Prosperity Preacher Not Welcome At Seminary School Graduation

At least 33 students, a 29-year member of the board of trustees of Interdenominational Theological Seminary, and renowned theologian James Cone of Union Theological Seminary are boycotting the commencement speech given by Bishop Eddie Long this weekend. The opponents are against Long speaking because of their differing views on three grounds: the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the future of the black church, and how a Christian lives out his or her faith.

Long preaches what is known as prosperity gospel, that God rewards the faithful with financial success. He declared in a 2005 interview that Jesus wasn’t poor. In 2003 Long told a meeting of civil rights veterans in Atlanta that blacks must “forget racism” because they had already reached the promised land.

In 2004 Long led a march while carrying a torch lit at King’s crypt where he called for a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

On the other hand Cone and the students boycotters believe that Jesus identified with the poor as opposed to the prosperous and cites Martin Luther King’s legacy as one of identified with the downtrodden and oppressed. The students wrote a six page letter citing Long’s questionable ethics (yep, news to me too). They cite a speech he gave that denigrated the value of seminary teaching; an Atlanta-Journal Constitution article that stated Long’s charity provided him with at least $3 million dollars in salary and other benefits; and Long’s statements denigrating preachers of small churches: “You’ve got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher sitting over there that’s supposed to be just getting by because the people are suffering.”

What is The State Of . . . the black church? Is there a growing rift between mid-size and small black churches and the mega churches that preach the prosperity gospel? The new boycott would seem to be a sign of such. I’ve talked about what the message is from black churches today and how it is different that the message relayed in many churches during King’s day and even twenty years ago during my formative years. I think many people, including Cone and the student protestors feel that the prosperity gospel overlooks the missionary work that was traditionally preached in most, if not all, black churchs: social service. I have discussed with others on this topic and they feel that Jesus wants us to be prosperous in all things. All things would, of course, include financial wealth. And having wealth provides us with advantages that enable us to help others. Trickle down spirituality.

I (Rich) side with Cone and the protestors on this one. I think the prosperity gospel distracts us from many social ills that are still plaguing the world. (Even Long said racism was over.) If the minister is going to instruct me on how the gospel should guide my life, I, for one, would like to hear more on how it would guide me to support assistance for immigrants, human rights for our prisoners in an unending war, to criticize politicians who lie and withhold the truth, and how it would guide me to not support tax cuts that would increase my own personal wealth but would take away from those with the least. I think even though the prosperity gospel may mean well, it focuses on individual material prosperity as opposed to the social and spiritual proseperity of the many.

In this country, when faced with a choice between one’s own prosperity and the prosperity of those in another race, class, or socio-economic rung, which would you choose? WWJD?
Hat Tip To Chauncey Spears for bringing this to my attention.