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Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel Reprint Edition
by Kate Bowler (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 198 ratings
4.0 on Goodreads
780 ratings
How have millions of American Christians come to measure spiritual progress in terms of their financial status and physical well-being? How has the movement variously called Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name It and Claim It, or simply prosperity gospel come to dominate much of our contemporary religious landscape?
Kate Bowler's Blessed is the first book to fully explore the origins, unifying themes, and major figures of a burgeoning movement that now claims millions of followers in America. Bowler traces the roots of the prosperity gospel: from the touring mesmerists, metaphysical sages, pentecostal healers, business oracles, and princely prophets of the early 20th century; through mid-century positive thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and revivalists like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin; to today's hugely successful prosperity preachers. Bowler focuses on such contemporary figures as Creflo Dollar, pastor of Atlanta's 30,000-member World Changers Church International; Joel Osteen, known as "the smiling preacher," with a weekly audience of seven million; T. D. Jakes, named by Time magazine one of America's most influential new religious leaders; Joyce Meyer, evangelist and women's empowerment guru; and many others. At almost any moment, day or night, the American public can tune in to these
preachers-on TV, radio, podcasts, and in their megachurches-to hear the message that God desires to bless them with wealth and health. Bowler offers an interpretive framework for scholars and general readers alike to understand the diverse expressions of Christian abundance as a cohesive movement bound by shared understandings and common goals.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Blessed is beautifully written and extremely entertaining, yet not at the expense of its subjects. Bowler analyses them with academic rigor and as an insider-outsider-a Christian who does not claim the prosperity gospel-yet she exudes compassion, even for easy targets like disgraced televangelists. Her sources are varied and vast, with two appendices clearly laying out intensive research. Recently re-released in paperback, Blessed a must-read for all students of religion and American culture, from college undergraduates to journalists to academics. Read it now!" -- Brendan J. Payne, North Greenville University
"[A] magnificent study."--Heath W. Carter, Journal of Cultural Economy
"Highly entertaining...and deeply human."--David F. Ruccio, Journal of Cultural Economy
"Very readable and engaging...Blessed is the best history of the development of the prosperity gospel written to date. It is an important addition to the library of pastors or scholars who regularly encounter the prosperity gospel in their ministry."--Southwestern Journal of Theology
"Bowler shows how the prosperity gospel movement has drawn from multiple denominational, racial, ethnic, and even secular subtraditions. She identifies both the dazzling diversity and the common understandings that have given the prosperity gospel coherence"
--Christian Century
"Bowler's respect for her subjects and her ability to locate them in the larger American religious narrative mean that serious scholars dismiss the prosperity gospel at their own peril. Bowler shows us that its deep roots and vibrant future, even after the recent recession, place it solidly in the category of religious movements to watch." --Church History
"Marvelous this is a stunningly empathetic book. By pushing far beyond caricature, Bowler has produced a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the prosperity gospel and how it is, even now, remaking the American religious landscape." --The Christian Century
"An important account of an audacious contemporary religious phenomenon." --Booklist
"[A] riveting historical account." --Publishers Weekly
"The 'prosperity gospel' is as much despised by its detractors as it is embraced by its millions of adherents. Yet until Kate Bowler's Blessed, no one has attempted a balanced, informative, inquisitive survey. Her book is a metaphorical godsend for those with an outsider's curiosity about one of the fastest growing religious movements in contemporary America and a literal one for those inside." -- Mark A. Noll, author of Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction
"Though often maligned and misunderstood, Bowler's comprehensive and exciting examination of the prosperity gospel demonstrates the ways 'health and wealth' has been a staple of American Protestant life since the 19th century. Blessed provides a thorough and nuanced account of the phenomenon, as it skillfully examines varying attitudes toward prosperity which emerged across racial, regional, and denominational lines. This is a grand contribution to the field of American religious history." -- Jonathan L. Walton, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Professor of Religion and Society, Harvard University
"This book propels Kate Bowler into the first rank of younger historians of religion in America. The author's keen ear, her perceptive insights, and her command of history make this a remarkable and unforgettable book-and her conclusion that the 'prosperity gospel consecrated America's culture of optimism' rings very true." -- Randall Balmer, author of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
"Blessed is worthwhile reading for what it is-a history of the prosperity gospel and not a theology of the prosperity movement. I've benefited from time spent working through it and would recommend it to those seeking to learn about this topic." --The Gospel Coalition
"Blessed is a good history of the rise and flourishing of the gospel." --The Blade
"...[A]n unprecedented historical examination of health and wealth as spiritual subjects in American Christianity by tracing the rise, development, and transformation of the prosperity gospel in the United States." --Religious Studies Review
About the Author
Kate Bowler is Assistant Professor of American Religion at Duke Divinity School.
Product details
Publisher : Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (March 1, 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler, PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. In her twenties, she became obsessed with writing the first history of the movement called the “prosperity gospel”—which promises that God will reward you with health and wealth if you have the right kind of faith. She researched and traveled across Canada and the United States interviewing megachurch leaders and televangelists and everyday believers about how they make spiritual meaning out of the good and bad in their lives. The result was the book, Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, which received widespread media attention and a lot of puns about being #blessed.
At age 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, causing her to think in different terms about the research and beliefs she had been studying. She penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), which tells the story of her struggle to understand the personal and intellectual dimensions of the American belief that all tragedies are tests of character.
Her third book, The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities follows the rise of celebrity Christian women in American evangelicalism. Whether they stand alone or beside their husbands, they are leading women who play many parts: faithful wife, spiritual authority, and Hollywood celebrity.
On her popular podcast, Everything Happens, Kate speaks with people like Malcolm Gladwell, Matthew McConaughey, and Anne Lamott about what wisdom and truth they’ve uncovered during difficult circumstances.
Her latest book, No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear), grapples with her diagnosis, her ambition, and her faith as she tries to come to terms with limitations in a culture that promises anything is possible.
Kate’s work has received wide-spread media attention from NPR, The Today Show, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the TED Stage, and Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her family, continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School, and stockpiles anecdotes about the hidden benefits of being from the middle of Canada.
Top reviews from the United States
Gary E. Gilley
5.0 out of 5 stars "... helpful book for understanding the theology, history, and dangers of the prosperity movement."Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2018
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The prosperity gospel has emerged from the roots of the 19th century New Thought movement, coupled with elements of 20th century Pentecostalism and the American “can-do” spirit, to become the dominant force in 21st century Christianity, especially in America but increasingly exported globally (chapter one). Professor Kate Bowler spent years researching for this book, visiting 25 percent of all prosperity megachurches, attending all of the major conferences and participating for 18 months in a small African American prosperity church (p. 261). Her research is thorough, objective and insightful. The book is developed according to a three-fold thesis (p. 7):
• Seeking to show how millions of American Christians came to see money, health, and good fortune as divine.
• Documenting the transformation of Americans who question an ethic of self-denial, and replacing it with a method of reaching into “God’s treasure trove and pulling out a miracle”.
• Explaining how the prosperity gospel is centered on four themes: faith, wealth, health, and victory.
Much of Bowler’s work is that of a historian. She traces the history and development of the prosperity gospel from its New Thought beginnings which led to positive thinking (p. 36), including the influence of Norman Vincent Peale (pp. 55-60). This was followed by the healing revivals of the 1940s and 1950s (pp. 39-55), the charismatic movement of the 1960s and the subsequent Vineyard Movement which opened the door between Pentecostalism and the traditional church. It was through this door that the prosperity gospel entered main-stream Christianity (p. 76). The Full Gospel Business Men’s Association became an important catalyst for the spread of this rising brand of Pentecostalism (pp. 82, 121). Kenneth Hagin, Oral Roberts and the Copelands all played major roles in the early spread of prosperity teachings. The mantle was later picked up by a great number of Word of Faith and prosperity leaders such as Benny Hinn, Jimmy Bakker, Fred Price, David Cho, Paul Crouch, Marilyn Hickey, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, Randy & Paula White, and Joel Osteen. By 1970 there were 50 prosperity megachurches; by 1990 there were 310 (pp. 100, 181-186). The number has greatly increased since then.
It is interesting that, when questioned, most prosperity teachers deny the title (p. 249) but they can be identified by their common teachings such as (see chart p. 253):
• Positive confession (our words determine our life (pp. 22, 66-68, 187-190, 225)).
• Healing in the atonement (pp. 18, 95, 149).
• Promise of health
• Sowing and reaping.
• Rhema – or Word of Faith Theology
• Seed faith
• Victory in this life as our destiny (p. 179).
• The law of attraction – our words and faith attract good or ill (p. 236).
Some form of the prosperity gospel has now won over the majority of Christians worldwide. Its appeal is well summarized by Bowler:
"The prosperity movement offers a comprehensive approach to the human condition. It sees men and women as creatures fallen, but not broken, and it shares with them a “gospel,” good news that will set them free from a multitude of oppressions…The faith movement sells a compelling bill of goods: God, wealth, and a healthy body to enjoy it…The prosperity gospel’s chief allure is simple optimism" (p. 232).
Blessed is a most helpful book for understanding the theology, history, and dangers of the prosperity movement.
Reviewed by Gary E. Gilley, Pastor-teacher, Southern View Chapel
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Ken Jacobsen
1.0 out of 5 stars Truly Horrifying...Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022
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Imagine a book about Muslim mullahs who are preaching polytheism but never mentions that the religion of Muhammad strictly opposed polytheism. Imagine a book about a group of Jewish rabbis who preach eating pork without ever mentioning that Moses and two thousand years of Jewish tradition forbid it. Imagine a book about a group of Lutheran pastors who are preaching submission to the pope without any mention of Luther or his opposition to Catholicism.
This is Ms Bowler's book. She is writing about Christian 'prosperity' preachers who relentlessly equate wealth with being 'Blessed' yet, like these preachers, she never once in her long book bothers to mention the fact that Christ himself teaches exactly the opposite.
And it's Christ's words that completely demolish the entire premise of the 'prosperity gospel';
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God. ..
.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort."
These are not at all Christ's only words in the subject and his teachings are known throughout the world – that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, that his followers should be on guard against every form of greed, that the poor man Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went straight to hell, yet Bowler finds none of Christ's teachings on the subject worth mentioning. Why on earth not?
Instead Bowler's book is like reading a history of American slavery that's full of gushing praise for the institution of slavery and unabashed admiration for its proponents while it whitewashes the situation of the slaves themselves, who only appear briefly in its final pages. And for anyone who's been involved in one of these churches, like I have, it's slaves that these people are – lied to, manipulated and ruthlessly exploited.
Concluding with a seemingly endless stream of glowing praise for this deliberate deception, Bowler's book declares;
"The prosperity gospel’s emphasis on the individual’s responsibility for his or her own fate resonated strongly with the American tradition of rugged self-reliance."
But these people are not living in 'rugged self reliance' they are living in fear – fear that their financial difficulties are caused by not giving enough money to their 'pastor', fear that their situation will only get worse if they stop 'tithing', fear that if they tell anyone about their difficulties that such 'negative confession' will only make things even worse. It is a prison of lies, worse than any legal prison because freedom will not come until they are convinced to believe otherwise.
Out of the many hundreds of books that have been produced by these 'prosperity preachers', I suspect that none will do more to keep these people trapped in that miserable slavery than this one.
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Top reviews from other countries
Mum of 4
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating readReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2018
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I struggled to get into this book when I first started reading it, but once I was past the first few pages I was gripped! I found it fascinating, informative and very helpful. The author writes as an impartial observer, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions. What I read clarified many issues for me and I was really glad that I had read it. I have passed it on to others to read also.
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jshack73
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent surveyReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2018
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Researched over a decade ago but very helpful. Dry in parts - reflecting the dissertation it was born out of - but full of incite, sense & observation.
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Fran Ugo
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2018
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An excellent and well-researched book on an important subject. Highly recommended.
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Ken Penner
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating readReviewed in Canada on June 23, 2013
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Top notch research and wonderful story telling opened up this relatively unfamiliar world to me. The good, the bad and the ugly - all portrayed with an even-handed approach with the author assuming that the 'truth will out'. The best parts of this book for me were the personal stories the author brought to bear on various aspect of 'health and wealth' theology; the most touching - the way in which followers of the prosperity gospel deal with the death of their own; the most enlightening - the way in which this theology dovetails with the American dream.
Good stuff!
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Brad Sumner
5.0 out of 5 stars Hashtag BlessedReviewed in Canada on June 23, 2018
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I have appreciated both of Kate's books as well as her podcast. The mix of scholarship, history and personal narrative in this one is compelling. She is seeking to genuinely understand and also critique misuses and misunderstandings with an eye to being constructive and helping people spot genuine faith in the midst of all the bling.
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