A “Gospel” That Is Not Really The Gospel

Megachurch Creflo Dollar. Image credit

Prosperity preacher Creflo Dollar, founder of World Changers Church International, reaped a whirlwind of criticisms when he launched his Project G650 Campaign, asking for “200,000 people to donate $300 each so he can buy a brand new luxurious $65 million Gulfstream G650 airplane for his ministry” [1] Other than the recent engine failure of his thirty-one-year-old private jet, Dollar explained that “he needs one of the most luxurious private jets made today in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

A screen shot of the website appealing to supporters of Creflo Dollar's World Changers International church to help him purchase a million airplane. Caption and image credit

One of those who reacted negatively to his campaign posted on Twitter: “Creflo Dollar needs $65 million for a new jet so he can spread the gospel. Is the gospel so weak it can’t endure coach?” 

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Because of the adverse reaction, he reportedly scrapped the project. According to his spokesperson, “He’s gonna continue traveling commercial.” [4] 

 Dollar is one of the purveyors of the so-called prosperity gospel. 
He preaches the prosperity gospel, which basically boils down to the idea that God rewards faithful followers with earthly riches. And it encourages adherents to “sow a seed” with, or give money to, their pastor as a kind of investment. … One other thing that’s important to know about prosperity teachings: Most Christians, including evangelicals, do not consider them to be a mainstream interpretation of Christianity. [5]
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Yes, God provides. At times, He can even make a person prosper. But, the error of this “gospel” is that it demands that God should make a person rich. The prosperity gospel is not the gospel at all. It is a false gospel. It claims that to be poor is sin and to be rich is blessed. That’s what we call “prosperity mentality.” But the Bible strongly denounces it: “They think religion is a way to make a fast buck. (1 Timothy 6:5, The Message) Of course, the Bible does not teach “poverty mentality” either. It does not say that to be poor financially is blessed and to be rich financially is cursed. (What Jesus really said was, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” [Matthew 5:3a. Emphasis added.) What the Bible actually teaches is a “stewardship mentality.” The poor is not more spiritual than the rich. The rich is not more spiritual than the poor. 

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In “Master Your Money,” Ron Blue defined stewardship as “the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given goals.” Whatever we have in life, we are to make the most of it. We are accountable to God for whatever time, talents, and treasures that He entrusted to us. We also have to learn “how to be content with whatever [we] have.” (Philippians 4:11b, NLT) Plus, if we have this mentality, we will have the highest work ethic. (“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” [Colossians 3:23, ESV].)

Brothers and sisters, let us recognize that God owns everything and we are just His stewards or managers.

[1] Leonardo Blair (2015, March 12), “Televangelist Creflo Dollar Needs 200,000 People to Donate $300 Each So He Can Buy $65M Ministry Plane,” The Christian Post, retrieved from http://www.christianpost.com/.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Abby Ohlheiser (2015, March 17), “Creflo Dollar is no longer asking his faithful to fund a new, $65 million private jet,” The Washington Post, retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] All Bible verses in this devotional guide is from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted. 


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