Harvey Lays Bare the Flaw of the Prosperity Gospel

For any biblically-minded Christian, the prosperity gospel is not a belief system which should be regarded as any element of Christianity. It is not simply another take on the old, old story; it is an entirely new story -- one that does not have any biblical foundations. In a perfect world in which man had never fallen, would God want all of His children to be healthy and wealthy? The answer is yes. But we don't live in that world, and thus we must reject the prosperity Gospel out of hand. Unfortunately, though, we cannot ignore its influence. It is one of the major teachings that American preachers have preached for many years now, and have exported to the "global south" -- Africa, South Asia, and South America, where Christianity is growing rapidly.