On Elite Criticism of the Prosperity Gospel

Part 2, "Joel Osteen, He's My Guy"

When did my mind start to change about the Prosperity Gospel? And why do I consider many criticisms of the Prosperity Gospel to be elitist? 

I shared this story a year ago, and would like to share it again as the moment when I started suspecting that something was seriously wrong with elite discourse about the Prosperity Gospel. 

Two years ago, I was teaching my hospitality class at Fuller Theological Seminary in their DMin program. As a part of that class we visit Homeboy Industries. You might know the inspiring story of Homeboy, how Fr. Gregory Boyle helped start the largest gang outreach organization in the world. The story is recounted in Fr. Boyle's best-selling book Tattoos on the Heart. 

The tours at Homeboy are given by the homeboys. In years past, our tour guides have been younger men, in their twenties. But our tour in October was led by a man in his 50s who had multiple felony convictions and had been in and out of prison for most of his adult life. He started the tour asking where we were from and about our interest in Homeboy. We told him we were in a seminary class at Fuller, and that most everyone in the group was a pastor for a church. Hearing that, our guide said, "I'm not very religious. But you know who my guy is? Joel Osteen. He's my guy." And then he went on to tell us how impactful Joel Osteen has been in rehabilitating his life after prison. 

You can imagine our surprise--teacher and students in a seminary DMin class, a group who had been sneering at Osteen and the Prosperity Gospel for years--standing there, for quite some time, getting a heartfelt testimonial about the impact Joel Osteen has had on this ex-felon's life.

When we returned to our classroom back on campus, I asked the class: "So what did you learn about Joel Osteen?" To a person, we all wished we had churches that could speak to our tour guide. But we also had to confess that our guide would never come to our churches, never listen to our sermons. And yet, he was listening to Joel Osteen. 

If you felt that my comments about Kate Bowler's work in the last post where overly harsh, I didn't intend them to be. But I did want to share this story again to explain why I had the reactions I did when I heard her lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. Recall, Kate's thesis is that the Prosperity Gospel is driven by "toxic positivity" and the American belief in human perfectibility. As I shared, I agree with Kate's analysis in regards to America's elite, striving classes--the professional, college-educated people who read the New York Times and attend lectures at Chautauqua Institution. These people really do need to loosen their death grip upon status, success, social comparison, and striving. If you're living in a highly comparative and competitive social and vocational world, it is life-giving to embrace your fallible humanity and imperfections. 

So, I agree with all that. And yet, I don't feel that this analysis of the Prosperity Gospel explains the appeal of Joel Osteen to convicted felons. I don't believe our Homeboy tour guide was in the grip of "toxic positivity." Quite the opposite. His life was grim, a wreckage. He already knew his imperfections, and they were out loud for everyone to see. (I think I mixed my metaphor there.) And I also don't think our tour guide was beholden to a belief in his perfectibility. He wasn't striving for the summit of success, he was holding on, for dear life, to the bottom rung of the ladder. 

This moment at Homeboy was the story that caused me to seek a deeper understanding of the Prosperity Gospel, its appeal to the lost, broken, poor, incarcerated, and destitute. I think Kate Bowler is absolutely correct in her assessment of the Prosperity Gospel and America's addiction to positivity. I just think her analysis doesn't apply to the lower classes and the marginalized. Something else is going on in these social locations. To be sure, I'm willing to admit that our Homeboy tour guide was drinking some bad theological kool aid. But before I paternalistically explain that to him, pitting my advanced college degrees against his criminal history, I have elected to pause here, to ask if elite criticisms of the Prosperity Gospel have been missing something important. 

Some people listen to authors, podcasters, and professors for insights about God. People with PhDs like me. But I've elected, from time to time, to listen to felons. And when one says, "Joel Osteen, he's my guy." I stop, lean in, and listen.