Another Kind of Bad Theology

Paula White is a televangelist and teaches the prosperity gospel – also often referred to as “Name it and Claim it Theology,” the “Word of Faith” movement, or the “Health and Wealth Gospel.” It is a theological stream of charismatic Christianity which teaches that God blesses those who have faith in Him with financial prosperity, physical health, and success. It also promotes the belief that sickness and poverty are signs of a lack of faith. Those who promote this theology usually tell their followers that those who financially support their ministry are demonstrating to God that they do have faith, and that God will bless them with wealth and success.

Recently, White told donors that those who give at least $1,000.00 to her ministry between April 12 and 20, 2025 (by Passover) will please God, and that He will “release seven supernatural blessings upon them. (You can read the article about this at: https://ministrywatch.com/paula-whites-passover-promises/) As the basis for her plea, she quoted a passage in Exodus 23 where God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover. The seven supernatural blessings she said they would receive included:

1. An angel assigned to them;
2. God being an enemy to their enemies;
3. Prosperity;
4. Sickness removed from them;
5. Long life;
6. Increase and inheritance; and
7. A special year of blessing.

Essentially, what White has done is to take this passage of Scripture completely out of context and use it as a fund raising instrument for her “ministry.” There are multiple problems here.

First, while God certainly does bless His people, the emphasis on material blessings and success is not what the Bible teaches. God’s greatest blessings have nothing to do with material gain. His first priority is people’s eternity, not their temporal life. 

God’s purpose for mankind is not related to material success, but to a spiritual relationship with Him. Some Christians do achieve material success, but there are a much greater number who do not than do – and becoming materially “successful” has nothing to do with them exercising “faith” by sending contributions to multi-millionaire televangelists. By the same token, there are many non-Christians who also achieve material success but have no relationship to God whatsoever.

Another problem with White’s plea is that, as mentioned above, she is taking the Bible passage completely out of context to serve her own selfish purposes. For one, this promise of God was given to Israel during their time of wandering in the wilderness before they entered the Holy Land, not to individual Christians in modern times. For instance, an angel is not promised as a personal bodyguard for all believers. There are exegetical and historical problems with each of the other items, as well. Context is critical. Not every passage of Scripture can legitimately be interpreted as if it applied to the reader.

Perhaps you have heard the joke about the guy who was searching for God’s will, so he randomly opened the Bible and pointed to a verse. His assumption was that God would lead him directly to know His will. So the man opened the Bible and his finger fell on Matthew 27:3-5. That reads: 

3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and left; and he went away and hanged himself. 

Well, you get the idea. Correct exegesis is absolutely critical.

And White gets it completely wrong. The Prosperity Gospel theology is not biblical theology. What she is asking actually runs contrary to what the Bible teaches.

God’s purpose for creating mankind was not so that they could receive material blessings. His purpose was for relationship to Himself. He is working to bring all people into that relationship. One of the blessings He has given to His followers is to partner with Him in that process. But in order to reach all people, it is necessary for some of those followers to be in places that do not necessarily allow them to become “prosperous” (wealthy). God has an entirely different set of priorities than White and the other Prosperity Gospel advocates.

It is not the place of televangelists and their followers to dictate to God what His priorities should be. They need to get with the program and get on His side.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

To set up an appointment to speak to a Literary Agent:
Email: Alfredo Baguio
Call: (702) 605-4354