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

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.

我可以這樣說：只要西方文化繼續反對真實的基督教信仰，成功神學就會繼續發展，至少在一段時間內是這樣的。

成功神學並不是唯一一個在這個屬靈疲軟的市場上上升的虛假教導。新派神學也同樣在這片土地上游蕩，隨時準備吞吃那些放下心中防備的人。但是成功神學在這個對物質貪得無厭的世界裡顯得特別誘人，所以我們能夠看到它在短期內的迅猛發展。它的教導是非常現實的：神渴望給你一個裝了對開大門真皮裝飾的豪宅、滿足你的性需要、打造一個更好的你。這就像華爾街巨鱷和勵志大師的結合，充斥了基督教書店的書架。

在我們這個一切都被包裝好的世界裡，日益增長的反福音、反基督教文化讓一些基督徒和慕道友們開始尋找一些讓人感覺舒服一點的、不是那麼遭人討厭和抗拒的基督教信仰，他們認爲這好過與文化發生激烈的對抗導致人群的流失。從這個角度來看，沒有什麼信息比成功神學更難叫人抵擋的了：它應許財富與健康，也講一些聖經的道理，看起來像基督教。

成功神學比新派神學更加狡猾，因爲它一般認同你所持有的教義和信條——至少在口頭上承認。新派神學吸引人的智識，成功神學吸引人的胃口。但是在兩方面成功神學非常像新派神學：第一，它將信仰建立在一個吸引人、追求與文化認同的事工模式上；第二，它穿著「基督徒」的外套。他悄悄的溜進我們的教會裡，不像《洛杉磯傳道人》（美劇，描寫成功神學傳道人的財富生活）那樣閃耀奪目，但是卻悄悄的問我們，「你想要健康的婚姻嗎？耶穌也想你的婚姻健康。」這句話當然是對的，但是漸漸的，聖經變成你「更美生活」的指南，去教會變成了參加心理治療，神與基督的福音變成了爲你而來的存在，而不是你爲神和福音而活。這就是膚淺的基督教。

在外部的反對和內部的誘惑雙重作用下，我們可以看到廣泛的福音派教會將會漸漸滑向兩個極端：成功神學的泥潭，或是基於聖經的扎實根基。後者可能意味著另一波的基要主義反彈，也可能意味著教會將會學著將聖經教導在講台和教會架構中的平衡與更新。

本期期刊的目的，是爲了幫助福音派教會意識到成功神學的可怕，並能夠診斷自己教會找到可能的裂縫。正如《比想像更普遍的軟性成功神學》一文所說，成功神學作爲著名的美國產品也存在著一個「光譜」，有的比較靠近福音派，有的比較靠近異端。甚至，你可以在我們的心中找到成功神學的蹤影，正如《我自己心中的成功神學》所揭示的那樣。本期最後用聖經神學來作爲反思和結束，因爲在聖經中我們可以找到這些成功神學的解藥。聖經是關乎透過基督讓神得榮耀的事情，緊緊抓住基督才是蒙福的通路。