Exploring Theological and Biblical perspectives on wealth and poverty

The subject of wealth and poverty is one of the major themes in the JudeoChristian Scriptures. The continent of Africa is one of the regions hugely affected by poverty. As such, there is an ongoing discourse about the biblical view of wealth and how it may be used in tackling the canker of poverty. At one breath, our contemporary materialistic culture is seducing Christians to accept the idea that poverty is a curse from God, whilst on the other extreme, wealth is viewed as an impediment to entering the kingdom of God. While a complete eradication of poverty remains a formidable challenge, particularly in vulnerable contexts, there exists an opportunity for more concerted efforts to alleviate the plight of the impoverished. As a contribution to the scholarly discourse, this paper examined what the Bible reveals about wealth and poverty and made relevant theological deductions for African church in dealing with wealth and poverty. This is timely against the backdrop that the “centre of gravity” of Christianity is in Africa which makes it befitting to address the menace of poverty from the biblical standpoint. The paper conducted a theological study of relevant biblical passages. The fact that one’s wealth does not necessarily indicate their acceptance by God and the need to share material resources were emphasized. Though the authors had the African continent in mind, the paper also applies to other contexts which share Africa’s socio-economic realities

A Critique of Prosperity Theology in the Context of Ghanaian Christianity

The economic situation in contemporary Ghana makes everyone yearn for economic progress. In Ghana, like many other parts of Africa, religion is responsible for providing the economic, spiritual, and health needs of its adherents. The predominantly Christian population in Ghana makes many people look up to Christianity to provide the road map to the country’s success. In this regard, the prosperity theology/gospel is the most dominant approach to seeking health and wealth among Ghanaian Christians. Though very persuasive, prosperity theology prompts so much debate about its influence on the religious and socio-economic life of Christians and the society at large. On the one hand, it is considered as promoting unethical behaviour and failing to yield qualitative growth for the church. On the other hand, it is considered as attracting a large following to the Christian faith. The need to evaluate the impact of this type of teaching is an urgent theological and pastoral concern because it is the most appealing Christian approach to socio-economic breakthrough for contemporary Ghanaian Christians. This paper, therefore, sought to address the problem of the lack of a balanced assessment of the prosperity gospel and how its weaknesses can be addressed. The study is a literature-based research that gathered data from publications on the subject matter. Through a critical analysis and evaluation of the information gathered, the authors evaluated the overall impact of the prosperity theology on the holistic life (social, spiritual, economic and political) of its adherents and having noted some pitfalls, recommended how this popular theology can be refined. Apart from providing guidelines for addressing the challenges associated with the prosperity theology, the paper also has the potential of yielding ethical renewal for people to live responsibly as they work toward improving their socio-economic and spiritual lives