Welcome Back to High School
In my newest reincarnation as a high school Bible teacher, I've been working hard to get my students thinking about the Bible from a christological perspective. One of the ways I've been doing this is using the prosperity gospel as a test case. They're very used to being asked to come up with a "biblical perspective" on issues, but the prosperity gospel can sound an awful lot like a "biblical perspective" to them (since, well, it can be supported with Scripture). I'm in the midst of grading their papers right now, and it occurred to me that it might be fun to see what you guys would come up if you were in my class.
So here's your assignment:
Your essays are due on ... never mind. :)
So here's your assignment:
- Read this devotional by Dr. Creflo Dollar, a leading prosperity gospel preacher in Atlanta.
- In one paragraph (3-4 sentences), summarize Dr. Dollar's argument.
- Pick three verses that Dr. Dollar uses in this devotional. For each verse, do the following:
- In a sentence or two, describe how this verse fits into Dollar’s argument.
- In two or three sentences, describe the Scriptural context within which this verse appears. Questions to think about might include: Is it in the Old Testament or New Testament? Who says it? What’s going on?
- In two or three sentences, explore the difference Jesus makes to the way in which we should understand the verse. If the verse seems to promise riches and safety, what should we do with the fact that Jesus was homeless and crucified (but is now reigning in glory after being raised from the dead)? Could we reread the verse as talking about a different kind of riches and safety? Does Jesus show a way of getting riches and safety that Dr. Dollar might hesitate to promote?
- Based on your summary of Dr. Dollar’s argument (step 1) and your analysis of the Scripture verses he uses (step 2), write a paragraph that discusses what you think Dr. Dollar gets right and what he gets wrong. If you met somebody who agreed with Dr. Dollar, what would you say?
Your essays are due on ... never mind. :)
posted by Tom McGlothlin at 7:00 AM
1 Comments:
I must have too much time on my hands...
Dr. Dollar (HIS NAME CAN'T REALLY BE DR. DOLLAR! I'm going to call him Dr. g for "gansta") makes the case that if one is obedient to God, they will live the good life. Dr. g uses Isaiah 1:19 to bolster his claim: "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" (NRSV). Clearly, this verse supports Dr. g's thesis. The problem with Dr. g's analysis is that it is selective and ignores other scripture that suggest that faithfulness and obedience might or often lead to crucifiction (Matt 10:38, etc.). Dr. g's principles are more like wisdom literature (they often turn out right...but not always). Wesley found that as Methodists grew in holiness, because of their new found discipliine they also often grew in wealth. He saw this as a potential pitfall for their continued growth in holiness and exhorted them to give away all that they had that was extra. Thus, the good life for Wesley was the simple life. The overall message of scripture, particularly the teachings of Jesus, is one more in line with Dr. W. than Dr. g.
There you go, Tom, the benchmark for your class. :)
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