The Prosperity Gospel and the Spirit of Consumerism According to Joel Osteen

This article explores the link between Protestantism and the spirit of consumerist capitalism by focusing on the prosperity gospel and one of its most prominent contemporary proponents—pastor, televangelist, and New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen. Through in-depth content analysis of eight of Osteen’s most influential and widely read books, I explore the underlying assumptions of his teachings about faith, prosperity, and consumption. The broader implications of Osteen’s theology of money and consumption for American religion—especially the link between Protestant Christianity, consumerism, and the American Dream—are considered. Findings reveal Osteen’s support for the consumerist belief that happiness and ultimate meaning in life are linked with ever-increasing discretionary consumption. Godliness and nonessential consumption go hand in hand for Osteen, whose Christianized version of the American Dream and prosperity gospel teachings are important components of the spirit of twenty-first-century consumerist capitalism

Aesthetics · Capitalism · Christianity · Consumerism · Dream · Faith · Gospel · Happiness · Political science · Prosperity · Protestant work ethic · Protestantism · Social Gospel · Sociology · Theology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies

• Waiting for “God’s Best”

  Jayeel Serrano Cornelio, Lisandro E Claudio•Journal of Religion and Popular…•2022

  Incluir item

• It Really Works! Qualitative Content Analysis of Multilevel Marketing Organizations’ Online Promotional Messaging and Recruitment Strategies

  Rachelle L Pavelko, Cory Barker•Women s Studies in Communication•2022

  Incluir item

• The Prosperity Ethic

  Open Access•Erron Medina, Jayeel Serrano Cornelio et al.•Pneuma•2021

  Incluir item

• The economic practices of US congregations

  Open Access•P Mundey, David P King et al.•Social Compass•2019

  Incluir item

• Introduction

  Open Access•Katherine Attanasi•Pentecostalism and Prosperity•2012

  Incluir item