The Prosperity Gospel: Christianity and the Foundations of Capitalism

In God We Trust: The Entanglement of Faith and Wealth

Introduction

Embedded in the fabric of many nations is the belief that wealth and success are signs of divine favor. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United States, where the phrase "In God We Trust" is etched onto currency—a constant reminder of the intertwining of faith and financial systems. But this connection didn’t arise in a vacuum. From the establishment of tithes in medieval Europe to the Prosperity Gospel in contemporary America, Christianity has often been used to sanctify wealth accumulation and justify the exploitation of labor. This alignment of faith with finance shaped not only individual beliefs but also global systems of capitalism that prioritize profit over people. It was forged over centuries, with the Church playing a central role in sanctifying wealth accumulation and cementing economic systems rooted in exploitation.

This article continues our series, “I Want to Wish You an Eschatological Christmas,” where we trace the arc of Christianity from its humble beginnings in a manger in Bethlehem to its alignment with state power, which gave rise to the Doctrine of Discovery, justifying land colonization. We’ll move from the Doctrine of Discovery to Manifest Destiny, the belief that westward expansion and dominion over the land were divinely preordained, and onward to Project 2025, which represents the culmination of efforts to Christianize a nation.

In this piece, we’ll explore how these theological frameworks evolved into the Prosperity Gospel, which transformed material wealth into a sign of God’s grace, perpetuating systemic inequality and capitalist exploitation. Along the way, we’ll see how this theology ties the individual pursuit of wealth to divine favor, laying the groundwork for a system that prioritizes profit over people, land, and community.

If you would like to follow along in this series or any other and face a financial barrier for whatever reason, please email: scholarships@desireebstephens.com. Liberation is for all, and that means it must be accessible.

From Land to Wealth: The Doctrine of Discovery and Its Evolution

As we explored in the previous article, the Doctrine of Discovery provided a theological foundation for colonization, granting European powers the "divine right" to seize non-Christian lands, resources, and peoples. But as colonial territories expanded, so did the Church’s justifications for domination. Land was no longer just for spiritual conquest; it became a commodity—an asset to be exploited for economic gain.

The shift from land colonization to wealth accumulation was driven by two key developments:

1. The Economic Framework of Colonization

   • Colonies were not just mission fields—they were resource extraction zones, feeding wealth back to European empires.

   • Churches and missionaries played a dual role: spreading the Gospel while endorsing the commodification of land and labor.

2. The Theology of Ownership and Domination

   • The concept of “stewardship” was reframed. Instead of living in harmony with the land, Christians were taught that humanity (particularly European Christians) had dominion over the earth, with a mandate to exploit it.

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The Prosperity Gospel: Wealth as God’s Favor

As Manifest Destiny solidified land as a commodity and wealth as a measure of progress, Christian theology adapted again. By the mid-20th century, the Prosperity Gospel emerged, teaching that financial success and material abundance were signs of divine blessing.

This theology not only reinforced the individualism and class stratification inherent to capitalism but also sanctified exploitation as a necessary means to an economic end. As I wrote in my article “America’s GDP: The Business of Exploiting People,”:

"America’s wealth is not a testament to ingenuity or divine favor—it is the accumulated profit of stolen labor and stolen lands. The GDP is a measurement of extraction: from Black and Brown bodies, from the earth, and from our collective humanity."

The Prosperity Gospel operates within this same framework, reframing economic inequality as a reflection of spiritual virtue while ignoring the systemic exploitation that underpins it. This ideology encourages individual accumulation while absolving systems of responsibility for the harm they perpetuate.

With the emergence of the Prosperity Gospel in the 20th century, the link between faith and finance reached its pinnacle. Preachers like Oral Roberts and Joel Osteen popularized the idea that wealth wasn’t just a sign of hard work—it was a sign of God’s blessing. Poverty, conversely, was framed as a spiritual failure.

This theology reframed systemic inequality as a personal issue, absolving systems of their responsibility while placing the blame on individuals. It also perpetuated harmful ideologies that align with supremacy culture, including: