I’ll Fly Away Oh Glory…in a brand new jet…
CNN reports about prosperity pastor Jesse Duplantis who want the faithful to cough up $54m for a new jet.
It’s all very easy to jump on the band wagon and condemn Pastor Jesse for wanting a new jet and for preaching the prosperity gospel, but what is the big deal?
We should realize that Jesse is not just being a prosperity preacher. He’s being a Protestant preacher.
Check your history. Protestantism was born out of a particular culture, a particular perspective and national spirit. Lutheranism in German. Anglicanism in England. Calvinism in Geneva etc. etc.
When you study the history of Protestantism, part of its genius (and its curse) is that it always adapts to the spirit of the age, the prevailing culture and the current ideologies and passions of the people of the country in which it resides.
Why is everyone, therefore tut tutting about pastor Duplantis and the prosperity gospel? The prosperity gospel is the American gospel. The prosperity preachers are simply putting a religious gloss on what the majority of Americans think is absolutely, totally terrific–getting as rich and happy as you possibly can.
Its “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” man, and especially the pursuit of happiness.
Why do folks cough up the millions for these guys? Because they believe their message and they believe their message because they want to believe and they want to believe it because they want to be like Pastor Jesse.
Jesse and the other like him are sort of like the Donald Trumps of the Pastoring game.
Big, brash, bold, they are gonna “win until you’re sick and tired of winning!”
I’m going to rain on the parade I’m afraid and say, “Before you criticize Jesse Duplantis, examine you own eye. Aren’t you just as greedy and materialistic as he is, and don’t you cover it over with your own version of religious or ideological gloss?
I’m sure you do so with more taste and are less brash the big Jesse, but that only makes your hypocrisy more sneaky.
Right?
It’s all very easy to jump on the band wagon and condemn Pastor Jesse for wanting a new jet and for preaching the prosperity gospel, but what is the big deal?
We should realize that Jesse is not just being a prosperity preacher. He’s being a Protestant preacher.
When you study the history of Protestantism, part of its genius (and its curse) is that it always adapts to the spirit of the age, the prevailing culture and the current ideologies and passions of the people of the country in which it resides.
Why is everyone, therefore tut tutting about pastor Duplantis and the prosperity gospel? The prosperity gospel is the American gospel. The prosperity preachers are simply putting a religious gloss on what the majority of Americans think is absolutely, totally terrific–getting as rich and happy as you possibly can.
Its “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” man, and especially the pursuit of happiness.
Why do folks cough up the millions for these guys? Because they believe their message and they believe their message because they want to believe and they want to believe it because they want to be like Pastor Jesse.
Big, brash, bold, they are gonna “win until you’re sick and tired of winning!”
I’m going to rain on the parade I’m afraid and say, “Before you criticize Jesse Duplantis, examine you own eye. Aren’t you just as greedy and materialistic as he is, and don’t you cover it over with your own version of religious or ideological gloss?
I’m sure you do so with more taste and are less brash the big Jesse, but that only makes your hypocrisy more sneaky.
Right?
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