It's the Maxwell Institute podcast.

I'm Blair Hodges.

If you've never heard of a Christian movement scholars call the prosperity gospel, chances

are you've at least heard of some of its most famous proponents like Joel Austin,

Krefflo Dollar, or Jim and Tammy Fay Baker.

The prosperity gospel is not officially associated with any particular denomination.

It's more like a style of Christianity that

emphasizes God's desire to bless people, particularly and literally when it comes to wealth

and health. Through your faith, you can become healthy and rich. When historian Kate

Boller set out to write a book called Blessed, a history of the prosperity gospel movement, she

found herself being pulled into the book's narrative herself in surprising ways. Boler recently published a powerful follow-up column to BLEST

in the New York Times. She's here to help us understand the frequently lampooned but incredibly

influential prosperity gospel movement. Questions and comments about this and other episodes of the

Maxwell Institute podcast can be sent to MI Podcast at

BYU.edu.

Kate Bowler is assistant professor of American religion at Duke Divinity School, and she's

the author of a book called Blessed, a history of the American Prosperity Gospel.

And Kate, you join me today from Atlanta.

Thanks for being on the show.

So glad to be here.

So the prosperity gospel, this is something that deals with wealth and health and other

issues like this.

...