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The Empowering God
Redeeming the Prosperity Movement and Overcoming Victim Trauma in the Poor
Foreword by Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
Series: McMaster Theological Studies Series
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
The Prosperity movement has been rightly challenged on biblical, theological, and pastoral grounds and has been found to be lacking. Yet, the movement continues to grow in popularity around the world, particularly amongst the poor. What deeper factors might account for this continued sociological appeal?
In this unique study, the author draws on biblical and theological sources as well as research on human flourishing from psychological, sociological, economic, and anthropological perspectives to evaluate possible reasons for this phenomenon. Consequently, he finds that one unexplored reason for the lasting resonance of the Prosperity movement is its unexpected effectiveness in leading practitioners to overcome the trauma of victimization and disempowerment. This undercurrent of empowerment suggests that there are ways Prosperity theology can mature to preserve this dynamic whilst shedding its more questionable practices--thus potentially giving rise to an Evangelical expression of this movement centered around the themes of shalom and human flourishing.
Thus, the constructive aspect of this book proposes an Evangelical theology of empowerment and abundance formed around a robust image of the Empowering God that accounts for abundance and lack, health and disability, and the normal ebbs and flows of life and death.
Edward Y. Suh holds doctorates in ministry from King’s University and in systematic theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently exploring the intersection of spirituality and the behavioral sciences to further expand his research into human flourishing.
“The path to redemption always involves death and burial of some sort. Edward Suh shows that the wrongly called prosperity gospel must die and be buried, not only because there is no gospel other than Jesus Christ, but also due to its distortions of the good news of God in Christ, in order that a theology and praxis of abundance can be liberated for the flourishing of all human beings, including the poor, people with disabilities, and those in other marginalized groups. Both those for and against ‘prosperity’ for various reasons will be challenged and encouraged, precisely the mark of solid theological scholarship.”
—Amos Yong, Fuller Theological Seminary
"The so-called prosperity gospel is deeply problematic and it has attracted significant criticism. Rarely does an author go behind this popular-level theology to explore the impulses that drive it, but this is exactly what Dr. Suh does. This provocative study will change the way we view the prosperity gospel, especially its resonance with aspects of liberation theology; therefore, it should be read widely by scholars and students interested in Pentecostal, Evangelical, and Liberationist expressions of Christianity. I commend it most warmly."
—Mark J. Cartledge, London School of Theology
“A fine contribution not only to the rapidly growing Pentecostal-Charismatic studies, but also to the wider international systematic and constructive theological scholarship. . . . Tapping into contemporary systematic and liberation theologies, as well as interdisciplinary resources (including those coming from behavioral sciences), Suh argues that rightly understood, behind the prosperity gospel appeal is a desire toward human flourishing at the personal and communal levels. The end result is a fascinating constructive recommendation for not only Pentecostal-Charismatics but also to all Christians to envision ordinary human life—even in suffering—as a life of abundance and liberation.”
—Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Fuller Theological Seminary
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