Economic Downturn Putting Prosperity Preachers Out of Business

If you believe that God rewards faithfulness with material goods, then going under must mean you've done something very very wrong.

"I believe the charismatic movement, of which I am a part, is in the midst of a dramatic overhaul," said J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine. "God is shaking us." Grady predicts the movement will look much different in a few years as it refocuses on evangelism and overcoming what he calls the distraction of "materialism, flashy self-promotion, and foolish carnality." But Scott Thumma, a Hartford Seminary sociologist who studies megachurches, is not so certain.

"Most clergy who preach a prosperity gospel would interpret for their congregation any conflict, scrutiny, or questioning as an attack of the Devil and proof that they are following God," he said.

full article, Christianity Today

So basically, you take the EXACT OPPOSITE of what you're preaching and explain that it ACTUALLY PROVES YOU RIGHT. Meanwhile Jesus, St. Peter, St. Thomas, etc., ALL died humiliating deaths in poverty.

Ancient Faith Radio had an excellent podcast on the prosperity gospel recently.