The gospel according to Mammon

Jul 08, 2018 Countryman, Features / Columnists

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By Dennis Nichols

Most adults in my sixties age group would have been, as children, in mild awe of ‘the church’, usually the one our parents attended. We were taught to respect the building, its congregants, and most of all, the priest.

The Sunday sermon-message delivered by the anointed one, no matter how far removed from our childish experiences, always had a few recognizable phrases that we could regurgitate as proof of open ears if not receptive minds. The reverence and austerity surrounding church-going didn’t have to be understood to be appreciated. How times have changed.

Adult humans desire material wealth, usually inclusive of a solid bank account. But it has escaped the grasp of many of us, and is now almost certainly out of my reach. At least that’s what I think. But a number of preachers of what is termed the prosperity gospel, tell me otherwise. They say that if I plant money seeds, I should expect a cash harvest of astonishing proportions, such wealth being a measure of God’s favour to his children. Being more cynical than agricultural, I call it the gospel according to Mammon.

Many of these ‘prosperity pastors’ run mega-churches with congregations of several thousands, and model what they preach in their lifestyle. They wear the most expensive suits (accessorized of course) live in million-dollar mansions, own several  high-end vehicles, and zoom through the skies in private jets with eight-figure price tags. It should be noted; however, that these are few in number compared to the majority of Christian pastors who work diligently for relatively meagre wages.

It is claimed that much of their wealth comes from the donations, offerings, and tithes of church members, most of whom are simple believers. In addition, critics say they rake in huge sums from books, DVDs, conferences, special offerings, what some call the ‘honour the pastor scam’ and other means, including questionable ones.

It’s all part of the so-called prosperity gospel (PG) sweeping churches in several countries, including the mighty United States, Africa, Brazil, and little Guyana. Linked to Pentecostalism and the Word of Faith movement, it proposes that God’s will is for us to be financially prosperous, among other benefits, as a reward for our faith, positive vibes, and cash donations. It has however been criticized by several Christian leaders, including some in the Pentecostal movement itself, as false and exploitative.

Some say material wealth is not good for the soul, especially the soul yearning for relief from its lack. So you get the pie-in-the-sky crowd who suffer with silent dignity, and wait. I don’t get that either. However, it does sound more spiritual, and for Christians, definitely biblical. But don’t tell it to a poor, jobless Guyanese canecutter or a junior clerk at the Ministry of Whatever. Go for the gold, or in our country’s not-too-distant future, the oil!

By popular definition, Guyana is poor – an impoverished country girl grooming herself with home-made coconut oil waiting for the upsurge of black gold to pump a plethora of dollars so she can afford the more expensive pomades. In the meantime, many Guyanese are filling the collection baskets of certain church houses (and preachers’ pockets?) waiting in faith-filled anticipation for their bonanza of wealth and health. Some claim to have received one or both, and who am I with my earthly skepticism to doubt them? But doubt lingers.

This anecdote made the rounds in Guyana several years ago. During a service at one of the more popular Pentecostal churches, a woman who put a couple of $20 notes in the collection receptacle was called out and humiliated by the pastor’s wife. It was said that the woman admitted to her ‘oops’ moment, and was shown explicitly by the Pastor’s spouse how to make a larger and more acceptable offering. Why she would have felt compelled to such an ‘admission of guilt’ in the first place is beyond me.

I have often listened to televangelists making the prosperity pitch, and am baffled by both the brazenness of some and the subtlety of others. Their charisma is undeniable and their justification appears unassailable, more so when the bible is held up as a guide to what one may presume is God’s will. Why, they ask, would a loving, all-powerful God who owns the treasures of the universe, not want His children to be wealthy and healthy? The answer evidently is that He would. The problem is that much of what the New Testament says on this issue seems to contradict that presumption.

PG proponents like to tell their listeners that Jesus was no poor, wandering teacher; that he and his disciples were wealthy, with financial and miraculous resources enabling them to travel without working, and feed 5000-plus people at one go. They remind of what the scriptures say such as “You have not because you ask not”;“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers”, and the oft-repeated “Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over…” And there are more.

Critics point out that these scriptures are simply taken out of context. For example, in the Book of Galatians, it says, “Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.” But it continues, “For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.”

It doesn’t appear that the writer is talking divine dollars here, but interpretation will have its say.

Although the bible doesn’t necessarily extol poverty as a virtue, there is little ambiguity with at least half a dozen other passages addressing the possession of wealth. One of the most straightforward is Jesus’ admonition not to ‘lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also …” Another is directed at a rich young ruler requesting eternal life, whom Jesus told to sell all he had and give to the poor. Knowing he had great possessions, he departed in sorrow. The apostle Paul sagely observed that love of money is the root of all evil.

Jesus, whom Christians strive to emulate and follow, noted pointedly, if figuratively, that it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter heaven. In his most profound speech – The sermon on the Mount, he bestows blessings on the poor, the humble, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and those who mourn. At no point does he state or imply that those who seek material wealth from God could be divinely favoured.

Guyana (and the rest of the world) has large numbers of people like those mentioned in the beatitudes, and few like the pastors mentioned in the third paragraph. Should those numbers be reversed due to the Mammon gospel, I would be amazed, not because I would become materially rich, but because I would probably remain among the ‘poor’ by choice.

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