A much higher proportion of U.S. Protestants embrace the so-called prosperity gospel than did in 2017, a study published last week by a Baptist research group found, and young people are dramatically more likely than older people to believe in its ideas.
Some see cause for concern. Others say this concern is largely misplaced — though much depends on how one defines “prosperity gospel” in the first place.
Last year, Tennessee-based Lifeway Research asked a sample of church-going Protestants to assess several statements about how God intervenes in their worldly lives.
“My church teaches that if I give more money to my church and charities, God will bless me in return,” read one statement, for example.