After watching the RFK jr hearing, today … it bears saying, again, that the modern anti-vax position held by countless American christians is the direct fruit of Prosperity Gospel teaching.

While there are countless valid critiques of the PG and its clear doctrinal flaws, the primary criticism that should be leveled against it is that it weaponizes the blessing of individuality and mutates that human quality into a greedy monster who views the world through selfish solipsistic lenses.

I know some scholars will disagree with me on this, but … the Prosperity Gospel AND the modern ecosystem that birthed it is responsible for much of our nation’s ills. It is easy to blame racist misogynists like Doug Wilson on the rise of Christian Nationalism. It’s easy to look at Mark Driscoll and blame people like him for the erosion of trust in ecclesiastic leaders (not to mention the degradation of accountability systems.) However, in both those cases, and countless others, we can easily trace the effects of Prosperity Gospel teaching, doctrines, attitudes, and even verbiage in all of them. Both men stand on platforms and teaching directly connected to PG thought.

It bears saying that the modern PG born of out of the neo-Pente world (and particularly disseminated by the Independent Charis/Word of Faith movements, which are primary drivers in the rise of MAGA) is a rehash of earlier teachings and systems. The seeds born of out of the Enlightenment soon became Quimbyism, Keswickian perfectionism, New Man theory, etc and now, the Prosperity Gospel … which for nearly 70 years has worked its way through every Protestant denom (and then some) and planted itself in bodies of valid doctrine like a cancer, waiting for its moment to metastasize.

That lineage will find another host in the years to come, after all, human nature does not change. We have always suffered under the delusion that world revolves not around Man … but ME.

Ironically, just as colonization often used Faith as an excuse to expand, and erase in the name of exploitation, profit, and dominance … the fruits of PG are now erasing entire orthodox tenets of Christianity for the same reason. A Faith that bloomed during plagues, and saw believers care for those stricken … now prefers dead people to caring for others via a wee jab of a vaccine needle. The Faith that was built upon on the idea of “Take me, instead” … now demands to be put first and to hell with all others.

Literally.