Pulpit Peddlers or Godly Preachers: Resolving the Prosperity Controversy

By Warren E. Anderson Sr. and Jonathan M. Anderson, Sr.

We are sure that from the outset, the title of this book has raised eyebrows. It has been the topic of many heated conversations, and perhaps most of all, it has probably caused a lot of consternation among our fellow ministers of the Gospel. This book is not designed to bash any preacher. However, this book does have a twofold purpose.First, it is to expose and mitigate the negative impact, that those individuals who are peddlers of the Word of God, as identified by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:17, are having on the church and especially on those in the church who are still babes in Christ and vulnerable to this brand of corrupt pulpit rhetoric. Further, this book is designed to also hopefully open the eyes of all believers, old and new, veterans or rookies, who are also listening and taking heed to the pulpit peddlers pimpish rhetoric and missing the true intent and nature of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ!Second—and equally, if not more, importantly—this book sets the record straight and resolves the controversy surrounding the preaching of prosperity from the pulpit. This book engages both the topic and the reader from what is written in God's Word. We avoid popular opinions as well as our own wisdom. Instead, this book resolves the prosperity controversy based on what God has said about it in His inspired Word. By the time you get to the end of this book, you will be certain that it is God's will to bless you, based on His riches in glory. However, you will also be certain that God does so according to His individual will for each of us and that He is able to exceedingly and abundantly give above all we can think or ask.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098066451

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Pulpit Peddlers or Godly Preachers

Resolving the Prosperity Controversy

Warren E. Anderson, Sr. and Jonathan M. Anderson, Sr.

Copyright © 2020 by Warren E. Anderson, Sr. and Jonathan M. Anderson, Sr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

We Are the Problem

Spotting the Pulpit Pimps

An Unrighteous Lust for Power

An Unrighteous Lust for Sex

An Unrighteous Lust for Wealth

The Problems of Ministers and Money

The Promises of God to His People

God Pays the Bills

Avoiding Pulpit Pimpinism

The Blessings at God’s Table

Other Books by the Authors

It is Finished: Discovering the Good News Behind the Gospel of Jesus by Jonathan M. Anderson Sr.

5 Essentials for Financial Increase in Any Economy by Jonathan M. Anderson Sr.

Until Death Do Us Part: Stemming the Tide of Divorce in the Church by Warren E. Anderson, Sr.

The Unseen Civil War: The Battle Between Our Flesh and the Spirit (Revised and Expanded) by Warren E. Anderson, Sr.

How to Become Rich: God’s Plan for Financial Prosperity by Jonathan and Kimberly Anderson

Acknowledgments

As we complete this book, we look back with thankfulness to some wonderful people who have been so instrumental in the completion of this book. For some of them, they have had such an awesome spiritual impact on our lives and the words that have come forth in this book.

Warren’s Acknowledgement

Even though they are now with the Lord, I am grateful for my parents, Joseph and Hilda Anderson, for raising me to know, love, and honor God. They lived godly lives both at church and at home and never confused us about their salvation. They always modeled godliness before my siblings and me. As I look back over their lives, I now understand that they saw their responsibilities to teach us to love and honor God!

I also must acknowledge my brothers in Christ who are in my inner circle. You know who you are. They are the ones with whom I discussed the contents of this book as I was writing it and from whom I received such encouragement and prayers as I invested time and energy into completing this book. They continue to be my Aarons and Hurs, holding up my arms as I worked to keep the banner of God held up high in my walk with Him. Walking this Christian journey is so much easier and sweeter when you walk it with others who you know are striving to honor God with their lives just as you are, and with those you know who love you just as you love them with, no pretense.

I could go no further without acknowledging my wife, Itzel, who is my queen, my best friend, my girlfriend, my traveling companion, God’s second-best Gift to me, the woman whom I am convinced God designed specifically for me, and whom I love so much. I truly thank God for "this woman You gave me." She is a godly woman who compels me to love her more each day. My wife is indeed a priceless gift from my God! This book would not be possible without her constant support, her untiring encouragement, and without her continual prayers for me. My wife, my love, I am glad to be walking this life’s journey with you by my side. Baby, I love you!

Jonathan’s Acknowledgement

I want to acknowledge two of the people who have had the most significant impact on my life, family, and ministry, namely my deceased parents, Pastors Joseph and Hilda Mae Anderson. From a child, they taught me the ways of the Lord. They took (sometimes dragged) me to church, usually five or six days every week. But as I look back over my life, I am eternally grateful that they did. My parents demonstrated holy living and laid a firm foundation for me in the Word of God. They lived by Joshua’s creed, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joseph and Hilda Anderson left a spiritual legacy that helped shape me into the husband, father, and man of God I am today. Therefore, I live by the same creed: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Finally, and most of all, we are indebted and grateful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because without Him, our salvation (or this book) would not be possible! He loved us so much that for Him, we were to die for! He forgave all of our sins, and amazingly, He continues to use us in ways we couldn’t ever have imagined. His love covered our multitude of sins! What can we say, God is love. It is who He is, and it is His character!

Instead of using the Word as a sword to pierce through the thoughts and motives of their own hearts, many spiritual leaders have used it as a stick to drive others, for a variety of reasons: to keep others from holding them accountable; to protect their image; to uphold a doctrine they have based a whole ministry upon; to keep funds coming in; to build religious kingdoms in order to bolster their own spiritual self-esteem. In other words, it’s possible that some leaders teach the Word for personal gain, not to heal and to free.

—David Johnson

and Jeff VanVonderen

Introduction

We are sure that from the outset, the title of this book alone has raised eyebrows, has been, and is, the topic of many conversations and even arguments, and, perhaps most of all, has probably caused a lot of consternation among our fellow ministers of the Gospel.

But let us put all of our minds at ease. This book is not meant to bash any minister, preacher, pastor, evangelist, apostle, bishop, or any other titled position among the clergy. In fact, we take great care not to distinguish or point fingers at any individual or individuals, unless they have already been identified in the media. And if we do so, it is only for clarification or the understanding of our audience and never to single them out nor to judge them. Our prayer for those identified in the media and who are indeed guilty of any allegations against them is that they will see the errors of their ways and seek God’s forgiveness because "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 ESV).

So our purpose for this book is twofold. First, it is to expose and mitigate the negative impact that pimpish pulpiteers are having on the church, especially those in the church who are still babes in Christ and vulnerable to their brand of pulpit rhetoric, and to also hopefully open the eyes of believers, old and new, veterans or rookies, who are also listening and taking heed to the pulpit pimps rhetoric and missing the true intent and nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Second—and equally, if not, more importantly—our purpose in writing this book is to set the record straight and to resolve the controversy surrounding the preaching of prosperity from the pulpit.

To this end, we will engage you from what is written in God’s Word. We will not use popular opinions nor our own; we will resolve this prosperity controversy based on what God said about it in His inspired Word. Ours is a mission to open all of our eyes so that we will always look for, and listen for, God’s truth. To this end, we write this book in and with the love of Christ.

Finally, you will find two authors whom God has brought together to write this book. We are both ministers of the Gospel and fellow laborers in Christ. We are not only related by the Blood, but we are also related by blood; we are brothers. As authors and individuals, we each have our own personality and style of communicating. We intended to maintain this individuality in writing this book. Therefore, we have identified the author of each chapter and hopefully by the end of the book, you will have been able to identify with each of us through our writing styles. But most of all, our prayer is that you will have seen the love of Christ in our writing and our goal of helping us all to understand God’s desire to prosper us in every way as we walk in obedience to His Word. Let’s start this journey!

Part 1

Pulpit Pimps: Prostituting God’s Word

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

—James 5:1–3 (ESV)

Many preachers, regardless of their often self-appointed titles, really equate to modern-day examples of Esau. Instead of remaining humble and walking in the giftedness of being God’s called orator and waiting for Him to elevate and bless them, they have sold their spiritual birthright of being God’s herald and shepherd for a bowl of potted meat. In other words, they are more concerned with fulfilling their selfish desires than they are with filling the hearts and minds of God’s people with the truth of His Word.

Perhaps in many ways, those preachers who peddle the Word of God like the pimps who peddle prostitutes for their personal gain must have missed the words of the Apostle Paul as recorded in 2 Corinthians 2:15–17 (NIV):

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ