“I just want to say thank you for the Mike and Costi episode! I am only 17 minutes in and am sitting in my office almost in tears. I can already tell it is going to be relatable to my situation and I am so excited people are talking about this!
My last UPC "Bishop" was really into the prosperity gospel and fake healings. At one point, I think around 2010, he "prophesied" through a dream he had that in 2014, the church would build a new building to seat 1000 and even have a helipad to accommodate all of the people coming to him for their healing. (It was a country church with less than 150 members) Needless to say, that has yet to happen.
“sitting in my office almost in tears”
As a person living with chronic illness, I was taught there was something wrong with me that I wasn't healed. I begged God to heal me too many times to count which set me up for grave disappointment when it never happened. I learned through experiencing my own defeat while simultaneously listening my pastor galliently tell stories from the pulpit of his healing successes that God must not love me like he did other people. Or maybe there was something fundamentally wrong with me and God had forgotten me altogether. Or worst yet, this "God" I had heard about my entire life wasn't loving at all, but instead cold, cruel, and calloused.
Fast forward to now. I have had to relearn everything I "knew" about God. I've had to learn about his traits and love. It's been a journey to say the least. You guys know that part. This past few weeks, I've faced potentially a life altering medical situation and it has hurled me into my old insecuries about the very character of God. My therapist asked me yesterday if I genuinely believed God is good, and I struggled to answer that honestly. It's difficult to believe God is good when you have been taught he is like a genie in a bottle for those who do all the things "just right."
So here I am, struggling through a faith crisis, yet again. But this time, I get to watch as other people publicly validate everything I experienced, and that is beyond helpful. Prosperity gospel hurts people. How many of those have left God altogether after being victimized by this bad theology? And I don't blame them. If God is anything like Benny Hinn, or my old pastor, I think I'd rather take my chances elsewhere. Thanks for all you do. Sincerely.”
“Prosperity gospel hurts people”