"Sowing the seed" and prosperity gospel

[JohnClay]

What do you think of this teaching?

In prosperity‑gospel theology, “sowing a seed” is a metaphor for giving money to a church or preacher with the expectation that God will multiply it and return it to you—often financially.

A pastor who teaches this is Kenneth Copeland and apparently he is worth at least $300 million.

They quote it as if it is Biblical but I'm not sure it is.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

What do you think of this teaching?

A pastor who teaches this is Kenneth Copeland and apparently he is worth at least $300 million.

They quote it as if it is Biblical but I'm not sure it is.

We can safely call Kenneth Copeland a false prophet.

 

[DragonFox91]

A seed is sown when someone hear's the Gospel that man is eternally pardoned from God's wrath due to his sin, & adopted into God's family thru Jesus's work. A Parable is some people hear the Gospel & are happy at first but don't care for it over time, some hear it & never care for it, & some hear it & produce fruit of it, which is work that is pleasing to God. It has nothing to do w/ donating money to a church & getting rich off it. My opinion is, I think you'd be more likely to get nothing material out of it to show that that's not the Gospel.

 

[ViaCrucis]

What do you think of this teaching?

A pastor who teaches this is Kenneth Copeland and apparently he is worth at least $300 million.

They quote it as if it is Biblical but I'm not sure it is.

It's not. Copeland is a fraud and a huckster.

 

[ViaCrucis]

We can safely call Kenneth Copeland a false prophet.

That's being generous and kind.

 

[ChubbyCherub]

It's horrible and exploitative and just as detestable as many other 'teachings' that twist scripture for evil.

 

[d taylor]

-

​

Prosperity gospel makes you rich, but sends you to hell.

 

[NBB]

The bible says 'they will make merchandise of you' speaking of false ministers.
But also we need to understand that people who lives for the gospel should get compensated with money it says too.
"The worker is worthy of their salary" (speaking about ministers)

 

[lismore]

What do you think of this teaching?

Hello! It takes scriptures out of context and twists them. 'Sowing a financial seed', but:

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11)

Another favourite scripture is this one:

Luke 6: 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

But they never quote the verse before:

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

It always pays in these last days to be a Berean and search the scriptures to see if what is said from the pulpit is actually true.


God Bless You

 

[Richard T]

Nothing wrong with seed time and harvest. Give and it shall be given. Sow sparingly, reap sparingly, sow abundantly and reap abundantly. If you are doing things out of the love of money, that is wrong. You should expect more from God so that you can give more. I will defer on my personal views of Copeland because I am not his judge, nor do i know his giving or teaching that well.
To me the bigger problem is that Christians do not discern on where or how to give their money. If you are unsure where to give I encourage any believer to take a trip overseas to a poor nation of your choice. It will change at least part of your giving.

I will comment on the the word of faith teacher Kenneth Hagin. Hagin's bible school is Rhema, which sometimes is called out for some students who went on to be prosperity teaching pastors. To be fair though, Hagin addressed having a balanced view of prosperity in his book "The Midas Touch."
Here is a synopsis I found on it.
"The mythical King Midas wanted everything he touched to turn to gold. But when he got what he wanted, he soon discover he didn't want what he got! Kenneth E. Hagin often dealt with the issue of prosperity for believers during nearly 70 years of international ministry. In The Midas Touch, he explains that following unscriptural teachings can lead the Christian into either a "poverty mentality" or an unhealthy focus on money and things. Both of these are dangerous ditches along the road of life. Rev. Hagin emphasizes a balanced, biblical approach - steering a course down the middle of the road."

I asked google ai about Hagin and his issues with an unscriptural biblical prosperity.

• "Sowing a Seed" to "Reap a Specific Item": Hagin explicitly denounced the practice of giving money (sowing a seed) with the expectation of receiving a specific, tangible return, such as "sowing a Ford and reaping a Mercedes". This "heavenly vending machine" approach was a gimmick Hagin felt corrupted the nature of giving.
• The "Hundredfold Return": Hagin rejected the popular teaching that believers should expect a specific "hundredfold return" on their giving, calculating that if this were universally true, all Christians would be "quadrillionaires".
• Debt Cancellation Gimmicks: Hagin was highly critical of ministers who promised "supernatural debt cancellation" to those who gave in certain offerings, calling it a scheme to raise money for the preacher.
• Lifestyle and Excess: Hagin warned against making material wealth the sole sign of spirituality, noting that "drug traffickers and crime bosses would be spiritual giants" if that were the case
• Focus on Motive: Hagin emphasized that the motive for giving should not be personal gain, as focusing on what one will receive "corrupts the very attitude of our giving nature".

"In summary, Hagin's teachings laid the groundwork for the modern prosperity gospel, but he later attempted to distance himself from what he considered manipulative and unscriptural practices." Though Hagin is often villfied for the prosperity gospel, to me, he shows as straight of path as one can get as far as I can tell and I have read many of his books.

 

[JohnClay]

Nothing wrong with seed time and harvest. Give and it shall be given. Sow sparingly, reap sparingly, sow abundantly and reap abundantly.

Yes that is what some pastors would say. But say there were two Christians with $10,000 in assets each and one gave $1000 to a ministry and another gave $5000 to the ministry - I think usually the first person would be financially better off - unless the second person somehow got blessed more than $4000 more than the first person.

 

[Richard T]

Yes that is what some pastors would say. But say there were two Christians with $10,000 in assets each and one gave $1000 to a ministry and another gave $5000 to the ministry - I think usually the first person would be financially better off - unless the second person somehow got blessed more than $4000 more than the first person.

Some years ago, I was in a group that held a meeting in a poor African village. At the end of the meeting a man asked me to come inside his nearby hut. Dirt floor, no power, no real possessions. Once inside he said he wanted to give me something. He then handed me about the equivalent of 4 US dollars. I was stunned. Normally I might reject such a gift, but to that culture it likely would be considered rude. I asked him how much money he had. His response was that he had plenty with the 3 dollars he had left. It was the greatest giving I have ever seen and I remember it well to this day. Do I think he was better off for having given it? Absolutely, as I share this with you now. I really doubt the love, peace and perhaps even the blessing of God financially could not fall on this person who to me his gift is equal to the widow's mite. Even if the first man was not rewarded more financially in your hypothetical example, he would be rewarded more in heaven where he is assuredly by scripture storing up more in heaven. The truth to me is to be obedient to God, in giving, looking for opportunities that others may neglect. One good test of giving i use is how much does the recipient praise God for it.
I will report one other oddity I can't explain. I have been in healing lines before as a Pentecostal and only once did I receive a lasting significant healing that I am aware of. I mention it because it was the only non local church minister than I gave consistently too. That minister did not know my name, but i think somehow that giving was connected to my faith. That I would not give unless I believed in that ministry. God knew and rewarded me in a non-financial way.
I think there is alot about giving that we don't know. But i encourage all to give with faith, expect God to use the money and to bless you so you can be a bigger blessing. As to the prosperity gospel, all i will say is that i would hope wisdom is preached far more than prosperity. Why? "Because a word fitly spoken is worth more than apples of Gold in settings of silver." Prov 25:11. meditate on that. How could it be? It is true, the right word, the right place, the right time. Not just the gospel but the word that can prevent death, the word that can bring healing , the word that can change a person from darkenss to light. Sure money can be important, but wisdom is the better choice.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

What do you think of this teaching?

A pastor who teaches this is Kenneth Copeland and apparently he is worth at least $300 million.

They quote it as if it is Biblical but I'm not sure it is.

Jesus said His followers will go through persecution and they will be hated

 

[JohnClay]

BTW I've heard stories of people giving large amounts of money to ministries (e.g. a lot of their life savings) and later decide that they need it and the ministries won't give it back... I won't name names though.