This paper hopes to firmly identify the Christian gospel as irrevocably in support of the "daily worker" and to explore how modern popular religious narratives disregard both worker and gospel by an unholy focus on profit and "prosperity." Though many progressive churches proclaim attentiveness to socio-economic injustice via low wages, unaffordable housing, limited public transportation, etc, there are arguably many churches in the U.S. that at best brush by such concerns in favor of an expected exceptionalism. This misinterpretation of the "elect" prevents both self-compassion and organizing, and instead encourages members to overtly or subtly blame themselves or other workers for socio-economic injustice, including the racism and ableism so often intertwined. Though there are themes across various denominations, this paper is really interested in the themes found across popular religion media, including following the trail from televangelism to YouTube, Periscope, and other sites of religious programming. There is yet hope for a type of growth in popular religion that creates space for deep socio-economic solidarity, and to shift away from a lens of economic damnation and personal gain prioritization. Doing so however requires a reaffirmation of the freedom struggle and a willingness to see the ways in which the current economic reality in the U.S. strives to render as many as possible "not free." Though rooted in the African-American experience and freedom struggle of the Civil Rights Movement in its understanding of freedom and liberation, this paper will seek to ask questions in a way that acknowledges both the current and historical racism at work in economic oppression in the U.S., and to seek connections with labor histories in a collaborative, multiethnic/multilingual context. Working through approximately three sections, this paper will point towards a continued need to center the safety, quality of life, and affirmed dignity of workers as key to actualized freedom, where freedom, not affluence, is the ultimate goal of the Christian gospel.
First, an overview of different forms of prosperity language and class-economic violence in religious space will be overviewed from approximately the last 30 years. Examples include revisiting viral/major moments such as Juanita Bynum's infamous "no more enchiladas," claims from televangelists such as Creflo Dollar, and more recent booming internet trends, such as Keion Henderson's recent claim that Christians shouldn't give to the poor, and the seemingly infinite "seed-sewing" trends of "prophetic live streams" and "personal words," with teachings that equate God with a "pay-to-play" system. Though there is a lot to say in this area, the focus will attempt to stay close to doctrine across groups/churches/individuals, in order to pivot neatly to a second section exploring how these doctrines contrast with the lived experiences of working class individuals and the history of economic struggle. In the second section, this paper will explore modern wage exploitation from prison farms, sweatshops, and fast food, as well as tease out a tension around the identity of teachers, preachers, and other social care occupations as inherently "working-class." This section will also explore tensions in Christian churches between economic/class lines, including the interplay between respectability and the ability/inability to recognize all work as holy and worthy of equitable pay. The core goal of the second section is to cleanly outline 1) how the lives of low-wage workers speak a powerful testimony against prosperity language and 2) how even with this clear testimony the work of prosperity doctrines causes significant harm that is counter to collective freedom, especially when ideas of "worthiness" and "value" and "excellence" show in churches and other spaces that present as progressive, equitable, and justice-oriented. In other words, though many theologians and clergy might be able to identify overt prosperity doctrine as harmful, the influx of economic bias, classism, and prosperity gospel themes into mainline and progressive churches often goes unnoticed or unaddressed, causing deep harm. Examples here might include contrasting Dr. Martin Luther King's leading of the sanitation worker strike in Memphis with the current contract of Elon Musk's supercomputer, poised to cause harm to a poorer neighborhood in Memphis and approved (seemingly) by city council members residing in more affluent, removed areas of the city, and the recent death of a homeless man sleeping outside a prominent church in Atlanta, where the sleeping man was killed by a bulldozer "clearing" the area for an (assumed affluent) gathering commemorating the legacy of Dr. King. The theological contrast should be clear in arriving to section three, which will be overtly drawing from the Christian Bible in making its theological claims. Connections can be made to Black liberation theology, Latinx liberation theology, and womanist theology, while also asking sincere questions about the economic removal (real or perceived) of the theological disciplines and prestigious academy from the struggles of working class America. The paper will end in the intersection of theological imperative and affirmation, attempting to draw attention to the role of righteousness (embodied as justice) in collective freedom work.
Expected Bibliography :
Alexander, M. (2020). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. United States: New Press.
Cone, J. H. (1997). God of the Oppressed. United Kingdom: Orbis Books.
McRoberts, O. M. (2005). Streets of Glory: Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood. United Kingdom: University of Chicago Press.
Newman, K. S. (2009). No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City. United States: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Shipler, D. K. (2008). The Working Poor: Invisible in America. United Kingdom: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
Wells, I. B. (2014). The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader. United States: Penguin Publishing Group.
Wilkerson, I. (2023). Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. United States: Random House Publishing Group.
A More Perfect Union. https://www.tiktok.com/@moreperfectunion/video/7410528249538694443?lang=en
Have modern churches in the U.S. lost sight of the struggle for freedom, especially when it comes to socio-economic struggle? Themes from the prosperity gospel have found their way into the beliefs of many U.S. Christians, even self-identified progressives. Personal acquisition and growth take the spotlight on Sunday, while workers and laborers across the country continue to struggle for equitable pay, safe working conditions, and social dignity. In a society that takes a derisive view of retail workers, restaurant staff, bus drivers, and and so many "ordinary" laborers, the testimony of working-class people offers a clear condemnation of emphasizing prosperity over collective freedom. This paper will cover recent prosperity/similar theological claims in popular religion, examples of socio-economic struggle, and an examination of Biblical claims central to the Christian understanding of freedom and the gospel as irrevocably in support of the "daily worker."