The Persecution and Martyrdom of the Early Christians and the Prosperity Theology Today
ISSUE: Vol.5 No.3 September 2019 Article 4 pp.32-41
AUTHOR: Kwaku Boamah
DOI : 10.32051/09301904
ABSTRACT
The Christian life is often believed to be a transition to heaven; therefore, Christians are expected to be indifferent to the passions of this earth. However, the cravings of many Christians today are all about prosperity, materialism, and affluence. Meanwhile, it is recalled that the early Christians suffered persecutions and martyrdoms. It is anticipated that the church as an institution will help her members to deal with discomforting conditions as a result of their faith. It is in this light, that this paper adopts largely historical and observational approaches in order to evaluate the way churches today deal with suffering. It is interesting that the Historical Mainline Churches are found to be less interested in the prosperity gospel hence many of their sermons focus more on the reality of suffering and the second coming. However, the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches cling more towards the prosperity theology while curtailing emphasis on Christian suffering.
Keywords: Persecution, Martyrdom, Prosperity, Suffering
© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).