Welcome back to the podcast, bribe, swindle, or steel.

I'm Alexandra Rogge, and today we're talking about prosperity theology, or the prosperity gospel.

In an attempt to sort out what role it plays, if any, in legitimizing corrupt leaders

and so fueling more corruption. My guest is Professor Jonathan Walton. He's an acclaimed

author, religious scholar, and the plumber professor of Christian morals at the Harvard Divinity

School. He's also the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University. His career

reflects a passionate commitment to social justice and civil rights, and I am delighted to have him

on the podcast today. Thank you so much for joining me, Jonathan. Thank you for having me.

Can you begin by helping us to understand what is meant by prosperity theology?

Prosperity theology or prosperity gospel, it's often used as a broad description to describe a

variety of Protestant traditions that emphasize mind science, positive thinking, and physical

healing and material rewards. Often these are out of the evangelical and what's known as the

word of faith movement, but also there's a strand of new thought metaphysics in it. But most

pointedly, the prosperity gospel or prosperity theology is the belief that God wants all people to

have incredible health and immense innumerable wealth.

I am not a religious person, but this is a little confusing for me when I try to reconcile

it with one of the few quotes that I do know about the camel passing through the eye of a needle.

How are the two reconciled?

Well, often they will, proponents of the prosperity gospel will cite other verses. And there are many

verses throughout the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. And so they would cite that it's not money

that's the root of all evil, but it's the love of money that's the root of all evil.

And so therefore, it's about what people, individuals, are able to do with the resources

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