to help the reader interpret the findings. Finally, the researcher summarized the
results of the research and sought to evaluate and analyze the data.
Religion is of great importance in Africa. People engage in some form of religious
practice from time to time, and many profess membership of some formal religious organization,
Muslim, Christian, and otherwise.
315
Moreover, many Africans voluntarily associate themselves
networks, which they use for various purposes; social, economic, and even political.
316
One of
such networks is Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church).
Pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) are trained as
evangelical pastors; yet, a growing number of pastors are preaching prosperity gospel messages
rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ. This doctoral thesis research project seeks to understand
Liberia’s prosperity gospel message and why a growing number of pastors of Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) are preaching prosperity gospel messages rather
than the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The researcher also seeks to identify any notion of cultural practices related to the
prosperity gospel message and the social, political, or historical context of the prosperity gospel
message that may influence or shape the views of the research participants. The researcher made
an interpretive analysis in which the researcher interpreted what the researcher understands from
the data gathered from the surveys.
315
Marumo. "Charismatic Religions”, 207-23.
316
Ibid.
68
The researcher developed a holistic account of a complex picture of why pastors of Unity
Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) preach prosperity gospel messages. The
researcher will then provide a research report of multiple perspectives that identify many factors
facing pastors of the Unity Light Ministry in Liberia that emerges from the research project.
Finally, the researcher will print out each survey and place the surveys in a locked filing
cabinet at the researcher’s home office. Only the researcher will have access to the original
surveys. Moreover, the researcher will download and save copies of individual surveys on the
researcher password-locked computer. Only the researcher will have access to these surveys.
Even though Unity Light Ministry Network Church (Unity Community Church) pastors
are remarkably diverse, they are all trained to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Despite
Unity Light Ministry Network Church (Unity Community Church) pastors evangelical pastoral
training, a growing number of pastors are now preaching prosperity gospel messages to their
local congregations. The researcher is a pastor and co-participant with the Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church) community to collect and interpret data to facilitate
innovative and transformative modes of action. The prosperity gospel in sub-Saharan Africa is
highly influenced and shaped by the prosperity message. This research project is not designed
just to understand why is a growing number of pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity
Community Church) in Liberia are replacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity
gospel message but also to recommend a specific plan of actions to reverse this trend.
The researcher may recommend a training program for pastors of Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church) pastors from the analysis that emerged from this problem.
This research contributes to ministry leadership because there is no academic study in the
Liberian context on why pastors replace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the prosperity gospel.
69
This doctoral thesis research project was implemented a few weeks after approval from Liberty
University Institutional Review Board. The survey was completed by a cross-section of 12 Unity
Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) pastors.
This qualitative survey research study was conducted in the natural setting of Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), and the information obtained from this research
will be specific to Unity Light Ministry Network Church setting and ministry conditions. This
type of survey research is especially important when focusing on understanding when exploring
differences between the individual pastor’s experience. This study’s analysis provides a broad
understanding of why pastors at Unity Light Ministry Network Church preach the prosperity
gospel message. The actual impact on the prosperity gospel, in a more overall landscape, is
growing;
317
Unity Light Ministry Network Church is feeling the effects of the prosperity gospel
message. The researcher carefully kept “after-action” notes as the researcher proceed
conventional planned event in the research project.
318
Implementation of the Intervention Design
The survey data was collected between Saturday, July 18, and Monday, July 20, 2020.
The survey was initially scheduled to occur on Saturday, July 18, 2020, from 9:00-12:00. The
researcher extended the study time to take place over three days rather than three hours due to
the Coronavirus global pandemic (COVID-19) outbreak in Liberia. The COVID-19 epidemic
was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. On January 30, 2020, the World Health
Organization declared the epidemic a public health emergency of international concern and
March 11, 2020, a global pandemic.
317
Andreas Heuser, African Prosperity.
318
Sensing. Qualitative Research, 439.
70
In March 2020, the Republic of Liberia's government closed the only international
airport, Roberts International Airport, which made it impossible for the research to travel from
the United States to the Republic of Liberia to conduct the survey research. The researcher had to
postpone the survey research from February 2020 to July 2020. The Liberian government had a
rapid response to the spread of the Coronavirus in Liberia. The government declared a state of
emergency as Coronavirus cases begin to rise exponentially despite compulsory mask-wearing,
and stay-at-home orders were implemented. The Government of Liberia banned religious
gatherings, including church worship services and other in-person church programs. The
government ban on religious programs also included the new Ministry of Health regulations
mandating social distancing and numerical restrictions of pastors and church members'
gatherings within local churches. The ban described above, and other government rules and
regulations made it impossible for the researcher to conduct in-person survey research at the
Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) on Saturday from 9:00 to 12 noon.
At the end of May 2020, the President of the Republic of Liberia, George Weah, ease the
restrictions and lifted the ban on religious organizations.
Even though the Government of Liberia lifted the ban on religious gatherings, the
Executive Board of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) decided to air on
the side of caution. The church continued to worship online and conduct telephone prayer
conferences with limited members attending Sunday worship services. Notwithstanding, the
survey was conducted at Unity Light Ministry (Unity Community Church) in Kakata Liberia,
West Africa. Participants of the study were given the survey password. The researcher conducted
this post-lockdown survey research over three days to ensure compliance with the Government
71
of Liberia social distancing, numerical restriction of gathering members of local congregations,
and other public health protocols.
The survey consisted of 10 questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale and five short
answer questions. The study was also divided into three parts, as follows:
I. Part 1 consists of five questions to help the pastors determine whether the pastors preach
or teach prosperity gospel message.
II. Part 2 consists of five questions to help the researcher understand whether the pastors can
correctly interpret concepts relating to the prosperity gospel (theology).
III. Part 3 consists of five short answer questions about the characteristics of “Faith, Wealth,
and Health” theology and why it is prevalent in Liberia.
Each of the 12 pastors completed a password-protected anonymous survey at Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in Kakata, Liberia, West Africa. Kakata is the
capital of Margibi County, the sixth populous county in Liberia.
319
The Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church) building is the Unity Light Ministries' national
headquarter, International (Liberia).
The researcher analyzed the data collected from this survey in Chapter 4 of this research
paper. The researcher used content and thematic analyses to glean information from the research
once the 12 pastors from Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) have
completed the anonymous surveys.
319
2008 Population and Housing Census, 10.
72
Content Analysis
The researcher used content analysis of the survey to categorize and discussed the
meaning of certain words and phrases, in a systematic manner in part to find patterns that can be
replicable in similar churches or Christian ministries. The researcher also used content analysis
to gather information from the survey data in a non-invasive manner.
As a systematic research technique, the content analysis provided a qualitative analysis
method that the researcher gleaned from the research study.
320
The researcher further used
content analysis to describe the types of content measured, along with sampling
considerations.
321
One of the sampling considerations that the researcher had to give a critical
review was a small sample size of only 12 pastors. Even though 12 participants may seem like a
small sample size, it was adequate for Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church)
in Kakata, Liberia, because the Church has only 12 pastors (excluding assistant pastors and
evangelists) in Kakata. Moreover, the sample size in qualitative research tends to be usually
smaller to support the depth of case-oriented analysis, which is fundamental to this mode of
study.
This research study’s flexibility and goals made it particularly suitable for content
analysis for the researcher to gather, organize, store, retrieve, and disseminate information
obtained from this research to answer questions about the underlying structure, form, and
organization of the information contained in survey responses.
322
320
Ward, J.H. Managing Data: Content Analysis Methodology. Unpublished manuscript, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2012.
321
Ibid.
322
Bates, M.J. The Invisible Substrate of Information Science. Journal of the American Society for
Information Science, (1999) 50(12), 1043-1050.
73
The researcher further used content analysis to determine pastors’ beliefs of the
prosperity gospel and predict how those views may drive adjustments to the gospel of Jesus
Christ's message. The researcher also used content analysis to compare past research on the
prosperity gospel with participants' current perceptions. Hence, the researcher cross-referenced
participants’ opinions of the prosperity gospel message, in the Liberian context, with the
prosperity gospel message worldwide. The researcher performed a simple frequency count as
manifest content analysis, supplemented by established similarity values, which provided latent
content analysis. Although this content analysis has some constraints, in general, the researcher
accomplished assessing the participants’ opinions on the prosperity gospel and then cataloging
their views.
The researcher used simple content analysis to examine manifest content, revealed latent
content, and incorporated qualitative and quantitative content analysis methods into this study.
Thus, the researcher used the thoughts of study participants about the prosperity gospel and
mapped those themes that emerged to the current knowledge body.
Hermeneutical Analysis
The researcher used the Hermeneutical Analysis to understand varying interpretations of
the prosperity gospel concept or text in-depth with some level of abstraction to achieve
objectivity and credibility of the study. The researcher analyzed responses from Part II of the
survey, questions 1-5, to see if the participants could use the hermeneutical process to convey the
right biblical meaning. Hence, the researcher analyzed part II to see if the respondents
understood the biblical meaning of the scripture.
74
Thematic Analysis
The researcher also used thematic analysis for questions in part 3 to identify and examine
themes and understand topics from part three questions of the research to sort broad themes for
proper understanding. While there is no clear agreement about how researchers can rigorously
apply thematic analysis in qualitative research, the researcher uses thematic analysis to produce
trustworthy and insightful findings of why Liberian pastors preach the prosperity gospel.
323
Furthermore, the researcher used thematic analysis because it does not require thorough
theoretical and scientific knowledge of other qualitative approaches, and it offers a more
accessible form of analysis, especially for those early in their research career.
324
In all of the analyses mentioned above, the researcher chose research analysis to reduce
the volume of data collected, identify common or recurring themes, to seek an understanding of
the survey data. The researcher also used the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability,
and confirmability to parallel the conventional quantitative assessment criteria of validity and
reliability.
325
The research analyzed all of the questions on the survey using the analyses
mentioned above to find why a growing number of Liberian pastors are preaching the prosperity
gospel message.
323
Braun, V., Clarke, V. Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology
(2006), 3, 77–101.
324
Ibid.
325
Lincoln, Y., Guba, E. G. Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage (1985).
75
The researcher used the survey research questions in chapter five to describe certain
aspects and characteristics of the pastors that made them more susceptible to preaching the
prosperity gospel message.
The research further used surveys instrument as follows:
1. To gather a large amount of information from the pastors in a short period.
2. To maintain the anonymity of the pastors' responses because the researcher was also a
pastor of Unity Light Ministries, International.
3. Because survey research is cheaper than other primary data collection methods, such as
experimental research.
4. A limited sample of only 12 pastors.
Moreover, the researcher subdivided the survey into three distinct parts to avoid “first
choice selection,” a common problem found in many survey research.
Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) in Kakata, Liberia, the research had the
following unexpected constraints:
1. Time Constraints-Limited amount of time to arrange and conduct survey research to
collect primary data for reporting in chapter five.
2. Money Constraints-limited budget for international travel associated with conducting a
scholastic research.
3. Schedule Constraints- inflexibility of the research process once the researcher received
permission from Liberty University’s Internal Review Board (IRB) to conduct academic
research.
The researcher used survey research because it was a practical and reasonable approach
to the doctoral thesis project during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic.
76
The essence of the survey method can be explained as “questioning individuals on a topic or
topics and then describing their responses.”
326
The researcher used a survey method for
questioning the pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) their
preaching of the prosperity gospel and then described their responses.
Generally, the survey method can be used in both quantitative as well as
qualitative studies; hence, the researcher used the survey method to pursues two primary
purposes:
327
1. Describing certain aspects or characteristics of the population and
2. Testing hypotheses about the nature of relationships within a population.
326
Jackson, S.L. “Research Methods and Statistics: A Critical Approach”, 4
th
edition, Cengage Learning
(2011), 17.
327
Jackson. “Research Methods”.
77
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS
The survey on the prosperity gospel in Liberia was conducted in July 2020 at Unity
Community Church in Kakata, Liberia. The researcher informed pastors of local congregations
of the church, the group conferred and agreed to take part in this anonymous survey. The
researcher then explained the purpose of the research in the recruitment letter and provided an
informed consent form to the respondents before taking the survey. Participants for this survey
comprised 12 pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) local
congregations in Kakata, Liberia, West Africa. All 12 pastors responded in time to have their
results included in the data analysis.
After analyzing the data, the researcher determined that 100% of the pastors had
encountered the adversative effects of the prosperity gospel message. The survey provides
insight into why pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) are
preaching and teaching prosperity gospel messages as an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. However, one major limitation of this survey is that it involves a small sample of pastors.
Another limitation is that the reliability of the data received from the study depends on the
pastors’ willingness to express their honest opinions and attitudes toward the preaching and
teaching of “prosperity gospel” on the survey instrument.
A proforma copy of the survey is provided in Appendix A. The respondents of the
research answered a researcher-developed survey on Prosperity Gospel. The results of the study
are presented in Tables 1 through 10 and depicted graphically in figures 1 to 24.
78
Results of the Prosperity Gospel in Liberia Survey
Survey: Part 1
Responses to question # 1, “Do you preach/teach or believe that you or some members of
your congregation receive direct revelation from God?”
Table 1
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
3
25%
Agree
8
66.7%
Undecided
1
8.3%
Disagree
0
0%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 1
The first question of this survey concerned pastors’ receiving direct revelation from God.
Table 1 above shows the frequency and percentage for each category of respondents’ answers.
The findings indicate that of the total respondents, 12 pastors, three pastors (25%) strongly agree,
and eight pastors (66.7%) agree that they preach, teach or believe that either the respondents or
some members of their congregation receive direct revelation from God. One of the pastors was
undecided, and no pastor reported that he did or someone in his organization did not receive
direct revelation from God.
0
2
4
6
8
10
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number 0f Pastors
Responses
Question #1
79
Responses to question # 2, “Do you preach/teach or believe that if one gives tithes and
offerings (sows seeds), in expectation of a harvest, he or she will reap resultant material
blessings from God?”.
Table 2
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
4
33.3%
Agree
7
58.3%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
1
8.3%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 2
The second question in the survey concerned the giving of tithes and offerings (sowing
seeds) in expectation of a harvest; thus, the giver expects to reap resultant material blessings
from God. The findings from question 2 indicate that four pastors (33.3%) strongly agree, and
seven pastors (58.3%) agree. Hence, 11(91.7%) out of the 12 pastors surveyed agree that either
he and/or people in their congregation give tithes and offering in expectation of some form of
material blessings from God. Only one pastor (8.3%) of the pastors did not give tithes and
offerings in anticipation of material blessings.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number 0f Pastors
Responses
Question #2
80
Responses to question # 3, “Do you preach/teach or believe that poverty could be a blessing
from God because Jesus was not rich?”
Table 3
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
0
0%
Agree
0
0%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
5
41.7%
Strongly Disagree
7
58.3%
Total
12
100%
Figure 3
The third question of this survey concerns the belief that one being poor could be a
blessing from God because Jesus was not rich. All 12 (100%) of the pastors disagree or strongly
disagree that poverty could be a blessing from God. None of the pastors agreed or strongly
agreed. None of the pastors was undecided. The paradox is the fact that all of the pastors
disagree, and most of them strongly disagree, and that could be one of the reasons the prosperity
gospel is fast-growing among impoverished communities in Liberia.
0
2
4
6
8
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number 0f Pastors
Responses
Question #3
81
Responses to question # 4, “Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have authority
over poverty, wealth, and health in the name of Jesus Christ?”
Table 4
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
8
66.7%
Agree
3
25%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
1
8.3%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 4
The fourth question of this survey concerned the belief that Christians have authority
over poverty, wealth, and health in the name of Jesus Christ. The findings of the study eight
pastors (66.7%) strongly agree, and three pastors (25%) agree that Christians have authority over
poverty, wealth, and health. Only one pastor (8.3%) of the pastors’ survey disagree. The majority
of the pastors, 11(91.7%) of the pastors, believe that they had authority over poverty, wealth, and
health in the name of Jesus Christ.
0
2
4
6
8
10
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number 0f Pastors
Responses
Question #4
82
Responses to question # 5, “Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have the power
to speak words to produce positive results in one’s life?”.
Table 5
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
4
33.3%
Agree
8
66.7%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
0
0%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 5
The fifth question in the survey concerned the belief that Christians can speak words to
produce positive results in one’s life. The findings of the study indicate that four pastors (33.3%)
strongly agree and eight pastors (66.7%) agree that believe that Christians have the power to
speak words to produce positive results in one’s life. None of the pastors that responded to the
survey were undecided, disagree, or strongly disagree.
0
2
4
6
8
10
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number 0f Pastors
Responses
Question #5
83
Survey: Part 2
Responses to question # 6, “The gift of prophecy (divine revelation) continues today?”
Table 6
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
5
41.7%
Agree
7
58.3%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
0
0%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 6
The sixth question in the survey concerned the belief that “The gift of prophecy (divine
revelation) continues today. The findings indicate that five pastors (41.7%) strongly agree and
seven pastors (58.3%) agree, “The gift of prophecy” continues today. None of the pastors were
undecided, disagree, or strongly disagree. As such, all the pastors believe in prophecy or divine
revelation.
0
2
4
6
8
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number of Pastors
Responses
Question #6
84
Responses to question # 7, “Christians can bring into existence what we state with our
mouth because faith is a confession?”
Table 7
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
6
50%
Agree
5
41.7%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
1
8.3%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 7
The seventh question in the survey concerned the belief that “Christians can bring into
existence what we state with our mouth because faith is a confession.” The findings of this
survey show that six pastors (50%) strongly agree and five pastors (41.7%) of the pastors agree
that Christians can bring into existence what we state with our mouth because faith is a
confession. Thus, most of the pastors, 11pastors (91.7%), strongly agree and agree, respectively.
Only one pastor (8.3%) disagree.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number of Pastors
Responses
Question #7
85
Responses to the question # 8, “The gospel involves healing, holiness, and speaking in
tongues?”
Table 8
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
5
41.7%
Agree
2
16.7%
Undecided
1
8.3%
Disagree
3
25%
Strongly Disagree
1
8.3%
Total
12
100%
Figure 8
The eighth question in the survey concerned the belief that the gospel involves healing,
holiness, and speaking in tongues. The findings of this survey show that five pastors (41.7%)
strongly agree, two pastors agree (16.7%), one pastor (8.3%) undecided, three pastors (25%)
disagree, and one pastor (8.3%). Hence, the majority of the pastors, seven pastors (58.3%), agree
that the gospel involves healing, holiness, and speaking in tongues, while five pastors (41.7%)
were either undecided or disagree.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number of Pastors
Responses
Question #8
86
Responses to question # 9, “All suffering is a result of either sin or a lack of faith?”
Table 9
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
0
0%
Agree
3
25%
Undecided
1
8.3%
Disagree
4
33.3%
Strongly Disagree
4
33.3%
Total
12
100%
Figure 9
The ninth question in the survey concerned the belief that “All suffering is a result of
either sin or a lack of faith.” The findings indicate that none of the pastors strongly agree that
all suffering results from either sin or a lack of faith. However, three pastors (25%) agree, and
one pastor (8.3%) was undecided. Moreover, 4 pastors (33.3%) disagree, and four pastors
(33.3%) strongly disagree. Thus, 8 pastors (66.7%) did not believe that all suffering resulted
from either sin or a lack of faith.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number of Pastors
Responses
Question #9
87
Responses to question # 10, “Material wealth is a sign of God’s blessings?”
Table 10
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Strongly Agree
4
33.3%
Agree
6
50%
Undecided
0
0%
Disagree
2
16.7%
Strongly Disagree
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 10
The tenth question in the survey concerned the belief in material wealth as a sign of
God’s blessings. The findings indicate that four pastors (33.3%) strongly agree, and six pastors
(50%) agree. Hence, most of the pastors, ten pastors (83.3%), believe material wealth is a sign of
God’s blessings. Notwithstanding, two pastors (16.7%) disagree. Most of the pastors surveyed
thought that material wealth is a sign of God’s blessings, yet none of them wealthy. Material
wealth and riches are not signs of God’s blessings because not every rich person results from
God’s blessings. Sometimes, it is quite the opposite. Material wealth is not the divine promise of
God to His people as the prosperity gospel teaches.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Strongly
Agree
Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Number of Pastors
Responses
Question #10
88
Survey: Part III
1. Why is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology so widespread in Liberia?
The respondents to the survey offer various reasons why they believe that
“Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology is prevalent in Liberia. According to some of the pastors,
this theology is widespread for material and financial gains and not because of the spiritual
growth of the church. The majority of Liberians live in poverty; as such, many Christians believe
in prosperity gospel messages. Many Liberians believe “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology
because of a lack of proper biblical education in God's Word. Pastors do not have enough bible
education to understand the difference between the prosperity gospel message and the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
Faith, Wealth, and Health theology is widespread because of the infusion of the theology
of foreign prelates, including pastors from the West (mainly the US and Europe), and other
African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. Many Liberian Christians accept the
prosperity gospel theology because of a lack of support of pastors’ salaries (other benefits) and
other church programs. The majority of Liberian Christians believe that God can heal any
disease, and He is the provider of their needs. Christians also believe that faith is a gift from God
that can work for anyone who trusts the Lord. Faith, Wealth, and Health theology is widespread
in Liberia because Charismatic and Pentecostal are among the fastest-growing indigenous
churches in Liberia. Charismatic and Pentecostal churches in Liberia mainly preach and teach
prosperity gospel messages than evangelical churches. Faith, Wealth, and Health theology is
widespread because, in most cases, pastors can use this theology to motivate church members to
give and support church projects, etc. It is often the only means that indigenous Liberian
churches have to help pastors and other church programs financially.
89
2. Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia mixed with spiritual warfare,
occultism (juju), and African Traditional Religion (spiritism)? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes,
explain.
Table 11
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Yes
11
92%
No
1
8%
Total
12
100%
Figure 11
The twelfth question in the survey concerned with the belief that “Faith, Wealth, and
Health” theology in Liberia is mixed with spiritual warfare, occultism (juju), and African
Traditional Religion (spiritism). 11pastors (92%) answered yes, while one pastor (8%) answered
no. Before the arrival of Christianity in Liberia, the country was deep-rooted with the African
tradition characterized by African tradition, native religions, and secret societies.
328
Most of the
secret societies in Liberia were characterized by spirituality and rituals; however, the arrival of
the “Americo-Liberians” led to forming a predominantly Christian country.
329
328
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
329
Ibid.
Yes
92%
No
8%
Question 2
Yes No
90
Liberian Christians respect African Traditional Religion as their cultural heritage. As
such, indigenous Liberian churches still have Liberian culture as part of their worship services.
Christians mixed with African Traditional Religion (spiritism) because they see it as part of the
cultural background of the preachers and teachers of the prosperity gospel message in Liberia.
Liberian Christians also preach the prosperity gospel message because they are spiritually blind;
they are often misled by other Christians who still practice African Traditional Religious
practices and Christian culture. Moreover, Liberian culture is characterized by spiritual warfare,
juju, and spiritism. Today, the prosperity gospel has become part of the Liberian Christian
worldview.
Some churches practice occultism as a means of making their members loyal and
supportive of their greed. Prosperity gospel messages make members zealous and dedicated
towards the head of the church because church leaders often promise protection for those who
adhere to the prosperity gospel message. Some Liberian pastors preach prosperity gospel
messages to prove that they are powerful spiritually than others. Prosperity gospel message
makes pastors gain more material wealth. Prosperity gospel message also makes pastors get more
members in the church because it is characterized by “Faith, Wealth, and Health” messages.
Most Liberians Christians do not like to attend churches that do not preach about “Faith, Wealth,
and Health” messages.
There are many churches in Liberia with different doctrines and beliefs. Liberians
Christians believe all events in life have spiritual causes. Liberians Christians face the
challenges of evil spirits intending to do them harm in their daily lives. Juju and spiritism are
also part of the Liberian culture. Consequently, Liberians Christians look to the church to protect
them from evil spirits and enemies who want to harm them.
91
3. Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia a system of belief, or a Christian
culture in which Liberians live? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
Table 12
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Yes
12
100%
No
0
0%
Total
12
100%
Figure 12
The thirteenth question in the survey concerned with whether “Faith, Wealth, and Health”
theology in Liberia is a system of belief or a Christian culture in which Liberians live.
The findings indicate that 12 pastors (100%) answered yes, and no pastor answered no. The
prosperity gospel in Liberia was preceded by Western Christianity. Western Christians founded
missionary churches that were established by predominantly white missionaries and most of the
theological faculties and seminaries, determined by Western theological endeavors that
abandoned the belief in evil powers, which is prevalent in Liberian culture.
330
330
Nel. The African Background.
Yes
100%
No
0%
Question 3
Yes No
92
Faith, Wealth, and Health theology in Liberia is both a system of belief and Christian
culture in Liberia. This theology is similar to the Liberian cultural worldview and also part of the
Christian culture. Many Christians in Liberia experience both Liberian and Christian cultures,
and Faith, Wealth, and Health theology has been a Christian culture in Liberia throughout our
history. It is also a system of belief because of the Liberian culture of greed and the high poverty
rate in Liberia. It is also a response to widespread poverty. On the contrary, some respondents
believe that Faith, Wealth, and Health theology in Liberia is a system of belief and not a culture
because it is taught directly from the Bible. It is also a system of belief in Liberia because the
Bible itself contains so many doctrines and not only giving the life of Christ.
Faith, Wealth, and Health theology in Liberia has affected about 85% of the Christian
population. It is taught/preached from the pulpit every Sunday. Some pastors do this so that they
can become famous and wealthy. Some ministers use this means to have their needs met.
Many Christians have gravitated towards seeking God’s indulgence for material wealth.
The reason is simple, faith is having trust in God that he cannot fail, lie, or change through these
realities we believe. Many Christians in Liberia believe in churches with prophecies and expect
to get quick results. It is a system of belief that the Holy Spirit and the world are all a part of
biblical revelation. Others preach this theology in response to the challenges of evil spirits and
people who want to harm them. Faith, Wealth, and Health theology also makes pastors receive
good wealth and membership. Hence, Faith, Wealth, and Health theology is successful because
many Liberian Christians do not enough Christian education to resist it.
93
4. Is there a link between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and challenges
such as poverty, unemployment, and health problems? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
Table 13
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Yes
11
92%
No
1
8%
Total
12
100%
Figure 13
The fourteenth question in the survey concerned whether there a link between “Faith,
Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and
health problems. The findings indicate that 11pastors (92%) answered yes, while one pastor (8%)
answered no.
The possibility of material prosperity to the believer who seeks first the kingdom of
righteousness is a constant refrain throughout Liberian churches. Liberia, unlike Pentecostal and
charismatic hotspots like Ghana, Nigeria (West Africa), Uganda, Kenya (East Africa), Republic
of South Africa, Zimbabwe (South African), faces challenges with extreme poverty, massive
unemployment, and poor health infrastructure.
Yes
92%
No
8%
Question 4
Yes No
94
There is a link because through faith, you can become wealthy and leave from the stage
of poverty, and through faith, you can also receive your healing that solves your health problems.
God is faithful to his word and can solve all of the challenges that we can encounter.
Most respondents believe that there is a link between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in
Liberia and challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and health problems because of the
Liberian mentality; Liberians believe that if we have faith in God, our health, unemployment,
health problems will be solved. Another reason most respondents think that there is a link
between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and other challenges is in spite
of the believe, poverty, sickness/diseases, unemployment, divorces, and other ails still permeate
our country/society, many Liberians believe that if you truly worship God, he will give you
material wealth and He will heal you when you get sick. Most respondents also believe that there
is a link between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and other challenges because
of poverty and unemployment rate. Some people in Liberia don’t have time for God, so they do
anything just to survive. Poor health condition; no more wealth. Many don’t even have the faith
that God can change their problem. Liberians are excited to hear these messages but fail to
follow the principles or applications.
Many Christians respond to this theology to receive material wealth. If you give to God
more, God will bless you more. This theology is a response to high unemployment and poverty,
and many Liberian Christians need healing and deliverance too. Moreover, a growing number of
Charismatic and Pentecostal churches link faith to material blessings. Liberian Christians are
encouraged to give to receive God's blessings. Every Liberian wants to be rich, and there are
many sick and poor people in the church. On the contrary, bad health condition cannot make you
receive good wealth. However, unemployment is one contributing factor.
95
5. Do you have a strategy to combat “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology teaching in
your community? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
Table 14
Figure 14
Yes
100%
No
0%
Question 5
Yes No
The fifteenth question what strategies that the respondents have to combat “Faith,
Wealth, and Health” theology teaching in their communities. All 12 pastors (100%) answered
yes. Even though all of the pastors surveyed had suggestions on how to combat the spread of the
prosperity gospel, they all preached the prosperity gospel. Hence, they all expressed an implied
need in some form of “African theology” that is essentially Christian and inclusive in the African
culture, to replace the spread of the prosperity gospel. The unique history of Liberia, where
Americo-Liberians”, who brought with them Christianity marginalized the indigenous culture.
331
331
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
Valid Responses
Frequency (f)
Percentage (%)
Yes
12
100%
No
0
0%
Total
12
100%
96
Many respondents to the survey suggested many strategies to combat “Faith, Wealth, and
Health” theology teaching in these communities as follows:
1. Churches need to take care of their pastors financially so that he/she does not feel the
financial need to get money through prosperity gospel.
2. Churches also need to focus more on the qualitative growth of members than the numbers
of believers in the church.
3. Teach members the principle of acquiring material wealth, health safety, and
maintenance and how they can be demonstrated through faith.
4. Let People in the local communities and the church know that God is not manipulated by
their prayers, faith, or giving to release material blessings.
5. Tell pastors to stop over-emphasizing material blessings at the expense of the gospel.
Other strategies that the respondents suggested included teaching local communities that
having faith means having trust assurance or confidence in oneself; being a Christian does not
mean that everything is bread and butter. Another strategy to combat wealth is to continually ask
God to change our situation and get involved in doing something, be it business, agriculture, etc.
We can also combat health by taking preventative measures. Teach biblical counseling as a way
to make one understand other examples of acquiring wealth in the Bible. Ex: Isaac, Jacob, etc.
Pastors need to teach them how to do business and direct them to the bank to take loans to get
out of poverty.
Other strategies are 1. Teach members of my community sound doctrine that will enable
them to know the truth for themselves. 2. Open the eyes of the people through the scripture that
Christians having material possessions, wealth does not qualify you to go to heaven.
97
3. Teach the people that suffering for the sake of Christ is approved by scripture because even
the early disciples suffered persecution for the sake of Christ.
Data Analysis
Part 1 (Questions 1-5) of the survey deals with whether the pastors of Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) preach/teaching or believed in the prosperity
gospel. According to question #1, 91.7 percent of the pastors preached/taught or believed the
pastor (s) or some members of the congregation received direct revelation from God, and 8.3
percent was not sure. Hence, none of the pastors did believe in direct revelation from God.
Question #1: Do you preach/teach or believe that you or some members of your congregation
receive direct revelation from God?
Figure 15
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Agree or Strongly agree
Not Sure
Disagree or Strongly Disagree
Question #1
According to Walter A. Elwell, the term revelation intrinsically means the disclosure of
what was previously unknown.
332
In Judeo-Christian theology, the term is used primarily of
God’s communication to humans of divine truths, his manifestation of himself, or his will.
333
332
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary, 1021.
333
Ibid.
98
Eleven of the twelfth pastors surveyed believed that the pastor or someone in his congregation
receives direct revelation from God; only one of the pastors was unsure.
According to question #2, 91.6 percent of the pastors preached/taught or believed that if
one gives tithes and offerings (sow seeds) in expectation of harvest, he/she will reap material
blessings from God. 8.3 percent disagreed, and none of the pastors were not sure.
Question #2: Do you preach/teach or believe that if one gives tithes and offerings, in expectation
of harvest, he or she will reap resultant material blessings from God?
Figure 16
According to question #2, eleven of the pastors surveyed preached/taught or believed that
if one gives tithes and offerings (sows seeds), in expectation of harvest, they will reap resultant
material blessings from God and only one of the pastors disagreed. The promise of material
prosperity to believers who seek first the kingdom of righteousness is a constant refrain across
the African Pentecostal universe.
334
The Bible does not teach that if one gives tithes and
offerings (sows seeds), in expectation of harvest, they will reap resultant material blessings from
334
Obadare.“Righteous Billionaires”
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Agree or Strongly agree
Not Sure
Disagree or Strongly Disagree
Question #2
99
God. The prosperity gospel acclimates carefully chosen verses from the Bible like Malachi 3:10
to persuade people to give charitably; but, the context of this verse has nothing to do with tithing.
Question #3: Do you preach/teach or believe that poverty could be a blessing from God because
Jesus was not rich.
Figure 17
According to question #3, none of the pastors preached/taught or believed poverty could
be a blessing from God because Jesus was not rich. None of the pastors was unsure; all of the
pastors (100%) disagreed with the notion that poverty could be a blessing from God.
Jesus is not against Christians, been prosperous (materially). However, Jesus encourages
Christians not to store up treasures on earth (Matt. 6:19), and He also challenges Christians to put
their primary focus on God and not money (Matt.6:24) because righteous, upright Christians also
suffered (Job 1:1), and even Christ suffered (1 Pet. 2:22-24). Consequently, prosperity in Christ
means to have faith in Him and obey him personally.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Agree or Strongly agree
Not Sure
Disagree or Strongly Disagree
Question #3
100
According to Jesus’ teachings, life is more than just being content with material wealth; Jesus
taught that the world and its riches are transient; people should strive for something that lasts into
eternity.
335
According to question #4, 91.7 percent of pastors surveyed in the study preached/taught
or believed that Christians have authority over poverty, wealth, and health in the name of Jesus
Christ. None of the pastors was undecided, and 8.3 percent disagreed.
Question #4: Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have authority over poverty, wealth,
and health in the name of Jesus Christ.
Figure 18
According to Question #4, eleven of the pastors preached/taught or believed that
Christians have authority over poverty, wealth, and health in the name of Jesus Christ. None of
the pastors was unsure, and only one of the pastors surveyed disagreed.
335
Magezi and Manzanga, Prosperity and Health.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Agree or Strongly agree
Not Sure
Disagree or Strongly Disagree
Question #4
101
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to
‘me’. As such, Jesus delegates his authority to Christians to preach the word and make disciples
of all nations, baptize people, in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching to obey everything that I have commanded you”. All authority is given to Jesus.
According to question #5, all of the pastors (100%) preached/taught or believed that
Christians can speak words to produce positive results in one’s life. None of the pastors was
undecided, and none of the pastors disagreed.
Question #5: Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have the power to speak words to
produce positive results in one’s life.
Figure 19
According to question #5, All twelve (100%) of the pastors agree or strongly agreed that
they preached/taught or believed that Christians can speak words (Positive confession) to
produce positive results in one’s life. Positive confession is one of the tenants of the prosperity
gospel. The Bible speaks about “confessions” as an agreement with what God has said in His
Word, not what one which to happen. Thus, Christians should confess in agreement which what
God has promised and not “positive confessions” demanding human desires.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Agree or Strongly agree
Not Sure
Disagree or Strongly Disagree
Question #5
102
On the other hand, “negative confessions” does not renounce God’s blessings. However, there is
nothing wrong with positive confession or reaffirming God’s promises, given God’s Word.
Based on the responses from questions 1-5, the researcher believes that pastors of Unity Light
Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) are actively preaching the prosperity gospel.
Part II (Questions 6-10) of the survey deals with whether the pastors responding to the
survey are using the prism of the prosperity gospel to interpret some biblical concepts often
misinterpreted by proponents of the prosperity gospel.
According to Question, all (100%) of the pastors believed that the gift of prophecy
(divine revelation) continues today. None of the pastors was undecided or disagreed.
Question #6: The gift of prophecy (divine revelation) continues today.
Figure 20
The gift of prophecy is a controversial issue among evangelicals, charismatics, and
Pentecostals, and most Bible-believing Christians disagree on whether the gift of prophesy
continues today. As a communicative act, authentic Old Testament prophecies always carry
divine authority through the Holy Spirit (Num. 11:24-29; Joel 2:28).
Question #6
Agree or Strongly Agree
Undecided
Disagree or Strongly
Disagree
103
The New Testament depicts prophecy as divinely inspired miraculous activities (Matt.7:22; Mark
6:14-15; Luke 7:12-16) empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:16-17). The New Testament
expects the gift of prophecy to cease at some point; “continuationists” believe the gift of
prophecy will continue until Christ return while “cessationists” believe the gift of prophecy is no
longer operational. However, proponents of the prosperity gospel believe in the gift of prophecy.
According to question #7, 91.7 percent of the pastors agreed or strongly agreed that
Christians could bring into existence what we state with our mouth because faith is a confession.
None of the pastors were undecided, and 8.3 percent of the pastors disagree.
Question #7: Christians can bring into existence what we state with our mouth because faith is a
confession.
Figure 21
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see
(Heb.11:1). Faith also comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the
word about Christ (Rom. 10:17).
Question #7
Agree or Strongly Agree
Undecided
Disagree or Strongly
Disagree
104
Walter A. Elwell describes the biblical idea of faith as follows: “1. Faith in God involves
the right belief about God. 2. Faith rest on divine testimony. 3. Faith is a supernature divine
gift”.
336
Authentic faith in God is about seeking God first and aligning our thoughts with his
desire and thoughts for our lives. God is the only one who can speak things into existence. No
man can speak things into existence, and it happens if the Lord has not decreed it (Lam.3:37).
Hence, we need to conform our will to God’s will (Luke 22:42).
Accordingly, 58.3 percent of the pastors agreed that the gospel involves healing, holiness,
and speaking in tongues. 8.3 percent were undecided, and 33.3 percent disagreed.
Question #8: The gospel involves healing, holiness, and speaking in tongues
Figure 22
People have been reading the New Testament for as long as the documents have been in
existence.
337
As a pivotal part of the New Testament, The Gospels represent a unique style of
336
Elwell. Evangelical Dictionary, 432.
337
D. A. Carson, and Douglas. J. Moon. An Introduction to the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan), 23.
Question #8
Agree or Strongly
Agree
Undecided
Disagree or Strongly
Disagree
105
literature, different from the style of ancient writings and other modern writings.
338
To preach the
gospel of Christ, preach sermons from the books of the gospel. The gospels are the Book of
Matthew, Book of Mark, Book of Luke, and the Book of John. The gospel is the good news of
Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection; the gospel describes Jesus’ message “repent and believe the
gospel.” The gospels represent a proclamation of Jesus’ actions for our salvation written from a
specific theological perspective.
339
According to question #9, 25 percent of the pastors agreed that all suffering results from
either sin or a lack of faith. 8.3 percent were undecided, and 66.6 percent disagreed.
Question #9: All suffering is a result of either sin or a lack of faith.
Figure 23
According to the Bible, all suffering is not a result of either sin or a lack of faith. Jesus
and his disciples. Christians do not need to guess about the cause of suffering like the disciples of
Jesus did; all suffering is not a punishment from God for sin.
338
Thomas D. Lea. and David Alan Black. The New Testament its Background and Message (2nd ed.).
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman), 2003, 131.
339
Lea. And Black. New Testament, 132
Question #9
Agree or Strongly
Agree
Undecided
Disagree or Strongly
Disagree
106
According to John 9:1-3:
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents
sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in
him.”
Jesus Christ did not lack faith, but he suffered. Jesus Christ suffered, and believers will
also suffer in the flesh. According to 1 Peter 4:1a: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in the body,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude…” believers are to rejoice in sharing the suffering of
Christ so that they may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Pet. 4:13). If believers
suffered as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God to bear that name (1 Pet. 4:16).
According to question #10, 83.3 percent of the pastors believed material wealth is a sign
of God’s blessings. None of the pastors were undecided, and 16.7 percent disagreed.
Question #10: Material wealth is a sign of God’s blessings.
Figure 24
The love for material possessions and riches is a subtle form of idolatry (Col.3:5). Jesus
emphasized the transitory significance of worldly (material) wealth and that Christians’ hearts
should be filled with what is a most treasure, the love of God.
Question #10
Agree or Strongly
Agree
Undecided
Disagree or Strongly
Disagree
107
According to Matthew 6:19-21:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
1 John 2:16:
“For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, comes not from the Father but from the world.” Not all material wealth is a sign of
God’s blessings.
Christians should not focus on temporal things like material wealth, but instead store up
treasure for themselves in heaven because where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.
Based on the results of the survey, most of the pastors had a faulty interpretation of Scripture
skewed by the underpinnings of the prosperity gospel even though all of the pastors were trained
as evangelical pastors.
Common Themes and Strategies
Part III (Questions11-15) of the survey why the prosperity gospel message is prevalent in
Liberia, and what strategies could the church do to reduce the proliferation of this gospel.
The researcher has established the following common themes from questions 11-14 and
suggested strategies from question 15.
Common Themes
Question #11: Why is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology so widespread in Liberia?
• Pastors preach the prosperity gospel to gain material and financial gains quickly (wealth).
• Pastors lack adequate theological education and biblical knowledge (Faith).
• Liberian Christians want instant miracles, and they believe God can heal their diseases
(health).
• Pastors preach prosperity gospel to gain numerical growth of the church (evangelism).
• Because of the extreme poverty rate in Liberia, pastors preach the prosperity gospel to
motivate members to give tithes and offerings for the pastor and church welfare
(Stewardship).
108
Question #12: Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia mixed with spiritual warfare,
occultism (juju), and African Traditional Religion (spiritism)? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
• Liberians believe that there is a relationship between Christianity, Culture, and tradition.
• The Liberian culture is characterized by spiritual warfare, occultism (juju), and African
Traditional Religion (spiritism).
• Liberians believe that all events in life have spiritual causes; thus, Liberian Christians
look to the church to protect them from evil spirits and their enemies.
Question #13: Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia a system of belief, or a
Christian culture in which Liberians live? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
• The prosperity gospel is now part of the Liberian Christian cultural landscape.
• The prosperity gospel fits with the Liberian worldview.
• The prosperity gospel is also a system of belief because it is preached in the church
Question #14: Is there a link between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and
challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and health problems? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
• The prosperity gospel promise hope for solving poverty, unemployment, and health
problems in Liberia.
• Many Liberian Christians look to the church for divine healing and deliverance from evil
spirits.
Suggested Strategies
Question#15: Do you have a strategy to combat “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology teaching
in your community? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
• Pastors need to preach/teach the primacy of the gospel of Christ rather than the
prosperity gospel message.
• Pastors need to do community outreach programs to teach Liberian Christians the
difference between the gospel of Christ and the prosperity gospel message.
• All pastors need to have formal education in theology and hermeneutical interpretation
of scripture to prevent unintended prosperity gospel exegesis.
• Churches need to take care of their pastors financially so that they don’t feel the need to
get money from church members through preaching the prosperity gospel.
• Churches need to focus more on the qualitative growth of members rather than the
quantitative growth of the church.
• Pastors should not use the word of God as a means to acquire personal wealth at the
expense of incorrectly interpreting scriptures for personal gains.
109
• Pastors need to teach church members and Christians in their local communities that they
cannot force God by faith to grant prayers or give tithes/offering to release material
blessings.
• Pastors should not preach any other gospel except the gospel of Christ through the
following means:
1. Sermons
2. Bible Studies
3. Seminars/workshops
4. Pastor/leadership training
5. Community outreach programs
110
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
This doctoral thesis project has provided a brief overview of the prosperity gospel
message from an African perspective. This research project is significant because there is no
comprehensive doctoral research thesis on the prosperity gospel in the Liberian context. The
researcher decided not to focus on proponents of the prosperity gospel in Liberia or Africa, but
rather focus on why a growing number of pastors in Liberia, especially in Unity Light Ministry
Network (Unity Community Church), are preaching prosperity gospel message rather than the
gospel of Jesus Christ. As such, the researcher did a thorough review of existing literature on
prosperity, the gospel message, prosperity gospel in Africa, and the prosperity gospel in Liberia.
This doctoral researcher project offers a brief discussion of some of the central teachings
of founders of the prosperity gospel (Health and Wealth Gospel) and a milieu of the central
tenets of the prosperity gospel. The research further explored several teachings of the prosperity
gospel message that evolved regarding “the creative power of the tongue to produce positive
results,” “naming and claiming health and wealth,” and “sowing seed faith for multiplication of
one’s tithes and offerings.” The researcher examined the preaching and teachings of the
prosperity gospel message in Liberia. The research found that many pastors in Liberia have
shifted from an evangelical view of Christian Ministry (church) as a sacrificial called to the body
of Jesus Christ to an entrepreneurial view of Christian ministry (church) advanced by the
prosperity gospel message.
The prosperity gospel message in Liberia is a blend of traditional African religion.
African traditional religion mainly focuses on protection from evil spirits, sickness, and death,
victory over one’s enemies, and prayer for long life, good health, and material prosperity with
decrease concern for the deity of Christ. Hence, most proponents of the prosperity gospel
111
message in Liberia are less matured Christians and cultural Christians. They usually focused on
worldly concerns rather than the deity of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, a vast number of
entrepreneurial pastors, often from indigenous Liberian Christian churches presents a faulty
hermeneutical exegesis of the Word of God because they lack formal theological education.
The Consequence of Prosperity Gospel Message
The most significant consequence of the prosperity gospel message in Liberia is it has
become a substitute to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastors and Christians should preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. The “Great Commission” is an instruction of the resurrected
Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Christ to all nations of the
world, everyone. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:18-20).”
The “Great Commission” is significant in Christian theology because it emphasizes work,
Christian ministry, missionary, evangelism, and discipleship. The “Great Commission” is
significant because it is pivotal to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastors should emphasize the
gospel of Jesus Christ because it teaches about Jesus and his death and resurrection, which
allows people into the kingdom of God (Heaven).
The gospel of Christ is not optional, and Jesus commanded his disciples to preach and
teach the Good News of Jesus Christ (the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Put merely, and Apostle Paul
explained the Gospel of Christ as the message of salvation, justification, and sanctification, it is a
simple exposition of the central message of the Bible, Jesus Christ. Instead, many Liberian
pastors are preaching the prosperity gospel as a substitute for the Gospel of Christ.
112
Many Liberian Christians lack foundational knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because
their pastors are preaching and teaching the prosperity gospel message.
The prosperity gospel message from an African perspective, which is relevant in the
Liberian context, is paradoxically placed. The prosperity gospel is thriving in African settings of
extreme poverty.
340
African Christians who embrace the prosperity gospel message continue to
“name it,” “claim it” while they continue to drown in the unholy alliance of poverty,
unemployment, and inequality.
341
The congregants continue to hope, even in their hopelessness,
while their pastors are living prosperous lives.
342
The pastors continue to preach “sowing and watering the seed of faith,” which is one of
the basic tenets of the theology of the prosperity gospel.
343
Many Liberians give because their
pastors taught them to “sow seeds of faith” to reap material rewards. Thus, they provide not out
their love for Jesus Christ, but on the blessing motif: according to the prosperity gospel,
Christians decide to give in expectation of God’s blessings, happiness, or material wealth.
The Focus of Prosperity Gospel and Liberia
Research regarding the prosperity gospel message in Liberia needs to focus more on
“African Christianity.” African Christianity draws from both the Christian faith and African
Traditional Religion (ATR); it is an amalgamation of Christianity and African Traditional
Religion (ATR).
344
340
Mashau and Kgatle.“Culture of Greed”.
341
Ibid.
342
Ibid.
343
Ibid.
344
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology.
113
Christianity, as a “non-cultural entity,” encompasses different cultures as an institution that
regards the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
345
A Christian is “a person who has accepted the Christian
faith and made a decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ.”
346
Church or Christian ministry
cannot be done in a cultural vacuum. As such, the prosperity gospel message in Liberia thrives
on African spirituality. Spirituality is always culturally formed and informed.
347
African spirituality involves deeper human values, attitudes, beliefs, and practices based
on various African worldviews. Freed slaves founded Liberia from the United States, who also
introduce indigenous Liberians to Christianity. Hence, Christianity in Liberia has African
(Liberian) cultural practices and Western Christian underpinnings. The amalgamation of
Liberian cultural traditions and Western Christian heritage has led to a unique blend of Liberian
Christianity that is mostly influenced by ceremonial and charitable characteristics of Christianity
rather than a lifestyle transformation of being “born again” (John 3:3).
Early Western missionaries would perceive Christian identity as equivalent to the
Western cultural and religious heritage, which excluded African cultural practices, even if these
practices were not against tenants of the Christian faith because they preferred their own culture.
Hence, this misguided approach to evangelism has some negative consequences. One of these
consequences is African (Liberia) converts were forced to live double lives: “on the one hand,
they accepted the norms introduced by missionaries who saw nothing valuable in the African
culture, on the other hand, converts could not deny their own cultural identity.”
348
345
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology.
346
Ibid.
347
Marumo. "Charismatic Religions”, 207-23.
348
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology.
114
African (Liberian) converts often had to abandon their traditional African (Liberian)
customs and adapt Western ones. Culture is the “artificial, secondary environment which
superimposes on the natural.”
349
Liberian cultural context, as a secondary environment, is
relevant because Christian ministry (church) is carried out in this environment; put merely,
Liberian culture provides the framework in which Christianity in Liberia is carried out. The
prosperity gospel message is attractive to indigenous Liberian because it is favorable to the
contextualization of Christianity to Liberian cultural and religious heritage. Hence, the prosperity
gospel message in Liberia is synchronized with traditional practices.
It is not unusual for pastors and other church leaders who profess Christianity to revert to
traditional African practices like traditional methods of healing, while still pretending to be
“bona fide” Christians. The contextualization of Christianity in Africa mainly focused on
integrating the positive aspects of the African cultural heritage into the Christian faith, and
overlook two important, influential components:
350
1. African cultural and religious heritage and
2. African traditional methods of healing. The culture and religious heritage of many African
serves as they see the world (worldview) and understand wellness.
351
The results of this research
project, compared to information from previous studies or published works analyzed in the
literature review was similar, in many ways, to published studies on the prosperity gospel in
Africa.
349
Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture. (New York: Harper and Brothers), 1956.
350
Ibid.
351
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology
115
Some notable differences were most pastors of indigenous churches believe that
prosperity gospel is an alternative to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hence, they preach prosperity
gospel in response to their congregational demand, healing of sickness and diseases, similarity to
African cultural heritage, status (pastor’s recognition as a “man of God), and material wealth
(mostly intended to increase tithes and offerings). Most pastors, who preach prosperity gospel in
indigenous Liberian churches, are less wealthy than their counterparts in other African countries
(with a similar economic condition) because the purpose of preaching prosperity gospel is to
improve stewardship rather than personal affluence.
A Snapshot of Prosperity Gospel Framework
The prosperity gospel in Liberia, as an alternative to the gospel of Christ, represents a
redirection from the primacy of the gospel of Christ for “salvation” to a reframing of Christian
beliefs and practices around concepts of “material salvation” accentuated by the central belief
that God will give wealth and good health to people who have enough faith. The widespread
preaching and teaching of the prosperity gospel message further indicate a paradigmatic shift in
the thinking of Liberian pastors and their local congregations. The prosperity gospel is a
contraction of faith, triggered by copious misinterpretations of Scripture, that thrives around
ritual enactment of tithings and offerings.
The prosperity gospel message is successfully changing the face of indigenous Liberian
churches. The economic, governance and social challenges experienced by Liberians in the past
years since the Liberian Civil War (1989-2005) have caused immense poverty and suffering.
Poverty and unemployment are prevalent in Liberia, driven by a shrinking economy. In such a
context, prosperity gospel preaching has increased to address the people’s challenges and
experiences.
116
The promises of the prosperity gospel message are highly convincing to the suffering and
unemployed. The prosperity gospel message is prevalent in indigenous Liberian churches
because it provides hope to their congregations in desperation and increases in tithes and
offerings to these churches. When prosperity gospel promises fail to materialize, the followers
are accused of not sowing enough seeds, lack of faith, etc. Prosperity gospel thrives in
indigenous Liberia churches because it is more communicative with Liberian cultural and
religious heritage characterized by prayers for material and physical blessings (material wealth),
protection from sickness and death for longer life (Health), victory over enemies; protection from
evil spirits and ancestral curses (Name it; Claim it). Common concerns about deities are usually
associated with deliverance from demonic influence rather than emphasizing God’s kingdom and
Salvation. Hence, the prosperity gospel message thrives in such of environment.
The Prosperity Gospel Message in the West
The proponents of the prosperity gospel message in the West have made a radical
departure from historic, orthodox Christianity in how they view the Scriptures.
352
Prosperity
gospel preachers often deny the inerrancy of Scriptures and adjust Scriptures to change the
meaning to suit their interpretation of Scriptures radically. This “Faith, Wealth, and Health”
theology (prosperity Gospel) is biblically flawed because it presents an elevated view of
humanity that one can claim health and wealth; after all, Jesus died not only for sins but also for
sickness.
353
Most proponents of the prosperity gospel message in the West understand the gospel
of Christ; they know the truth, but knowingly substitute “biblical truths” because of their
worldly convictions.
352
Paul Enns. The Handbook of Theology. (Chicago: Moody Publishers), 2008.
353
Ibid.
117
The Prosperity Gospel in sub-Saharan Africa
Proponents of the prosperity gospel message in sub-Saharan African countries (like
Ghana and Nigeria) and those above, concentrate on a more entrepreneurial version of the
prosperity gospel. The proponents of the prosperity gospel message have fundamentally shifted
their belief from one of anti-materialism preached by frugal heavenly-focused pastors, to a
materialistic message of wealth and health, preached by extravagant earthly-focused pastors
desiring amass personal wealth at the expense of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Prosperity Gospel in Liberia
The researcher learned from implementing this project that prosperity gospel, in the
Liberian context, is the motive for the preaching and teaching of prosperity gospel messages is
somewhat different from the United States and other African countries. Notwithstanding, there is
a common thread of materialism and flaw interpretations of Scripture. Two main reasons
contribute to the widespread preaching of the prosperity gospel in Liberia.
The Liberian Culture and Tradition
The unique history of Liberia made the country more susceptible to any form of
Christianity from the United States. Freed slaves from the United States (Americo-Liberians) and
indigenous West Africans founded the Republic of Liberia as a Christian nation. The “Americo-
Liberians” introduce Christianity to the indigenous population from the founding of the nation.
Before the advent of Christianity in Liberia, the country was firmly entrenched with African
traditions, native religions, and secret societies characterized by spirituality and rituals.
354
354
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
118
Americo-Liberians' arrival in Liberia lead to Liberia being predominantly a Christian
country; the 2008 census of Liberia posits that 85.5% of the Liberian population identifies as
Christian.
355
The Americo-Liberians introduced protestant Christianity (namely Baptist,
Methodists, and Episcopal Churches) in Liberia. Some of these protestant churches were part of
the evangelical movement. The Liberian Church mission is a product of the 19
th
Century
missionary movement fascinated Western Europe and the United States. Most Liberian worship
services today is a blend of Western and African traditions.
Early missionaries from the West to Liberia were too concerned with their own cultural
and religious heritage; they did not understand much of the African culture; thus, their misguided
understanding of African culture resulted in the perception that African Christian identity was
equivalent to western cultural and religious heritage.
356
Thus, African converts to Christianity
were expected to abandon their traditional African customs and adapt to western ones.
357
Today, Liberian Christianity is a combination of Western religious heritage and
traditional African customs and traditions. Thus, many indigenous Liberian Christians bear the
strain of having to live double standards. Indigenous (Initiated, Independent, or Instituted)
African Churches since the turn of the 20
th
century have been sustaining African traditional
beliefs with the power of evil that always interfere in human destinies for ills.
358
Nonetheless, in
most missionary churches (Western Churches) in Africa, including Liberia, conversion to
Christianity implies that the invitation to accept the Christian religion, as well as a call to
355
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
356
Mokhoathi. Contextual Theology
357
Ibid.
358
Nel. The African Background
119
participate in the western interpretation of reality because the missionary enterprise was seeking
to implant Christianity by the method of Western (European) worldview.
359
In the case of Liberian Churches, the American worldview. Hence, to become a Christian
was to become less African and more civilized in Western terms.
360
However, in the indigenous
churches that succeeded the missionary churches, the impact of the element of the African
worldview can be seen with respect for African heritage.
361
From an African cultural and traditional background, the prosperity gospel message in
Liberia resonates with Liberians because it has common features with Liberian cultural and
traditions such as the performing of miracles on healing and deliverance from evil spirits, the use
of holy oil or holy water by followers, and the use of prayer handkerchief and other mantles as
points of contact for the liberation of members from the curse of poverty, sickness, and people
who want to do them harm. Other Liberian rituals that are prominent in prosperity gospel
messages include the prayers for delivering followers from demons and witchery, warding off
evil spirits, and the practice of magical skills, spells, and abilities present in sorcery or wizardry.
The prosperity gospel message in Liberia is not limited to indigenous Liberian Churches; it is
widespread in Liberian Christianity because Liberians can relate to the prosperity gospel.
After all, it fits the Liberian worldview that encourages rigorous thinking because of the belief
that “nothing happens for nothing” and “there is a reason behind everything that happens.”
Prosperity gospel in Liberia is prevalent in Liberia because of the increasing amount of
indigenous Liberian churches (mostly Pentecostal or Charismatic).
359
Ibid.
360
Nel. The African Background.
361
Ibid.
120
Pentecostalism is effectively changing the face of African Christianity because of its pneumatic
spirituality that relates to the primal African spirituality and worldview.
362
In African Pentecostalism, salvation is translated holistically into prosperity and wealth,
dignity, fertility, and a happy marriage, security, vitality, healing, and health, equilibrium in the
cosmos, as wells as eternal life that awaits the believer after death.
363
Moreover, Pentecostal
Christians visit prophets to seek spiritual direction and acquire knowledge about the spiritual
causes of their mishaps.
364
Hence, African Pentecostalism does not necessarily represent a
syncretistic utilization of aspects of African primal spirituality. However, the possibility exists
that it might and did happen, requiring the ability to discern spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) and to
critically evaluate its theology and praxis.
365
Because Americo-Liberians introduced Christianity from the United States and Western
missionaries founded most denominational churches in Liberia, it is easy for Liberian Christians
to accept the Prosperity gospel message as a new wave of modern Christian teaching from the
United States. Furthermore, there are a lot of Liberian Christians, even evangelicals. They
believe and sometimes support proponents of the prosperity gospel message in the United States
(the West) and other African countries. According to Jones and Woodbridge, evangelical
churches are full of people who, perhaps unknowingly, regularly watch prosperity gospel
teachers on television.
366
362
Nel. The African Background, 53.
363
Ibid.
364
Ibid.
365
Ibid.
366
Jones and Woodbridge
121
Jones and Woodbridge posit that a common scenario:
367
the polished, friendly, motivational preacher asks for money in order to support his
ministry; in return, he promises prayers on the donors’ behalf, as well as a financial
blessing from God. The viewer send the money because they appreciate the
positive teaching and could use a little bit more money to pay their bills. When an
increase in income does not occur, however, consumer of the prosperity message often
become self-critical, thinking that the failure rests in their own lack of faith, or they
become disappointed and angry with God.
The research regarding why Liberian pastors preached prosperity gospel messages rather
than the Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to continue to find out what the Liberian churches feel
about the prosperity gospel message. This scope of this research was limited only to why the
Liberian pastors preached the prosperity gospel messages. The results of this research were
similar to most of the previous studies or published works on prosperity gospel in Africa;
however, the prosperity gospel in Liberia was different because of the Liberian Christians
cultural heritage that has a direct linkage to the United States. As such, the prosperity gospel
message in Liberia is prevalent in the indigenous churches as compared to the denominational
churches which were established by freed slaves and missionaries from the West. Indigenous
Liberian churches are mostly Pentecostal, Charismatic, or both Pentecostal and Charismatic.
Thus, they are prude to accept the prosperity gospel message because prosperity gospel has its
roots in the churches mentioned above. One thing that the researcher learned from implementing
the project is the prosperity gospel message in Liberia is different from other countries because
the main focus of many of the pastors preaching prosperity gospel was not mainly to get material
wealth for themselves. The research shows that many of the pastors surveyed use the prosperity
gospel message to raise funds (tithes and offerings) for the day-to-day running of their
congregations, and not for themselves.
367
Jones and Woodbridge
122
Other pastors surveyed in the study claimed to preach the prosperity gospel message
because members of their churches will not come to church service if the pastors do not preach
the prosperity gospel message (Stewardship). In contrast, others claimed that they preached
prosperity gospel messages for financial reasons since their congregations will not have enough
money to support the pastors financially (welfare).
Unlike most of the information gleaned from published works analyzed in the literature
review, most Liberian pastors do not preach prosperity gospel due to greed. As such, most of the
proponents of the prosperity gospel in Liberia are not wealthy than other African countries. In
most cases, Liberian pastors give most of the material wealth generated from prosperity gospel
message to the church rather than using it for themselves; notwithstanding, there few exceptions
where pastors are driven by greed. These pastors mostly use the prosperity gospel principle of
“sowing seeds” for material wealth, intercessory prayers (usually against evil spirits or someone
wanting to seek bodily harm to others), and handkerchiefs or holy water for spiritual healing.
The prosperity gospel message found fertile ground in Liberia is most people in Liberia
identify themselves as Christians even though they do not truly observe the teachings of the
Christian faith (born-again). About 85 percent of Liberians considered themselves Christians.
368
These people believe that they are Christians not because they have a spiritual connection
with God and salvation by accepted Christ (John 1:12), but rather, their claim to Christianity is
often based on societal relationships like family backgrounds, Christian rearing, marriage,
charitable giving, and other long-time affiliation with a Christian church.
368
Gbotoe and Kgatla. Role of Christianity.
.
123
If one has not accepted Jesus, with associated surrender to His lordship, abide in Christ,
and adhere to the Christian faith, it is easy for he/she to unintentionally accept the prosperity
gospel as an alternative to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The researcher also found another reason
why the prosperity gospel is widespread in Liberia is the lack of theological education (lack of
knowledge). Most of the Seminaries and Bible Colleges in Liberia are affiliated with
denominational churches for training their pastors. As such, most indigenous Liberian churches
do not have access to these schools, and many of these churches cannot afford to pay for their
pastors to study abroad. As a result, most of the pastors of the indigenous Liberian churches do
not have college or graduate degrees; they are mostly high school graduate with some form of
apprenticeship training. On the other hand, most pastors of denominational churches have at least
a bachelor's degree in theology, and many have graduate degrees from both Liberia and the
West.
Some prosperity gospel preachers/teachers take liberties with the Bible by adjusting
Scripture verses to accommodate their particular doctrine or deny the inerrancy of Scriptures.
369
The prosperity gospel is a theological aberration; hence, the aforesaid knowledge gap makes it
easier for pastors of indigenous Liberian churches to preach the prosperity gospel message.
First, the results of this research may be applied in other Liberian churches to help them getter a
better understanding of the prosperity gospel from a Liberian context. Second, results from this
research can be used for other pastors to understand why some pastors are preaching the
prosperity gospel message rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Third, the results from this
research study shows that the prosperity gospel is unique to the cultural heritage of Liberia.
369
Enns. Handbook of Theology.
124
Recommendation for Future Research
This doctoral thesis study capitalizes on extensive research of prosperity gospel in
African countries; however, there is limited scholarly peer-reviewed doctoral research on
prosperity gospel specific to the Liberian context. Hence this study was imperiled by limitations
in conceptualization and measurements of the impact of prosperity gospel on Liberian pastors.
There were no comparable studies on why Liberian pastors preach prosperity gospel from a
Liberian perspective. The researcher gleaned information extrapolated from articles in numerous
peer-reviewed academic journals, professional essays, and interviews on prosperity gospel in the
African context. The research further used information a researcher-designed survey of a
representative sample of pastors of Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) in
Kakata, Liberia, to construct a critical framework for prosperity gospel in the Liberian context.
Then the researcher used triangulation to assure the validity of the research by using a variety of
methods to collect data on the prosperity gospel message in Liberia. The researcher was able to
weave a picture of the prosperity gospel in the Liberian context from an amalgamation of similar
aspects of the prosperity gospel message in Liberia and Africa.
Notwithstanding, the author also highlights aspects of the prosperity gospel message in
Liberia that directly correlate to Liberian cultural heritage. The prosperity gospel message in
Liberia is riddled with unique dimensions Liberian culture that is marginalized in the broader
African contexts. Those mentioned above led the researcher to unique aspects of the prosperity
gospel message in the Liberian context. Despite possible shortcomings of this research study, the
researcher was able to use knowledge gleaned from extensive research of prosperity gospel in
Africa to develop and analyze numerous themes and trends of the prosperity gospel in Liberia.
125
One area for future research on the prosperity gospel in Liberia is Liberian pastors’
commitment to the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Good News) as the basis and
motivation for the Christian Ministry (Church) rather than the proclamation of the prosperity
gospel message. The importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ should not be proclaimed only to
non-believers so that they will embrace and believe it for salvation; it should also be widely
disseminated to Christians individually and corporately inside and outside the church for
teaching and shepherding believers. The gospel of Jesus Christ not only calls Christians to
become witnesses to evangelize others but also commands Christians to proclaim the gospel to
those around them, whether they believe it or not, because the gospel is the message of the whole
Bible (Matt. 28:18-20). Proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ should be pastors’ primary
motivation for Christian ministry (church). Pastors must use Scriptures in non-exploitative ways
for teaching and fellowship to sustain their ministries rather than the prosperity gospel message
as an alternative to an irreplaceable gospel of Jesus Christ.
The fundamental belief of pastors and indigenous Liberian churches is deeply rooted in
the Liberian worldview that all events have spiritual causes: positive events are the blessing from
God, and adverse events are based on evil spirits (devil). Hence, they believe that positive
confession of adverse events in their lives and intercessory prayers to God, who has divine
transformative power, can unlock miracles, healings, and material wealth. Tithes and offerings,
including the prosperity concept of “seed-faith offering” (giving with the expectation of
multiplication from God), to earn God’s blessings, healing, and material wealth is prevalent in
these churches because it is closer to the Liberian cultural worldview that coexists with western
Christian worldview imported from the United States.
126
For the most part, members of indigenous churches often see the prosperity gospel
message as yet another version of Christianity replicated from their Christian heritage brought to
them by Americo-Liberians (freed slaves and their descendants) and missionaries from the West.
Hence, they unknowingly embrace the prosperity gospel message as an alternative or
replacement to the Gospel of Christ.
The prosperity gospel message in Liberia thrives because One of the founders of the
prosperity gospel doctrine in the United States, Phineas P. Quimby, studied spiritism, occultism,
and hypnosis.
370
As a result, the prosperity gospel is very appealing to Liberian Christians
because it resonates with Liberian culture and traditions heavily influenced by spiritism and
occultism. The prosperity gospel message in Liberia also thrives because the prosperity gospel
message contains highly distorted biblical truths disguised as the “Word of God.” Prosperity
gospel marginalizes many foundational biblical elements of the Gospel of Christ: Jesus, the
cross, God’s judgment, and Salvation (the sinful state of humanity). The prosperity gospel
theology does is not Christ-focus (points sinners to the Christ and his redemptive work on the
cross); instead, it is human-focus (points people to positive confession to get material wealth and
good health). Thus, the prosperity gospel effectively shifts the focus of the Gospel from the
centrality of Christ to a doctrine that is focused on financial prosperity, health, and material
wealth.
Many indigenous Liberian churches lack a general sense of biblical discernment because
they are more influenced by a secular Liberian Christian culture that is more influenced by
Western values that have been successfully exported to Liberia rather than Scriptures.
370
Enns. Handbook of Theology.
127
Some pastors of indigenous Liberian churches claim to receive revelations from God to
preach prosperity gospel messages. However, one serious problem with the aforementioned is
that most of these types of sermons are riddled with cultural and traditional underpinnings rather
than the Gospel of Christ. Pastors of indigenous Liberian churches, influenced by Liberian
cultural and traditional worldview, need to preach more of messages based on the Gospel of
Christ and strongly discourage proponents of prosperity gospel unbiblical statements. It is
difficult to deal with unbiblical prosperity gospel messages because unbiblical components of
prosperity gospel messages or faulty interpretation of scriptures are not very clear-cut throughout
the message.
Findings
This doctoral research project found that prosperity gospel in the West (United States,
Europe, etc.) and the prosperity gospel message in other West African differs from the prosperity
gospel message in Liberia in many significant ways. Information glean from previous study or
other published works analyzed in the literature review was very helpful in understanding the
tenants of the prosperity gospel message and the underpinnings of the
“Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology (prosperity Gospel).
Prosperity gospel in Liberia is a travesty to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many Christians,
in indigenous Liberian churches, are deceived by practices of the proponents of the prosperity
gospel message they place their faith in these so-called “men of God” rather than Jesus Christ.
Moreover, many pastors of indigenous Liberian churches unknowing substitute the prosperity
gospel for the Gospel of Christ because of lack of sufficient theological and, in some cases,
biblical education. These pastors essentially marginalize sound biblically teaching of the Word
of God with promises of wealth, and health which does not result in healthier congregations.
128
Conclusion
This doctoral thesis research found that most of the Liberian pastors view the prosperity
gospel message as the most critical threat to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the spiritual growth of
the church. Moreover, most pastors of indigenous Liberian churches preach/teach the prosperity
gospel message. After all, their growing congregations want them to preach this message
because Liberian Christians want it to fill a avoid in them because their traditional Christian way
of worship, influenced by the West, is generally foreign to them. Christianity in Liberia, for the
most part, is intermingled with African Traditional Religion which has a lot of similarities with
some of the basic beliefs of the prosperity gospel message: deliverance and divine healing (faith
and health) and material wealth; the prosperity gospel thrives in Liberia because of economic
insecurity, inflation and political change (like the Liberian Civil War) that has caused uncertainty
about the future.
Other reasons why Liberian pastors preach the prosperity gospel is many pastors of
indigenous Liberian churches lack sufficient knowledge and training to interpret the Bible
properly; they often have limited understanding of the tenets of the Christian faith; hence, they
substitute the Gospel of Christ with the prosperity gospel message because they lack a
foundational knowledge of the Word of God. Moreover, lots of indigenous Liberian churches are
comprise of new converts; they profess Christianity but are not practicing Christians; as such, the
percentage of Christians in Liberia is grossly inflated, and the need for urgent evangelism that
Liberia so desperately needs is distorted.
Although there is no evidence, from this research study, that preaching/teaching the
prosperity gospel increases qualitative growth, this research found that pastors of indigenous
Liberian churches preach/teach the prosperity gospel messages to sustain quantitative growth.
129
The prosperity gospel has lured many pastors of indigenous Liberian churches because of their
desire to get material wealth quickly amid rising poverty, unemployment, and the economic
decline of the Republic of Liberia.
On the other hand, the central message of the Gospel of Christ in the teachings of Jesus
Christ and the Salvation that God has prepared for humankind through the birth, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the justification following salvation. Simply put,
salvation is the deliverance from sins and the consequence of sins by faith in Jesus Christ. As
such, the core message of the gospel of Christ is for you to believe the gospel and repent from
your sins. Apostle Paul preached/taught and believed the gospel of Christ. Paul writes:
“Now, brothers and Sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which
you received, and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if
you hold firmly to the word, I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain
(1 Cor. 15:1-2).”
The purity of the gospel is critical. According to Apostle Paul’s gospel of Christ (the gospel of
grace), Christ did all that God required for the salvation of humans; thus, God wants us only to
preach the gospel given to Apostle Paul for salvation (Gal.1:8-9).
The prosperity gospel is a historical departure from the gospel of Christ that is spreading
throughout Liberia, far beyond its Pentecostal and Charismatic roots, where it has been
traditionally strong, to the broader evangelical and even some mainline Protestant churches.
The Prosperity gospel in Liberia is increasingly becoming an alternative to the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
130
The prosperity gospel (Faith, Health, Wealth theology) advocates: “if believers repeat
positive confessions, focus their thoughts, and generate enough faith, God will release blessings
upon their lives.”
371
The prosperity gospel also claims that God desires and even promises that
believers live a healthy and financially prosperous life.
372
Today, many Christians In Unity
Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) are in danger of losing the central message
of the Bible to the prosperity gospel message that excludes Jesus and ignores the cross. The
central message of this alternative gospel is with enough faith; God wants believers to live a
healthy and financially prosperous life.
373
Some ways to improve Unity Light Ministry Network (UCC) the situation is as follows:
1. Leaders of Unity Light Ministry need to evaluate why pastors are preaching the
prosperity gospel message to provide pastoral awareness and guidance.
2. Church leadership also need to propose an alternative practical theological message to
refute the prosperity gospel message. This message needs not only to refute the prosperity
gospel message but also to help Liberian Christians to have appropriate concepts about
God and Salvation and a deeper understanding of the importance of preaching the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.
3. To overcome the widespread preaching of the prosperity gospel message, an alternative
practical theological message should envision presenting the gospel of Christ in a holistic
view of the gospel that is not limited to Christ’s salvation and sin but encompasses the
benefits of redemption relative to heaven and earth.
371
Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
372
Ibid.
373
David W. Jones. Health, Wealth, and Happiness: How the Prosperity Gospel Overshadows the Gospel
of Christ.(Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), 2011.
131
Finally, the preaching/teaching of the prosperity gospel in Liberia indicates
transformative reinventions of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches’ believe that Christians
have the right to health and material wealth through the power of positive confession of their
faith and faithful payments of tithes and offerings to the “Man of God” or the church.
Furthermore, some evangelical churches in Liberia unknowing support the prosperity gospel's
spread by attending and supporting faith healing crusades that offer a faulty interpretation of
scriptures and extra-biblical revelations from God.
Liberia’s prosperity gospel is paradoxical since it is a gospel of affluence, placed in a
Liberian context of extreme poverty. In a general African context, the prosperity gospel is
thriving in a continent with home to some of the world's wealthiest religious leaders but
paradoxically placed in the context of poverty, unemployment, corruption, and inequality.
Hence, Liberia’s prosperity gospel message is not a theological alternative, but a deviation from
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
132
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APPENDIX A: Liberty University IRB Approval
From: IRB, IRB
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 11:20 AM
To: Newman, Jerome Arnold
Cc: IRB, IRB; Faulls, Gregory S (School of Divinity Instruction)
Subject: IRB Exemption 4139.022520: Prosperity Gospel in Liberia: A Theological Alternative to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ
Dear Jerome A. Newman, Sr.,
The Liberty University Institutional Review Board has reviewed your application in accordance with the
Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations
and finds your study to be exempt from further IRB review. This means you may begin your research
with the data safeguarding methods mentioned in your approved application, and no further IRB oversight
is required.
Your study falls under exemption category 46.101(b)(2), which identifies specific situations in which
human participants research is exempt from the policy set forth in 45 CFR 46:101(b):
(2) Research that only includes interactions involving educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude,
achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior (including
visual or auditory recording) if at least one of the following criteria is met:
(i) The information obtained is recorded by the investigator in such a manner that the identity of the
human subjects cannot readily be ascertained, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects;
Please retain this letter for your records. Also, if you are conducting research as part of the requirements
for a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation, this approval letter should be included as an appendix to
your completed thesis or dissertation.
Your IRB-approved, stamped consent form is also attached. This form should be copied and used to gain
the consent of your research participants. If you plan to provide your consent information electronically,
the contents of the attached consent document should be made available without alteration.
Please note that this exemption only applies to your current research application, and any changes to your
protocol must be reported to the Liberty IRB for verification of continued exemption status. You may
report these changes by submitting a change in protocol form or a new application to the IRB and
referencing the above IRB Exemption number.
If you have any questions about this exemption or need assistance in determining whether possible
changes to your protocol would change your exemption status, please email us at
[email protected]<mailto:irb@liberty.edu>.
Sincerely,
G. Michele Baker, MA, CIP
Administrative Chair of Institutional Research
Research Ethics Office [cid:image001.jpg@01D5EBC9.AE17D910]
Liberty University | Training Champions for Christ since 1971
138
APPENDIX B: Informed Consent
CONSENT FORM
Prosperity Gospel in Liberia: A Theological Alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Jerome A. Newman, Sr.
Liberty University
Doctor of Ministry/School of Divinity
You are invited to be in a research study on why a growing number of pastors in Liberia, in
Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), are replacing the Gospel of Jesus
Christ with the prosperity gospel message. You were selected as a possible participant because
you are a pastor of a Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church) congregation in
Kakata, Liberia. Please read this form and ask any questions you may have before agreeing to be
in the study.
Jerome A. Newman, Sr., a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Ministry/School of Divinity at
Liberty University, is conducting this study.
Background Information: The purpose of this study is to find out why a growing number of
pastors in Liberia, in Unity Light Ministry Network (Unity Community Church), are replacing
the Gospel of Jesus Christ with prosperity gospel message.
Procedures: If you agree to be in this study, I would ask you to complete an anonymous survey
which should take 15 to 20 minutes.
Risks: The risks involved in this study are minimal, which means they are equal to the risks you
would encounter in everyday life.
Benefits: Participants should not expect to receive a direct benefit from taking part in this study.
Compensation: Participants will not be compensated for participating in this study.
Confidentiality: The records of this study will be kept private. Research records will be stored
securely, and only the researcher will have access to the records.
• Participants will not include their names, email addresses, congregation names, or other
personally identifiable information on the survey. The surveys are anonymous.
• Data will be stored on a password-locked computer and may be used in future
presentations. I will delete the data after three years.
• I will also download and print out the completed surveys and store them in a locked filing
cabinet in my home office. I will shred the data after three years.
139
Voluntary Nature of the Study: Participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether
or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with Liberty University or
Unity Light Ministry Network. If you decide to participate, you are free to not answer any
question or withdraw at any time prior to submitting your survey.
How to Withdraw from the Study: If you choose to withdraw from the study, please exit the
survey and close your internet browser. Your responses will not be recorded or included in the
study.
Contacts and Questions: The researcher conducting this study is Jerome A. Newman, Sr. You
may ask any questions you have now. If you have questions later, you are encouraged to
contact him at (703) 582-0592 and [email protected]. You may also contact the
researcher’s faculty chair, Dr. Gregory Faulls, at gsfaulls@liberty.edu.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this study and would like to talk to someone
other than the researcher, you are encouraged to contact the Institutional Review Board, 1971
University Blvd., Green Hall Ste. 2845, Lynchburg, VA 24515 or email at [email protected].
Please notify the researcher if you would like a copy of this information for your records.
Statement of Consent: I have read and understood the above information. I consent to
participate in the study.
140
APPENDIX C: Research Survey
Part 1
1. Do you preach/teach or believe that you or some members of your congregation receive
direct revelation from God?
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
2. Do you preach/teach or believe that if one gives tithes and offerings (sows seeds), in
expectation of a harvest, he or she will reap resultant material blessings from God?
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
3. Do you preach/teach or believe that poverty could be a blessing from God because Jesus was
not rich?
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
4. Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have authority over poverty, wealth, and health
in the name of Jesus Christ?
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
5. Do you preach/teach or believe that Christians have the power to speak words to produce
positive results in one’s life?
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
Part II
1. The gift of prophecy (divine revelation) continues today.
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
2. Christians can bring into existence what we state with our mouth because faith is a confession.
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
3. The gospel involves healing, holiness, and speaking in tongues.
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
4. All suffering is a result of either sin or a lack of faith.
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
5. Material wealth is a sign of God’s blessings.
Check one: Strongly Agree ( ) Agree ( ) Undecided ( ) Disagree ( ) Strongly Disagree ( )
141
Part III
1. Why is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology so widespread in Liberia?
2. Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia mixed with spiritual warfare, occultism
(juju), and African Traditional Religion (spiritism)? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
3. Is “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia a system of belief, or a Christian culture in
which Liberians live? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
4. Is there a link between “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology in Liberia and challenges such as
poverty, unemployment, and health problems? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
5. Do you have a strategy to combat “Faith, Wealth, and Health” theology teaching in your
community? No ( ) Yes ( ) If yes, explain.
