9Marks Journal: Prosperity Gospel (第3期：警惕成功神学)

Here’s a prediction: as Western culture increasingly turns against Christianity, the prosperity gospel will keep growing, at least for a time. It won’t be the only false teaching whose stock rises in a spiritually bearish market. Theological liberalism in some fangled form will always lurk in the shadows, ready to mug anyone who lets down their guard. But the prosperity gospel is a uniquely attractive stock in a materially acquisitive and entitlement-driven age, so expect its share price to keep rising on exchanges around the globe. As with any pressurized system, the growing cultural opposition to the biblical faith will send Christians and spiritual seekers in search of a relief valve, some path of least resistance that lets the God-talk continue flowing through the pipes, while the tough demands of the faith disappear through a valve door. And here it’s hard to think of a better path of least resistance than a message that promises health and wealth but is effectively post-biblical. Prosperity is a different kind of sneaky than theological liberalism because it usually affirms the doctrines you affirm, at least with its lips. Liberalism appeals to the intellect, prosperity to the appetite. But it’s like liberalism in two ways: it exploits the evangelical inclination toward an attractional model of ministry, which builds on common ground with the culture; and it enters church buildings and sermon manuscripts wearing Christian camouflage. It sneaks in softly, gently, not with the BLING BLING of the Preachers of L.A., but with a nodding and sympathetic, “You want a healthy marriage? Jesus wants that, too.” Which of course is true. Yet little by little, the Bible becomes a handbook to your best life. Church morphs into a therapy session. And God and his gospel exist for your sake, not you for his.

The goal of this Journal is to increase awareness and educate evangelicals concerning the prosperity gospel for the sake of diagnosis and prevention. As a couple of the articles will suggest, this globally-popular American export exists on a spectrum between soft and hard, more evangelical and less. Indeed, you and I can probably find some of it in our own hearts, as one piece observes. This issue concludes with a meditation on biblical theology, because it’s in the storyline of Scripture that we find the real antidote to all proof-texting reductionist gospels. The Bible is all about the glory of God in the face of Christ. Beholding him is the pathway to the truly blessed life.

我可以这样说：只要西方文化继续反对真实的基督教信仰，成功神学就会继续发展，至少在一段时间内是这样的。

成功神学并不是唯一一个在这个属灵疲软的市场上上升的虚假教导。新派神学也同样在这片土地上游荡，随时准备吞吃那些放下心中防备的人。但是成功神学在这个对物质贪得无厌的世界里显得特别诱人，所以我们能够看到它在短期内的迅猛发展。它的教导是非常现实的：神渴望给你一个装了对开大门真皮装饰的豪宅、满足你的性需要、打造一个更好的你。这就像华尔街巨鳄和励志大师的结合，充斥了基督教书店的书架。

在我们这个一切都被包装好的世界里，日益增长的反福音、反基督教文化让一些基督徒和慕道友们开始寻找一些让人感觉舒服一点的、不是那么遭人讨厌和抗拒的基督教信仰，他们认为这好过与文化发生激烈的对抗导致人群的流失。从这个角度来看，没有什么信息比成功神学更难叫人抵挡的了：它应许财富与健康，也讲一些圣经的道理，看起来像基督教。

成功神学比新派神学更加狡猾，因为它一般认同你所持有的教义和信条——至少在口头上承认。新派神学吸引人的智识，成功神学吸引人的胃口。但是在两方面成功神学非常像新派神学：第一，它将信仰建立在一个吸引人、追求与文化认同的事工模式上；第二，它穿着“基督徒”的外套。他悄悄的溜进我们的教会里，不像《洛杉矶传道人》（美剧，描写成功神学传道人的财富生活）那样闪耀夺目，但是却悄悄的问我们，“你想要健康的婚姻吗？耶稣也想你的婚姻健康。”这句话当然是对的，但是渐渐的，圣经变成你“更美生活”的指南，去教会变成了参加心理治疗，神与基督的福音变成了为你而来的存在，而不是你为神和福音而活。这就是肤浅的基督教。

在外部的反对和内部的诱惑双重作用下，我们可以看到广泛的福音派教会将会渐渐滑向两个极端：成功神学的泥潭，或是基于圣经的扎实根基。后者可能意味着另一波的基要主义反弹，也可能意味着教会将会学着将圣经教导在讲台和教会架构中的平衡与更新。

本期期刊的目的，是为了帮助福音派教会意识到成功神学的可怕，并能够诊断自己教会找到可能的裂缝。正如《比想象更普遍的软性成功神学》一文所说，成功神学作为著名的美国产品也存在着一个“光谱”，有的比较靠近福音派，有的比较靠近异端。甚至，你可以在我们的心中找到成功神学的踪影，正如《我自己心中的成功神学》所揭示的那样。本期最后用圣经神学来作为反思和结束，因为在圣经中我们可以找到这些成功神学的解药。圣经是关乎透过基督让神得荣耀的事情，紧紧抓住基督才是蒙福的通路。