There are frequent outcries against and defenses of the so-called prosperity gospel, as delivered by Joel Osteen and his ilk.  The news that this teaching has made its way to Nigeria recently appeared right here on TC.  It’s bad enough that Americans are worshipping at the altar of a vending machine God; now we’re exporting it to the very poorest nations in the world?

Hear how John Piper feels about this.  I’ll give you a hint: he’s not terribly pleased.  You might be able to tell I’m not thrilled with the prosperity gospel either… but is it really a perversion of the Gospel of Christ?  Or is it just America’s cultural spin on Christianity, much like the cultural admonition in Paul’s time for women to cover their heads?

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