A HISTORICAL STUDY OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING IN NIGERIA, 1970-2014.

Prosperity gospel preaching is a double-barrelled socio-religious phenomenon which is fast becoming one of the most significant expressions of Christianity and isremarkably wielding a pe

A HISTORICAL STUDY OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL

PREACHING IN NIGERIA, 1970-2014

BY

RIMAMSIKWE HABILA KITAUSE Reg No.: PG/Ph.D/11/59635

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

NOVEMBER, 2015

OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE (Ph.D) IN RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

NOVEMBER, 2015

KITAUSE, RIMAMSIKWE HABILA, a Postgraduate Student in the Department of

Religion and Cultural Studies with Reg No.: PG/Ph.D/11/59635 has satisfactorily completed the research work for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN

RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES.

The work embodied in this project is original and has not been submitted in part or full for any other diploma or degree of this or any other University

Rev Fr Prof H C Achunike Date

(Supervisor) .

Rev Fr Prof H C Achunike Date

(Head of Department)

With a heart full of gratitude, I humbly dedicate this thesis in cherished memory of

my well-beloved and unforgettable father and mother, late ITSE HABILA

KITAUSE who passed onto glory on March 4, 1999 and late IYA ALISABATU HABILA who slept in the Lord on July 11, 2006 whose prayers, wishes, concerns and

sacrifices have catapulted me to where I am today Sadly, they are no more to enjoythe fruits of their labour of love I equally dedicate this thesis to my son KOTSOTRIUMPH HABILA and daughter TSINTOP REJOICE HABILA, praying andwishing sincerely that they will surpass me in all areas of life

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All glory, honour and thanks are unreservedly due to God, who alone is King,the eternal and immutable God whose unmerited benevolence, protection, guidanceand grace has inspired and preserved me throughout my academic pursuit Though,the journey has been very challenging, rough and tough, but it is only, and only forHim that this landing is very safe and sweet It is on this premise that I must quicklyand most sincerely with very deep satisfaction register my unflinching and profoundgratitude to all the admirable contributors to the successful completion of thisprogramme and especially my research work in particular I am deeply indebted to all

my sources

Therefore, I will like to place permanently on record my immense andundying gratitude to my supervisor, Rev Fr Prof Hilary Chukwuka Achunike for hisversatile wealth of academic scholarship, resourcefulness, expertise criticisms,approachability, insistence on breaking new ground, fresh insights and originality, andhis up-to-dateness in the area of his specialty Without mincing words, FatherAchunike has in all ways throughout the programme always been stirring up the fireand zeal for hard work in me through constant identification of current issues ofnational and international interest, close supervision of any assigned written work,which enable him to provide me with sound academic mentorship He thoroughlysupervised this work I see it as a rare privileged to have worked under this reputable,strong and foremost Nigerian Church historian whose interest in my academicprogress is quite amazing; allowing me to fly on his academic wings I am evergrateful for making his library available for my use Prof Achunike is indeed morethan a father to me encapsulate in his warmth of heart, nature of kindness,generosity and friendliness towards me I am extremely very proud to be associated

with him, a vast scholar worth his salt I have no single moment of regrets whatsoeverbeing under his tutelage for these years Prof Achunike thanks a million times MayHeaven richly reward you for being there for me at all times! Amen!

I am greatly indebted to my eldest brother, Mr Jeremiah R Habila, the DeputyUniversity Librarian, Federal University Wukari for his ardent patience, deep love andenthusiasm for my education as well as his generous financial assistance towards me

I am particularly thankful to him and his wife for the role they played in my lifewhich is simply unquantifiable Also deserving of my gratitude are my brothers Mr.Bitrus Habila and Mr Rimamtsiwe Habila and their wives; my sister Mrs Polina J.Japhet and her late husband, Late Mr Japhet Joshua Iratishe for their magnanimityand constant financial and material support May God reward all of you abundantly inJesus name!

I am most appreciative of my beautiful wife and queen, Mrs Margaret R.Habila who had toiled and moiled indefatigably with me for these ten years of ourmarriage I must indeed confess that she is my strength and everything; who hasalways been supporting me and managing the home competently while I concentrated

on my study I sincerely thank her in high spirit for her companionship, understandingand all the sleepless nights she had while I was on journeys and as a very senior nursealways bringing her wealth of experience to bear in nursing my corpulent beautifulchildren and myself My sweet baby, I love you and I say thank you so much You arethe reason why I made it gallantly Remain ever blessed Amen!

I am very much indebted in gratitude to Rev Prof Ibrahim Musa Ahmadu theUniversity of Jos for his huge support and for granting me the privilege of aninterview from where he bears his mind freely on prosperity preaching in Nigeria I

am most thankful to all the Professors of my department for their excellent

contributions in my education notably Prof E N Chinweokwu, Prof Agha U Agha,Prof Malachy I Okwueze and Prof Christopher O T Ugwu who is so dear to me It

is with a great pleasure that I register my thanks to all the academic staff of mydepartment particularly Dr S O Onyeidu, Ven Dr B C D Diara, Rev Dr Sr MaryJerome Obiora, Ven Dr Collins Ugwu, Rev Dr Ngele Omaka, Dr C N Ibenwa, Dr.Chinyere Nwaoga, Rev Canon Nweze Stanley, Lady Chidinma Precious Ukeachusim,our departmental Postgraduate students’ President To all the non academic staff, I say

a hearty thank you May God bless you all!

I am particularly overwhelmed by the show of love and interest over myeducation and progress from my paternal uncle Rev and Mrs Adams Eyab I am so

`thankful for your constant phone calls and encouragement I cannot also so easilyforget the wonderful encouragement of Dr Richard Adeola, Rev Barr and Mrs Y S.Tukura, Rev Dr Ben Ubeh, Rev Remigius Oguh, Rev R Y Shamaki, Rev and Mrs.Innocent Boyi, Mr Andetarang G Iramae, Dr Edon Aboki and Mr E A Tonga Theyare simply wonderful A word of appreciation to my cousins Mr Ifraimu Musa for themuch concern about my total wellbeing and progress in life and Mr and Mrs ElkanahMusa for always sheltering my family and I in Jos each time we come around andespecially throughout my research trips to Jos

I must remain ever grateful to Rev Anokam Obed Osonwa of the Assemblies

of God Church Port Harcourt for his constant friendliness and financial assistance Ofspecial mention is Barr Y N Akirikwen and his wife for their very huge financial andmoral support Of special mention too is Mr Frank Kyafa Adamu who assisted mewith a good sum of money The Rev and Assoc Prof Mrs Rimamnde M Andemumequally deserve special mention for assisting me with good amount of money.Equally, Mr and Mrs Isaac Markus Kaigama, Mr and Mrs Reuben Iratishe, Mrs

Juliana C Shaiki and Mrs Gloria Agaibe stood by me financially in the course of theprogramme Thank you so much for your support I am honestly bereft of the rightword to use in appreciating Elder Walter E Maduagwu and Dr Maxwell Aniekwem

of Ukraine who helped me out when I was having difficulty in paying for all myinternational publications Elder Maduagwu has always been a very close friend intimes of financial and emotional need Thanks are also due to Dr Samuel BelloAdeseye for the role he played with regards to my Ph.D admission at UNN and hisassistance to my education generally, Dr Istifanus Akila Barde who firstaccommodated me at Nsukka and continued to lift me in his car most times to and froNsukka, Rev Fr Gabriel Ngbea who did likewise, Mr Rimamchaten Lawiaccommodated me during my final session of 2014/2015, Mr and Mrs FwabenyaIshaku Kuni, Archbishop Ibe Ogboso Ukah and Mrs Monica Ejim Uche, all supported

me wonderfully

I thank in a special way Evangelist William D Lamu, the PermanentSecretary, Ministry of Education, Jalingo, Taraba State and Dr Rebecca D Irany ofTSU Jalingo for graciously, painstakingly and assiduously proofreading this work inspite of their very tight schedules To all of you, I say a big thank you for the honour

A very special gratitude to Chap Dr Leonardo Stephen, Taraba State Commandant ofUnited Nigerian Chaplaincy for all his wonderful encouragements and propheticdeclarations on my life endeavours A word of thanks to my friend Rev Dr.Okechukwu Nwachukwu who had so much material on my area of research but onlyselfishly allowed me access to very few of them to photocopy I learnt from it and forthis I appreciate him

The following also rendered invaluable assistance in various ways, for which I

am most grateful: Mr Bitrus Bature of Kaduna Polytechnic, who tirelessly went

through Kaduna city for three months in search of relevant books on prosperity forme; Rev Nansel Barry and Pastor Uche Okpani Peace for loaning me 23 and 22prosperity books respectively; Mrs Mahci Amos Nkare of Glamorous Bookshop whooffered me some books free of cost; Rev Fr Jonah Rimamndeya of St AugustineMajor Seminary Jos who kindly sought three relevant books for my research free ofcharge; Mr Ande Roland of Taraba State University (TSU) for always giving me freeaccess to the university’s internet facility and preparing my Ph.D proposal powerpoint presentation; Mr Caleb Yakubu Tapu who helped to provide me with a song,Lady Grace Ozioma Nwamah of Imo State University, Engr Charles Ugwunna ofTaraba State Polytechnic and Mr Jonathan Apuru also of TSU for their constantpatience in putting me through whenever I am faced with serious challenge in my laptop and typesetting To all of you I say a big thank you.

Indeed, time and space is limiting me compulsorily to acknowledge all thatcontributed in one way or the other to the successful completion of my academicpursuit It is my prayer that God in his infinite mercies who alone knows your labour

of love will richly reward you in Jesus name! Thank you so much!

Rimamsikwe Habila Kitause

Department of Religion and Cultural Studies

University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Prosperity gospel preaching is a double-barrelled socio-religious phenomenon which

is fast becoming one of the most significant expressions of Christianity and isremarkably wielding a pervasive influence within the Nigerian religious space As adominant strain of popular spirituality, prosperity gospel has remained a major socio-cultural force in Nigeria The study generally attempts a comprehensive study ofprosperity gospel in Nigeria and specifically, it examines the impacts and conflictingviews on the reasons for the shift in emphasis of prosperity preachers from asceticism

to materialism The study is crafted using phenomenological approach for its richnessand objectivity The results show that prosperity preaching is currently the majorpreoccupation of the Pentecostals and has challenged endemic poverty in Nigeriathrough its emphasis on spiritual and economic empowerment programmes of theprosperity purveyors which is engendering remarkable social, economic and spiritualtransformation in the Nigerian society But the Pentecostals’ undue emphasis ongiving as an investment for future prosperity occasioned by wrong interpretation ofScriptures by prosperity preachers resulting to misinformation and misapprehension

of people about prosperity has negatively impacted on a broad spectrum of theNigerian Christians and churches financially, socially and spiritually At the moment,there seems to be a gradual paradigm shift in the orientation of people from hardlabour to idleness and from holiness to worldliness in Nigeria In view of theforegoing, the work, in recognition of some positivism of prosperity gospel draws itsconclusion that the impacts of prosperity gospel are more damaging than beneficial inNigeria

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL PAGE ii

CERTIFICATION iii

DEDICATION iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v

ABSTRACT x

TABLE OF CONTENTS xi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS xvi

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 5

1.3 Aim of the Study 7

1.4 Significance of the Study 8

1.5 Scope of the Study 9

1.6 Research Methodology 10

1.7 Definition of Terms 12

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 15

2.1Biblical or Theological Perspective of Prosperity 16

2.2 Pre Pentecostal Understanding of Prosperity 23

2.3 Pentecostal Interpretation of Prosperity 28

2.4 Summary of Literature Review 37

CHAPTER THREE: HISTORICAL EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING IN NIGERIA 41

3.1 Origin of Prosperity Preaching Worldwide 41

3.2 Nigerian Historical Roots of Prosperity Preaching 44

3.3 Development of Prosperity Preaching in Nigeria 52

3.4 Dimension of Prosperity Preaching in the World 58

3.5 Factors Responsible for Prosperity Preaching in Nigeria 66

3.5.1 African Worldview on Prosperity and Materialism 67

3.5.2 Competition for Possession of Worldly Resources 71

3.5.3 The 1980s Socio-economic Condition of Nigeria 82

CHAPTER FOUR: IDEOLOGY OF PROSPERITY PREACHERS IN NIGERIA 90 4.1 Distinctiveness of Prosperity Preaching in Nigeria 90

4.1.1Foundational Affirmations 92

4.1.2 Faith as Positive Confession 95

4.1.3 Giving and Receiving 96

4.1.4 Poverty and Sickness 99

4.2 Principles/Laws of Prosperity 102

4.2.1 Be a Faithful Tither 104

4.2.2 Giving Willingly and Generously 108

4.2.3 Be a Covenant Builder 111

4.2.4 Investing in the Gospel 112

4.2.5 Giving to the Poor 113

4.2.6 Having High Regard for Spiritual Leaders and Partnering With them 113

4.2.7 Making Absolute and Solid Commitment to the Local Assembly 114

4.2.8 Confession Brings Possession 115

4.3 Purpose of Prosperity Preaching 116

4.3.1 Prosperity is Proof for God’s Covenant and for Building His Church 121

4.3.2 Blessed to be a Blessing to Humanity 124

4.3.3 Enjoyment of God’s Children on Earth 125

4.4 Wrong Interpretation of Scriptures 128

4.4.1 Biblical Interpretation Principles 131

Gospel 132

4.4.2.1 The Interpretation of the Promise of “Everything”, “All Thing ” and “Anything” in Some Bible passages 133

4.4.2.2 The Threefold Prosperity promise in 3 John2 134

4.4.2.3 The Seed Faith Principle in Luke 6:38 136

4.4.2.4 The Hundredfold Return Principle in Mark10:29-30 137

4.4.2.5 Prosperity-Bound Mentality in Luke 16:22 138

4.5 Wrong Understanding of People about Prosperity 139

CHAPTER FIVE: RESPONSE TO PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING IN NIGERIA 146 5.1 Responses to Prosperity Preaching 146

5.2 Women and Prosperity Preaching 147

5.3 The Youth and Prosperity Preaching 153

5.4 Antagonists of Prosperity preaching (Holiness Preachers) 162

5.5 Mainline Churches Response 170

5.6 Social Critic 180

CHAPTER SIX: IMPACT OF PROSPERITY PREACHING GOSPEL IN NIGERIA 192 6.1 Social Positive Significance of Prosperity Preaching in Nigeria 192

6.1.1 Prosperity Preaching as Vehicle for All-round Empowerment 193 6.1.2 Rehabilitation of Social Outcasts and Poverty Alleviation 197

6.1.3 Improvement of Human Capacity for Self-Development 199

6.1.4 Entrepreneurial Development and Employment Opportunities 200 6.1.5 Numerical Explosion of Christian Population 203

6.1.6 Rapid National Development 204

6.1.7 Educational Development and Human Capital Development 205 6.1.8 Leadership Development, Good Governance and National Transformation 206

6.2 Negative Impact of Prosperity Preaching 208

6.2.1 Prosperity Gospel Promotes Materialism 209

6.2.2 Prosperity Gospel Inspires Syncretism 212

6.2.3 Prosperity Gospel Leads to Declining Spiritual Commitment and Character 216

6.2.4 Prosperity Gospel Fuels Greed and Impoverishes People 218

6.2.5 Prosperity Gospel Nurtures Fraud, Rivalry and Competition 220

6.2.6 Prosperity Gospel Keeps People in Poverty 224

6.2.7 Prosperity Gospel enslaves people 226

6.2.8 Prosperity Gospel Feeds Pride 229

CHAPTER SEVEN: DISSECTION OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL PREACHING IN NIGERIA 233

7.1 An Authentic Gospel 233

7.2 A Different Gospel (From Asceticism to Materialism) 239

7.3 Omissions of Prosperity Preaching 251

7.4 The Future of Prosperity Gospel in Nigeria 259

7.4.1 Factors that sustain Prosperity Gospel in Nigeria 260

7.4.1.1 Astronomical Expansion of prosperity ideology 260

7.4.1.2 The overwhelming Popularity of Prosperity Gospel 261

7.4.1.3 Deeply Entrenched Poverty in Africa 261

7.4.1.4 The Desire and Search to get better 262

7.4.1.5 Prosperity promises/Allurement as Bait 263

7.4.1.6 A Simple-Easy-Going Theology of Sweatless Prosperity 264

7.4.1.7 Evangelistic Campaigns and Churches’ Proliferation as Factor 264 7.4.1.8 Numerical Growth of the Pentecostals/Charismatics Solidify Prosperity Gospel 266

7.4.1.9 The Nature of Pentecostalism 268

7.4.1.10 Unchanging Global Trends Sustain Prosperity Theology 269 7.4.1.11 Prosperity Gospel as Immunity against Witchcraft and Problems 270 7.4.1 12 Prosperity Gospel as Socially Relevant to All Societies of the World 271

CHAPTER EIGHT: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 275

8.1 Summary of Findings 275

8.2 Contribution to Knowledge 277

8.3 Recommendations 279

8.4 Suggestions for Further Study 282

8.5 Conclusion 283

References 286

Appendix: LIST OF INTERVIEWEES 319

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

AD - Anno Domini

ANCBI - All Nations for Christ Bible Institute

ATR - African Traditional Religion

B A - Bachelor of Arts

B TH - Bachelor of Theology

CAC - Christ Army Church

CAN - Christian Association of Nigeria

CGMI - Church of God Mission International

Christ Embassy - Believers Love World

CPA - Christian Praying Assembly

CPC - Congress for Progressive Change

DAWN - Disciple A whole Nation

ECWA - Evangelical Church Winning All (formerly the Evangelical

Church of West Africa)

FCT - Federal Capital Territory

GRA - Government Residential Areas

GSM - Global System for Mobile communication

IMF - International Monetary Fund

INEC - Independent National Electoral Commission

INT - Institute for National Transformation

J P - Jerusalem Pilgrim

KJV - King James Version

M A - Master of Arts

M.TH - Master of Theology

NBC - The Nigerian Baptist Convention

NGOs - Non-Governmental Organizations

NIV - New International Version

PFN - Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria

Ph.D - Doctor of Philosophy

PMCC - Printme Communications Company

PRC - Pew Research Center

PTL - Praise the Lord

RCCG - Redeemed Christian Church of God

RCM - Roman Catholic Mission

SAP - Structural Adjustment Programmes

SCOAN - The Synagogue Church of All Nations

SNG - Save Nigeria Group

SURE-P - Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment ProgrammeTFCI - The Foundation for Community Inspiration

The Deeper Life - Deeper Life Bible Church

The Lord Chosen - The Lord Chosen Charismatic Revival MinistriesThe Winners’ Chapel - Living Faith Church Worldwide

TSU - Taraba State University

USA - United States of America

WCC - World Council of Churches

WOFBI - The Word of Faith Bible Institute

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study

The emergence of prosperity gospel preaching dates back to the 19th and 20th

centuries It is currently a universal phenomenon that is frequently preached in urbanareas especially in churches and on the electronic media It has commanded scholarlyattention, debates and literature on the subject Historical records abound thatprosperity preaching began in the United States of America (USA) This wasprecipitated through the formative role played by Essek William Kenyon who livedfrom 1867-1948, and who is said to have initially put in place the cardinal principlesfor prosperity gospel preaching (Young, 2005; Mumford, 2012) The principlesKenyon develop was probably cultic in origin (McConnell, 2007) However, KennethErwin Hagin (1917-2003) seems to have borrowed heavily from Kenyon’s ideologyand developed his own prosperity theology It is established that Kenyon’s ideologieswere also adopted, propagated and popularized by television and faith preachers in the1950s like William Branham, Oral Roberts and Gordon Lindsay among several others(Okwori, 1995) Prosperity preaching was handed down to posterity under differentnomenclatures such as “word faith” or “word of faith movement”, “positiveconfession”, “faith formula”, or “faith message”, “hyper-faith”, “health and wealththeology”, “name it and claim it gospel”, “blab it and grab it gospel”, “gospel ofsuccess”, and “prosperity gospel” as it advanced down through the ages (Jones, 2006;Achunike, 2007; MacArthur, 1992) For the purpose of this study, prosperitypreaching, prosperity gospel or prosperity gospel preaching will be usedinterchangeably McConnell (1990) informs that right from its source in the USA,

prosperity gospel emphasizes the “Three “Ps”: Power, Prestige and Prosperity” (p.170).

As a student, the televangelists significantly influenced Benson AndrewIdahosa (1938-1998), a Nigerian, at Christ for the Nations Bible Institute in the USA(Emeka, 2002) History shows that within this epoch, prosperity preaching blossomedand was transported to different parts of the globe by people who contacted thevarious purveyors of prosperity preaching in the USA (Okwori, 1995) At the turn ofevents in the 1970s, Idahosa responsively brought and planted his Nigerian version ofthe prosperity message somewhat slightly at variant to the USA version, giving it anAfrican context (Emeka, 2002) Idahosa, pioneered prosperity gospel preaching inNigeria and thus emerged its true Nigerian father (Ojo, 2013)

Prosperity gospel certainly is a global subject It is known that right from theinception of prosperity preaching in Nigeria, many Nigerians are ever enthusiasticabout it and are vigorously pursuing it in the same manner that people are captivatedabout religion and are deeply engrossed in its activities This desire and search forprosperity probably cuts across all religions and all fields of human endeavour Thisseems to account for the reason prosperity churches are proliferating in contemporaryNigeria In the observation of Iheanacho (2009), the more these prosperity churchesmultiply in Nigeria, the more “They gradually shift emphasis from spirituality andeternal life to earthly life course, here and now” (p.106)

Without doubt, prosperity as preached in Nigeria has enjoyed great patronagefrom the masses Most Nigerians are probably embracing prosperity messages for itspromise of wealth and health (Gwamna, 2013) Added to this is the fact thatprosperity preaching is probably thriving in Nigeria gloriously because of African

worldview on materialism and achievement It is seen that in Nigeria today, materialwealth has become a yardstick for measuring who is prosperous in the society to beaccorded respect without which one is neglected or disrespected It is in view of thisthat at the moment, there is a crazy desire to acquire wealth whether by fair or foulmeans irrespective of whose ox is gored It is in line with this that Okoro (2011)seems to remark that “Unbridled pursuit of material wealth obstructs the mind’sascent to such lasting values as the ‘after life’, moral standards and the judgement ofposterity” (p.50)

The prosperity protagonists are reiterating that it is the will of God for hischildren to be emancipated from the spirit and shackles of poverty to a life of cross-less abundance of wealth and dominion in Christ because they are worshipping a richGod (Achunike, 2002) In their homily, they seem to interpret the Scriptures out ofcontext as well as water down its message to some certain extent Even though, theissue of misinterpretation of the Scriptures is something that preachers of the gospelare generally prone to if no careful study and the right method of its interpretation isstrictly adhere to By this, preachers have most times succeeded somehow in makingpeople to have wrong understanding of the Scriptures about the total meaning ofprosperity and the way God prospers his children generally

This kind of message of hope and liberation of the Pentecostals is quiteappealing to Nigerians who have all along been under the dungeon of awful lack andsufferings This teaching appears to present a strong pull to people engendering largeresponses to prosperity gospel in Nigeria It is instructive to note that all Christiansbelieve in prosperity To them, particularly Christians from the mainline churches,God prospers his creatures But since the 1970, Pentecostals have been emphasizing

There are moderate and extreme prosperity preachers in Nigeria It is observedthat the extremists among the prosperity preachers especially from the neoPentecostals emphasize that poverty is a curse, and abundance is equated to God’sapproval and blessings (Oyedepo, 2010) Therefore children of God are simply to

“Name it and claim it”, “Just have faith!”, “Give and you will get!” (Adeleye, 2011).According to Adeleye, catch phrases like these have coerced many Christians tobelieve that by merely trusting God with positive confession, it will bring abouteffortless abundance of wealth and health miraculously But the experience of thistype of teaching the world over, has shown that the Gospel of Jesus Christ does notpromise prosperity without pain or salvation without sanctification (Igwegbe, 2007;Ibrahim, 2013) Iheanacho (2009) paints the ugly picture of the phenomenon better inher words thus:

With catchy and animating words, ministers advertise for harvest ofmiracles, which turn out to be harvest of money Using both evil andsatanic powers to draw large crowds to their churches, they convincetheir followers to sow ‘quality seeds’ (special levy), and wait for theirmiracles, coming on the way Followers are told that the more theysow, the more the blessings that will come their way While theminister and miracle worker smile to the bank, his clients go home inthe euphoria of hope for imminent and miraculous socio-economicbreak-through in life This phenomenon of materialism andcommercial ministry is contrary to the teachings and attitude of Christand the early church over blessing, and miraculous deliverance ofpeople in affliction (p.3)

Sadly, this message of prosperity in point of fact has made deep in-roads inNigeria, giving rise to negative orientation towards honest labour, and seeminglyproducing a generation that abhors the principle of hard labour This perhaps,disenfranchises the younger generation of seeming progress in all spheres of life’sendeavour There is now a noticeable shift in the orientation of people from hard work

to idleness and from holiness to worldliness, to mention the least within the Nigerianreligious arena

It is against this backdrop that this work, decidedly attempts to objectivelyinvestigate deeper into the phenomenon of prosperity preaching in Nigeria It equallyendeavours to carry out a historical survey of the phenomenon of prosperity preaching

in Nigeria with a view to reconstructing historically, the origin and advancement ofprosperity gospel preaching in Nigeria The work, it is hoped, is a humblecontribution to the ongoing researches on prosperity preaching within the Nigerianreligious landscape It tries to underscore the reasons for the fast expansion ofprosperity churches in Nigeria while looking at the general behaviour of theworshippers

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Prosperity preaching is an urban religious phenomenon that has become sopronounced in Nigeria in the 21st century As popular as prosperity preaching is, most

of the books written on it are not authored by experts in the field Majority of theseliteratures are essentially motivational in nature, and mostly seem to be written from amyopic and personal conviction and standpoint of the authors Such literatures areincreasingly flooding the Nigerian religious space The most prolific among theNigerian prosperity exponents is David Olaniyi Oyedepo of The Living Faith Church

Ota who indeed is currently championing the course of prosperity preaching inNigeria (Achunike, 2007) It is said that Oyedepo has perhaps authored over 80 books

at the moment on prosperity and other related issues He is equally said to have earnedthe sobriquet “Mr Breakthrough” for apparently overemphasizing the message ofopen doors and sweat-less success for Christians in Nigeria (Achunike, 2007)

Historical evidence demonstrates that there is currently an acute dearth ofcomprehensive historical study that is in print on prosperity preaching in Nigeria Theonly elaborate academic work in Nigeria known to the present researcher was the onedone by Nwachukwu (1995) on “Biblical Evaluation of Prosperity Gospel as

Preached in Some Nigerian Churches” which is an unpublished Master of Arts (M.

A.) dissertation which is written from a biblical standpoint and seen to have beenwritten from a perspective of a great bias against certain prosperity preachers inNigeria (Onwu, 2006) This M A dissertation has been updated as a doctoral thesis

by the same author as “Biblical Evaluation of the Concept of Economic Prosperityamong Preachers in Nigeria” (Nwachukwu, 2012)

There are however, a growing number of academically based journal articles

on prosperity preaching which lack adequate coverage on the subject The ostensibleabsence of a historical documentation on the Nigerian prosperity preachingnecessitates this humble study This study therefore attempts to fill a historical gap inknowledge by developing a historical document on the subject under investigation.This is done with a view to complementing the already concluded research ofNwachukwu (2014) on the “Biblical Evaluation of the Concept of Economic

Prosperity among Preachers in Nigeria”

1.3 Aim of the Study

Prosperity preaching in Nigeria deserves special study This is rooted in thefact that there is at the moment a growing interest on prosperity in the academic andreligious arena across the globe Principally, this study attempts a reconstruction ofthe history of prosperity preaching in Nigeria That is to say that the study endeavours

a comprehensive and concise history of prosperity gospel preaching in Nigeria It setsout to seek and preserve the knowledge about the eruption and steady growth ofprosperity preaching in Nigeria Specifically, the study intends to wade through thecontents of prosperity preachers’ ideologies with a view to critically analyse andarticulate the dimension of prosperity preaching in the world especially Nigeria withinthe period under review The study x-rays and unearths the positive and negativecontributions of prosperity preaching in Nigeria It goes further to clarify the variousaccusations of critics that prosperity preachers in Nigeria have strayed like lost sheep

in their homilies due to over emphasis on materialism thereby sacrificing the trueGospel of Christ on the altar of wealth and health messages It is therefore the thrust

of this work to advance explanation for the conflicting views on the reason for thesudden shift in emphasis of prosperity preachers in Nigeria from asceticism tomaterialism which probably favours the mushrooming of Pentecostal churches inrecent years

Added to this, the research tries to stimulate some consciousness inChristendom of the urgent demand to emphatically dissuade the modern dayPentecostal prosperity preachers from the temptation of pursuing earthly treasures tothe detriment of their own eternal destinies and those of others It raises alarm on theindifferent attitudes of some Nigerians to their personal Christian life who in turn

1.4 Significance of the Study

This study is very relevant because its findings will immensely benefit theacademic community, the Churches as well as the general readers To be precise, thefollowing points express the significance of the study:

i This study is a contribution to the knowledge bank of education It serves

as an objective and balanced historical research in Church History that will

be added to the already existing body of literature on prosperity preaching

in Nigeria Hence, it is hoped that it will be a reference material for futureresearchers for the reconstruction of Nigerian Church History

ii The study serves as an eye opener that over emphasis on materialism is a

recent development in the Nigerian Christianity It therefore sounds thealarm that most of the neo Pentecostal prosperity churches in Nigeriaprobably exist to hypnotize, defraud and swindle unsuspectingworshippers of their hard earned resources in the name of “Seed-faith” and

other named offertory for prosperity

iii The study enlightens and sensitizes all Christians in Nigeria of the crucial

need to imbibe the culture of hard labour as enshrined in the HolyScriptures

iv The study will generate awareness and knowledge for all Christian leaders,

the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Ecumenical Councils

on the urgent need to tame the unnecessary rise of Pentecostal’s must-wack” churches in Nigeria

“Man-v This study strives to unfold all the meaningful contributions of prosperity

preaching in the development of Nigerian state and the citizenry

1.5 Scope of the Study

The word ‘scope’ is used here to convey three senses In the first instance, itdenotes the depth into which this work intends to go in investigating prosperitypreaching in Nigeria On this note, the study focuses on the origin, history,developments, emphasis, responses and consequences of prosperity preaching inNigeria The work will additionally study every aspect of prosperity preaching withinthe Nigerian religious environments that could illuminate and broaden morecomprehension on the subject matter.

Secondly, scope is being used to connote the land space on which this workproposes to cover The study therefore intends to cover the entire country, but withmore concentration on Southern Nigeria The choice of this region is informed by thefact that in Southern Nigeria, there is a density of Christian population and activities

as revealed by Agi (1998) in his studies on the religious map of Nigeria Though, thisstudy area may sound too large for adequate coverage, but it needs to be clarified thatprosperity preaching is an urban religious phenomenon which is mostly concentrated

in major towns and cities in Nigeria almost to the total neglect of the rural areas Thisprobably accounts for the rapid skyrocketing of Pentecostal churches in Nigerianurban settlements

Thirdly, it determines the period covered by the study The study whichcommences from 1970 covers four consecutive decades But the study digresses alittle to examine events preceding 1970s to provide a coherent and logical flow ofhistorical incidents The year 1970 has been delineated for conveniency for the studybecause the 1970s have been the most decisive period of Nigerian Pentecostalism as itrevitalizes Pentecostal activities which punctuates the eruption of prosperitypreaching in Nigeria engendering the explosion of Pentecostal churches (Ukaoha,

years of Pentecostalism, its real existence, preachment and influence in allramifications in Nigeria.

1.6 Research Methodology

This work is primarily historical and irenic in nature The study adoptedphenomenological approach to skilfully research into the various dimensions andmanifestations of prosperity preaching in Nigeria Ejizu (2013) definesphenomenology as a composite word from two Greek nouns; phenomenon, meaning

“something seen” and logos, meaning “word/study/enquiry” Literally,phenomenology refers primarily to the study of “that which is seen”

Ejizu expatiates that phenomenology is a descriptive science that seeks tounfold the archaeological realities of objects, beliefs and practices without

presuppositions in its careful employment of the principles of ‘epoche’ and ‘eidetic’.

Explaining further, Odili (2013) avers that while epoche stands for the effort to beingimpartial and detached from one’s biases and sentiments; eidetic vision aims to graspthe meaning and intentionality of religious data which are expressions of an innerreligious experience and faith Phenomenology in the view of Achunike (2009)involves a description of “that which shows itself” as well as bracketing it in order toput aside things that distract the full perception of human consciousness

The phenomenological approach which is empirical in nature as used in thisstudy is based on practical experience which helps the researcher to look atinformation the way they present themselves without bias The field research whichinvolved the use of participant observation was both participatory and non-participatory; interviews and informal discussion The researcher conducted personalinterview with a sample size of 30 different ministers of the gospel from 30 differentdenominations because they appear to be the major players in prosperity gospelpreaching in Nigeria It appears convincing that phenomenological approach along

with historical method employed in this study fit the study because it allows theresearcher to get personally involved as a participant observer and document factsfrom a historical perspective This involvement aids the researcher to see things forhimself and opens the researcher to new ideas through direct participation,observation and interviews.

The historical procedure is adopted in this study while employing the use ofphenomenology to trace accurately the origin, growth, and development of prosperitypreaching in Nigeria sequentially from its onset to date, putting each important event

in their correct time perspective (Odili, 2013) As a scientific art, this historicalwriting employs historical tools in gathering, interpreting and analysing available data

in the reconstruction of the history of prosperity preaching in Nigeria Hassan (2012)remarks that this process of research assists historians to supply the exact time certainevents transpired in the past

Since history is an adventure into knowledge, the researcher puts to use bothdocumentary and oral sources such as library research and field work as well as thehistorian’s rigorous source criticisms to arrive at authentic facts about every transitionand transformation that has occurred in the period covered by this study as far asprosperity preaching in Nigeria is concerned In the historical method, there were twoforms of available existing materials namely; the printed and the electronic sources ofinformation The printed sources, much of which falls under primary sources includebooks written by the precursors and all the protagonists of prosperity preaching inNigeria Included in this category are Churches’ Sunday School Manuals, Magazines,Constitutions, News Bulletins or Newsletters, Calendars, Leadership TrainingManuals, Membership Manuals, New Comers/Converts Manuals, Diaries, Speeches

or Addresses, Bible Study Outlines and Tithe Cards/ledgers, Annual Thanksgiving

Envelopes among others The electronic sources include: audio recorded cassettes,video recorded cassettes, recorded documentaries and commentaries on Churchesanniversary celebrations, birthday celebrations of their founders and a host of others.Other secondary sources include: journal articles, internet materials, newspapers andnon-church magazines

1.7 Definition of Terms

For clarity sake, it is incumbent upon this work to make conceptualclarification of key terms like prosperity, poverty, asceticism and materialism asadopted in the study

Prosperity

The term ‘prosperity’ is derived from the verb ‘prosper’ The word ‘prosper’

conveys two senses according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

First, it means to be successful and become rich Secondly, it means to grow anddevelop in a healthy way To be prosperous is to be wealthy or thriving successfully inevery sphere of life (Aldus &Neill, 2009) This means that Prosperity is not onlyabout money; but covers such other areas as being in good condition of health, beingsuccessful in a journey, marriage, career or any undertaking in life Prosperitysummarily is the condition of being either wealthy or healthy as well as beingsuccessful in any life endeavour

Poverty

Poverty is the condition of being poor The word ‘poor’ indicates not havingsufficient money or means to live comfortably in life It is the state of experiencing

scarcity of resources to live like the rich in the society Nwachukwu (2012) opinesthat the term is used “especially for persons of low social and economic status” (p.7).Poor is used in this work to mean those who lack the basic means of sustenance such

as food, shelter and clothing According to Agbo (2009), the terminology ‘poor’ refers

to someone in a hopeless situation in the face of necessary life demands

Asceticism

Asceticism implies the habit of not allowing oneself physical pleasuresespecially for religious reasons (Hornby, 2006) An ascetic is a person who shuns orabstains from any form of pleasures or comforts as a religious discipline Okhlom(1998) explains that asceticism is a kind of spiritual training which aims at attainingChristian perfection through self-denial, abstinence and renunciation By implication,what this signifies is that a Christian who is Heavenly minded ought not to meddleoneself with the mundane things of this material world which may at the long runbecloud one’s godly aspiration and vision

Materialism

Materialism expresses the notion of excessive interest in or devotion tomaterial possessions and financial success It concerns money and possessions ratherthan spiritual values Materialism as perceived by Eyre (1987) places premium onthings more than the Creator of things It emphasizes preoccupation with materialthings rather than intellectual and spiritual things (Nwachukwu, 2014) Materialism isthe tendency to believe and act as though material possessions are all that matter inlife It is said that materialism destroys the capacity for spiritual faith and perverts theway one is suppose to live before God in this world Achunike (2002) affirms that

Onwuchekwa (2002) “Materialism is the greatest problem of this nation It isresponsible for increase crime wave and wickedness in the land (Nigeria)” (p.18).

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The attempt here is to provide the necessary theoretical framework uponwhich the entire research work is based It is observed that “The danger of literaturereview is repetition of what will be said inside the text” (Kalu, 2001, p.12) So intrying to escape from this problem, Sheltiz (1976) in Chidozie (2012) seems topropose that “One of the simplest ways of economizing effort in any inquiry is toreview and build upon work already done by others” (p.9) It is in view of the abovefacts that the present researcher feels obliged to organize this work in such a mannerthat avoids repetition of the same issues in the subsequent chapters

Hence, the most decisive point of engagement in this review is to concentrate

on the issues of gaining a deeper understanding of the concept of prosperity This isdone by attempting to dig out Biblical or Theological understanding of prosperity, PrePentecostal perspective of prosperity and Pentecostal interpretations of prosperity.Structurally therefore, the review adopts a thematic style for easy understanding.Thematic organization implies that common themes in the works read such as theones identified above are categorized according to their relatedness to each other and

to the overall theme In the opinion of Odili (2013) “A thematic organization makes itmuch easier to examine contrasting perspectives, theoretical approaches,methodologies, findings etc., and to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of, andpoint out any gaps and fill these gaps in, previous research” (p.159) This is probablythe heart of literature review

2.1 Biblical or Theological Perspective of Prosperity

Prosperity as a theme in all probability has its root in the scripture Its

ancient custom which predates the giving of the law (Willmington, 1984) It isrevealed that tithing as a timeless practice is first recorded in Genesis 14:17-20(Douglas & Tenney, 1987) Here, Abraham the Patriarch is reported to have paidtithes of all his booty to Melchizedek, the King of Salem, the Priest of the Most HighGod (Ross, 2000)

It is somehow difficult to understand where Abraham first learnt about tithingand especially the idea of making the tenth as rate for paying tithe as a religious duty

It is equally doubtful comprehending Abraham’s choice of Melchizedek, who theBible acknowledges was not the only king in existence then and also the only kingthat came out to welcome him on his victorious return from battle over theconfederated kings (Larson, 1998) It is more problematic in clarifying the role ofdivine guidance in the selection of Abraham’s tithes recipient and the exactness of theperiod in history of the genesis of tithe payment, to be able to advance concreteexplanation for this Abraham’s act of worship

A scholarly attempt in tracing the actual beginning of tithing in the Bible withaccuracy seems futile It is admitted by all those who thoughtfully deal with this issuethat Abraham must have gained knowledge about tithing elsewhere (Ellison & Payne,1986; Mahoney, 2002) It is most probable that before Abraham migrated from Ur, hisland of nativity, he must have been involved in making sacrifices with his father Terah

to their local deities Records abound that many old nations like Babylon, Persia,Egypt and China pay tithes to their deities and rulers (Dietlein, 1967) It is thoughtthat what probably informed the practice among these ancient “ungodly” cities couldlikely be the reason Abraham indulged in the custom

It seems convincing that many heathen rulers worshipped and served othergods with abominable acts such as sacrificing of animals and even their sons anddaughters to idols (Bruce, 1976) It is equally revealing from the available historicalrecords that up to now, there is yet no clear cut proof as to when and where tithingcommenced among these “ungodly” nations But historical evidence supports thattithing probably began when humanity started organizing and living in communities.

As it happened, there arose the need as separate group of people to have leaders whocould rule over them

According to Nwokoro (2007) “There were contributions for the rulers; either

by choice or imposition” (p.5) These contributions were seen as tax serving as a mark

of respect and honour to their leaders with the resultant effect that these leaders inreturn for these taxes paid, released their goodwill and blessings upon the people fortheir obedience and loyalty Hence, the people’s prosperity is closely linked somehow

to their kings’ words of blessing after their due homage to them With the passage oftime, it became expedient that a standard measurement system be introduced forconvenience and the avoidance of any confusion in the mode of payment of any due

or tax to these kings Most scholars are of the view that in harmonizing the paymentsystem, it was thought wise then to use the numbers tens and twenties for counting inwhich case the human fingers and toes were readily available for use (Nwokoro,2007)

Given the above, it can be deciphered that since this practice was widespreadamong nations during Abraham’s days, it became easier for him to adopt it By thetime Abraham was appreciating God on his victory by offering to Melchizedek thetenth of his booty the practice was probably being recognized as tithe viewed as a

Abraham, by offering tithe to and receiving blessings from Melchizedek may havelikely acknowledged Melchizedek’s priestly authority over him (Richards, 2002) Itbecame clearer that the blessings of the superior upon the inferior may have beeninduced through giving which was best expressed in tithing Abraham gave out tithesand it provoked a blessing from Melchizedek, God’s representative (Harrison, 1988).Melchizedek upon receiving the tithes responsively prayed for Abraham to be blessed.That is, he pronounced God’s favour upon Abraham (Watkins & Watkins, 1992).Blessing is God’s favour, help, protection and the like (Merriam-Webster, 1993;Unger & White, 2000)

Ross (2000) asserted that:

Melchizedek is the only person whom Abram recognized as hisspiritual superior Abram accepted blessing from him (v.19), and paidhim a 10th (a tithe) of all he had (v.20) Abram did this deliberately, infull awareness of what he was doing Abram knew that he wouldbecome more prosperous, and he knew who was blessing him Heintended to receive everything from God and not even a thread fromSodom The king of Sodom was obviously a wicked man over awicked empire; Abram discerned that dealing with him might bedangerous Abram could have reasoned that God was seeking to blesshim by means of this offer (p 54)

From this assertion, it appears glaring that Abraham’s revelation about tithepayment might have come to him directly from God This is judged by the fact that hewas ever cautious about whom to offer his tithes Tithing might have probablyoriginated from God, who in his economy initiated it for the prosperity of his people

Tithing appears very likely to be the means God uses in showering his abundanceblessings upon Abraham It is perceived to be reciprocal in nature It is like giving andtaking Abraham might have learnt by intuition that there is a direct connectionbetween giving the tithe and the enjoyment of prosperity He envisaged God as theauthor of genuine prosperity which seems to have propelled his act of faith in tithing.

It is probably in line with this that Lindsay (1996) remarks that Abraham “Recognizedand acknowledged that in a peculiar way, one tenth of all he possessed belonged toGod, and he was always careful to see that it got into God’s hands” (p.20)

Abraham as it is revealed by Onwukeme (2014) became a prosperous man.This, Abraham himself acknowledges by attributing his prosperity to God his source.Prosperity as perceived by Abraham in the opinion of Onwukeme is probably theobtaining of divine favour which is first and foremost spiritual and which isaccompanied with material blessings Taken in this context, biblical prosperity may beunderstood as the receiving of all round blessings from God the giver of all goodthings In a related sense, Biblical prosperity may be understood as having morewealth than one needs to live on as seen in the Bible The four notable Biblecharacters that seem to match this claim of prosperity are: Abraham, Joseph, Job andSolomon It is observed that these men of God demonstrated a daring and practicalstep of faith in God before experiencing God’s super abundance prosperity as proof ofbeing favoured by God Biblical prosperity is a blessing galore It is believed to beGod-induced and not through manipulation of any kind or merely being mathematical

It is an overt manifestation of God’s faithfulness upon his children

Prosperity as a concept has also attracted nuances of interpretations by thevarious constituencies within the Nigerian religious arena culminating into a wide

prosperity preaching is influencing a large number of Christians across a broadsection of the Christian faith (Ayegboyin, 2013) The phenomenon is currently cuttingacross denominational barriers in Nigeria At the moment, the subject is beingtheologically defined which is also practically being reflected in the Christiantheology of giving in Nigeria

In his article on “Theology and Practice of Christian Giving” which conveysthe Roman Catholic’s later view, Mondithoka (2007) intimated that giving andsteward are intertwined Historically, it is held that the Catholics brought the practice

of tithing into Christendom (Dietlein, 1967) Mondithoka (2007) remarked that “Veryfew Christians have a proper, balanced biblical-theological understanding of givingand so not many give” (p.1) Combining the results of his studies on the Johannineand Pauline theology of giving, Mondithoka stressed that the God of the Bible is aloving-giving God To him, Christians are to express their reasonable gratitude andresponse to God’s love by simply loving and giving to God of their very best This isanchored on the fact that Christians are simply stewards of what God has allowedthem to have and use out of his own volition

The view of Mondithoka is that God is not under any obligation, duress or isbound by any law or principle of prosperity to give back to donors of what they give

to him This implies that God’s blessings upon an individual are not only meant forthe individual alone but for the judicious use of God’s purposes in this life Givingback to God is an act of worship; a mark of one’s maturity in the faith and a sign ofone’s loyalty to him Giving in the opinion of Mondithoka is to be done regularly,cheerfully, sacrificially, generously and purposely in proportion to one’s income.Giving, if faithfully done attracts “God’s approval and not for men’s applause” (p.4).The author reiterated that faithful tithing without any ulterior motive is acceptable in

the sight of God He concluded that to be loving-giving is to be like God who isloving-giving.

Agunwanba (2007) in his submission maintained that Christianity is founded,sustained and propagated by giving Giving, he stressed is a central feature of love.The Christian life is characterized by action in giving and not just by being theoreticalabout it (1John 3:17-18) This implies that Christians are perhaps naturally wired topractice the act of giving unconditionally While supporting Mondithoka’s view ongiving, Agunwanba added that the divine role of Spirit’s guidance in giving isimperative He elucidated that if one obediently gives as the Spirit leads and on afertile ground, one will doubtless obtain God’s favour as an aftermath A favourobtained is blessing experienced which is equal to prosperity Agunwanba concludedthat Christian prosperity connotes total prosperity which covers both the spiritual andphysical wealth In his view, material prosperity is not to be isolated from spiritualprosperity because it is the spiritual prosperity that is ultimate in life and beyond Byimplication, what this meant is that it is only as one prospers spiritually that one’smaterial prosperity is eternally useful to one

Puni (2013) established in his article “A Theology of Tithe and Practice ofTithing in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church” that “Stewardship is all of me inresponse to all of God” (p.1) On the one side, God is seen as the Master, Creator,Owner, Giver, Redeemer and Lord of all On the other side, there is a steward who is acreature, receiver and manager of all God’s blessings A steward in acknowledgement

of God’s Creatorship and Lordship over oneself responsively expresses one’s personalfaith and covenant relationship with God through financial stewardship

The author remarked that in tithe and offering, a steward submits to God inworship by returning to God what is due to him Tithe, to Puni’s mind is holy andbelongs to God Hence, giving back to God substances by way of tithing is simply anexpression of one’s loyalty to him It is a faithful honouring of God through giving inwhatever form It is the surrendering of “Our hearts and everything that we are andhave to his control” (p.6) This way of honouring God provokes God’s abundantprosperity upon the giver (Mal.3:10) as God’s blessings.

Alcorn (2003) surveyed the issues of giving and the prosperity of Christians in

general in his Money, Possessions and Eternity He considered giving as reciprocating

God’s grace upon oneself According to him, the radical, sacrificial and open handedgiving of the early Christians remains a timeless example for Christians of all ages.The early disciples eagerly gave to cushion the effect of poverty in their midst withoutexpecting a return They gave, out of love The giving involves not only money, buteverything This view is quite popular in Christendom against the Pentecostalsemphasis on giving

As willing givers, they see God as the true owner of what they have at theirdisposal Man is simply seen as the custodian and manager of God’s asset on earth Amanager usually manages what is not actually his Alcorn quipped that by adoptingthe under mentioned New Testament’s guidelines for giving, it gives Christians neworientation and changes their selfish quest for personal prosperity: Give and givegenerously, regularly, deliberately, voluntarily, sacrificially, excellently, cheerfully,worshipfully, proportionately and quietly It is concluded that giving is for the purpose

of building God’s Kingdom in general terms It is not to establish man’s personalfinancial empire on earth Giving that meets God’s standard attracts God’s blessings