Global Consultation on Prosperity Theology, Poverty and the Gospel
The consultation was held in fulfilment of The Lausanne Movement’s commitment made in Cape Town in October 2010 to engage major issues facing the church, outlined in The Cape Town Commitment. It also built on work already undertaken by the Lausanne Theology Working Group on the Prosperity Gospel in Akropong, Ghana, from 2008-2009.
It is clear that there is no one single ‘prosperity theology’. Prosperity theologies may be seen in different forms. The present major concerns are the forms which undermine the truth of the gospel, parody the grace of God, and attribute a power to the preacher, which is a travesty of the power of the Holy Spirit at work through the accurate preaching of the Scriptures. The false theology has found widespread appeal in the West. Femi Adeleye, based in Ghana, and Director of Church Partnerships for World Vision International, particularly noted the influence in this area of American televangelists.
It was also recognized, as is made clear in The Cape Town Commitment llE, that God does indeed bless in material ways, and that there can be a true, biblical relationship between his blessing and human prospering.
Contributions in Atibaia examined historical, sociological, cultural, economic, and theological contexts in which prosperity teachings occur. Presentations brought well-researched and perceptive insights. They examined the nature of such contexts and the difficulties created, not least for the biblically illiterate who are unable to calibrate the teaching they hear. While such excesses are more graphic in some places than others, these excesses bring insidious expressions of an inadequate doctrine of creation, of sin, and of grace which pervades the church in many nations.
Each speaker demonstrated a deep knowledge of at least one continent, and plenary discussion drew further insights. The following presentations were delivered:
A foundational paper (Valdir Steuernagel, Maicon Steuernagel)
‘What is Prosperity Theology: A sociological review’ (Paul Freston)
‘The New Apostolic Reformation and Prosperity Theology’ (Martin Ocaña)
‘Giving for a Return in the Prosperity Gospel and the New Testament’ (David Downs)
‘Protestant Work Ethics and Prosperity Theology’ (Paul Miller)
‘A Critique of the Way the Bible is Used’ (Femi Adeleye)
‘The Search for Balance: Prosperity and Poverty in the Bible’ (Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu)
‘How is Prosperity Theology Penetrating the Theology and Practice of Mainline Churches?’ (Daniel Salinas)
‘Ethical Dimensions of Prosperity Theology’ (Vinay Samuel; Joel Edwards)
‘Can We Offer a Better Theology?’ (Rosalee Velloso Ewell)
Michael Oh, Executive Director/CEO of The Lausanne Movement, gave the final address from Romans 12, titled ‘Calling the Church to Humility, Integrity and Simplicity’. He ended his session with a call to joyful giving: ‘How are we to give? Toward our financial poverty that many might have spiritual wealth. Leaders cannot shy away from talking about money simply from fears about the abuses of prosperity theology. We need to urge biblical, generous giving—sacrificial giving—or we too will be in error’.
Videos of the presentations will soon be available, and a statement from the consultation will be released later this month. A book bringing together a colloquium on issues raised is envisaged, as well as further resources for equipping the global church to respond to prosperity theology.
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BACKGROUND
Lausanne is a global movement that mobilizes evangelical leaders to collaborate for world evangelization. It grew out of the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization convened in Lausanne, Switzerland, by Rev Billy Graham and Bishop Jack Dain. John Stott was chief architect of The Lausanne Covenant. The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (October 2010) in Cape Town, South Africa, brought together 4,000 Christian leaders representing 198 countries. The resulting Cape Town Commitment serves as the blueprint for the Movement's activities.
Lausanne is convening several consultations each year around the issues articulated in The Cape Town Commitment. Currently, a Global Consultation on Islam is being hosted in West Africa. For more information, visit www.lausanne.org.
CONTACT
For interviews or more information, contact Sarah Chang at media@lausanne.org.
Global Consultation on Prosperity Theology, Poverty and the Gospel
Global Consultation on Islam Held in Ghana
Chaired by John Azumah, Lausanne Senior Associate for Islam, and hosted by Nana Yaw Offei Awuku, Lausanne International Deputy Director for English, Portuguese, and Spanish-speaking Africa (EPSA), the consultation was intended to resource and equip the Majority World church in understanding Islam and engaging with Muslims.
‘For a very long time, Christian witness to Muslims has been a specialized, clericalized, and professionalized task,’ says John Azumah. ‘Mission to Muslims has been left to a number of specialists out of the 2.6 billion members of the global church. Many Christians (lay and ordained) have been largely paralyzed by fear, and in some cases, hatred, inspired mainly by militant Islam. We need to work at de-clericalizing the task and de-escalating the fear and hatred, and inspire the 2.6 billion with the confidence to witness to Muslims and to do so in informed and loving ways.’
Morning devotionals were presented by a Nigerian, an Egyptian, a Filipino, and a native of France working with North Africans. Building on the emphasis of love toward people of other faiths as sounded in section IIC of The Cape Town Commitment, each explored a different dimension of the grace of God that Christians are called to express to their Muslim neighbors.
The first half of the consultation explored five faces of Islam—Mystical and Popular Islam, Missionary and Polemical Islam, Ideological and Political Islam, Militant and Violent Islam, and Progressive and Liberal Islam—with presenters from East Asia, Anglophone Africa, and the Middle East, and respondents from South Asia, Francophone as well as Anglophone Africa, and the South Pacific. Participants continued to explore the implications of these five faces throughout the week and in regional meetings for Africa, Asia, and Middle East/North Africa.
During the second half of the consultation, participants met in four focus groups, exploring needs, opportunities, challenges, and current resources, as well as developing action plans related to training for ministry to Muslims in the context of local churches, seminaries and Bible colleges, mission agencies, and study centers.
A consultation statement, which will serve as a basis for inviting others to network and collaborate in witness to Muslims, with particular focus on identifying and developing resources for churches in the Majority World, is forthcoming. Videos of the presentations will soon be available.
This consultation on Islam is the third in a multi-year series of Lausanne Global Consultations coming out of The Cape Town Commitment (2010), exploring urgent and strategic topics important to world evangelization.
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Update on Younger Leaders Gathering
The unsettled political situation in Ukraine is creating a need for additional planning time for the gathering, which we are planning to hold in Kiev. As a result, we have prayerfully decided to adjust the dates of the gathering to the first half of 2016. At this time, only the timing of the gathering has changed. The participant selection process is continuing as planned. Please continue to pray for Ukraine. Further details about the YLG will be communicated after our leadership teams meet together in May.
The Lausanne Movement will be convening a Younger Leaders Gathering (YLG) in Kiev, Ukraine, in the first half of 2016 (Exact dates TBD - please see notice above).
Nomination Form
This is the third such gathering Lausanne has convened. Previous gatherings held were in Singapore in 1987 and Malaysia in 2006 . These gatherings provided a rallying point for global young leaders toward world evangelization. They also led to many lifelong friendships and partnerships.
The vision of the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering is to connect and mobilize the next generation of evangelical leaders to continue the pursuit of calling the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.
Younger leaders from over 150 countries are expected to gather at the YLG in Kiev. They will pray, reflect, and engage each other on the ongoing challenge of world evangelization, with the goal of bearing witness to Jesus Christ and all his teaching in their generation, in every geographical area of the world and in every sphere of society.
The four-fold goal of this gathering will be:
To encourage the development of a new generation of leaders for the work of evangelization.
To build a global community of young men and women who will grow together in their love for Christ, their knowledge of the world, and their sacrificial commitment to bear witness to the gospel, as well as provide them with access to mentors, peers, and resources to enrich their ministries for a lifetime.
To familiarize them with the history, vision, and people of Lausanne.
To identify the way in which their gifts, passions, and ministries can be aligned with one or more of the priorities of The Cape Town Commitment and to instill in them an appreciation of the significance of The Lausanne Covenant.
We are looking for men and women from around the world who:
Will have a significant voice for the church nationally or globally in the next decades
Have an early track record of achievement and an expanding sphere of influence
Have exemplary character, vibrant spiritual life, and sacrificial service for the glory of God
Have a passionate vision for global evangelization and a kingdom mindset of cooperative ministry
Come from a representative sample of church, mission, academy, and marketplace vocations
Are between 25-35 years old (recognizing there will be cultural exceptions)
We pray that this will be a unique and historic gathering for the next generation of evangelical leaders and that it will have a lasting impact for the kingdom, strengthening the global church and its mission for decades to come.
For more information, please contact the YLG planning team at ylg2016@lausanne.org.
El Análisis Global De Lausana: Marzo 2014
In this edition:
Kamal Weerakoon
» El Cristianismo en Sri Lanka: Cómo podemos aprender y apoyar a su iglesia
Paul Hildreth
» Compromiso con la ciudad: Respuesta a El Compromiso de Ciudad del Cabo sobre las ciudades
Paul Park
» Heridas sin Cicatrizar: La crisis rebrota en Sudán del Sur: Una reflexión sobre la ayuda para el procesamiento de traumas y la resolución de conflictos
» Read the English, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese versions
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The Lausanne Movement
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