From: Don Winterstein (dfwinterstein@msn.com)
Date: Mon Jun 30 2003 - 05:37:34 EDT
Perhaps even more to the point: How many "converts" has Hugh Heffner won with his wealth and lifestyle? When it comes to holding out offers of worldly attractions, Christians can't compete and shouldn't try.
When it comes to promoting Christianity, it should be made plain that, for Christians, earthly benefits are gifts of God, dispensed or withheld at his pleasure, and are to be enjoyed only because they are from God. To sell Christianity on the basis of earthly benefits without strict qualification would be gross misrepresentation.
Don
----- Original Message -----
From: JLR173rdNY@aol.com
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 3:13 PM
Subject: Re: Prosperity
The "prosperity preachers" have always bothered me - it almost seems to ask God to be some sort of magician - I say the right incantations - prayers - and I get what I want. There is something worrisome in that idea - I cannot make it work with seems to be a call to serve others.
Additionally, another question on to what extent prosperity can be connected with faith - how does one explain the prosperity of people who are not Christian - devout though they may be in their own traditions? Prosperity is demonstrably not limited to Christians (Michael Dell is one or our local gadzillionaires), which would seem to say to me that either the Good Lord has his own ideas about who he blesses and/or that material prosperity is not a good measure of the Lord's favor.
Janet Rice
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