List, The lead article in David French's NYT newsletter today, "Trump’s religious advisers have a peculiar view of Christianity." immediately made me think of Peirce's sharp contrast between what he characterized as the Gospel of Greed as fully opposed to the Gospel of Christ (elsewhere referred to by Peirce as the Gospel of Love). Peirce writes (in a long passage regarding what came to be known as "Social Darwinism":
Here, then, is the issue. The gospel of Christ [or Love] says that progress comes from every individual merging his individuality in sympathy with his neighbors. On the other side, the conviction of the nineteenth century is that progress takes place by virtue of every individual's striving for himself with all his might and trampling his neighbor under foot whenever he gets a chance to do so. This may accurately be called the Gospel of Greed. CP 6.294 A brief excerpt from French's piece can perhaps serve as a kind of summary of it, although an appreciation of the full depth and breadth of his argumentation requires, I think, a reading of it in its entirety. Ordinarily, at this point I would put a link to the article, but it's a "subscribers' only" piece so I can't. (If the url I've placed at the bottom of this message doesn't work and you'd like to read French's article, email me off-List and I'll forward it to you.) While other traditions may respect the quiet, humble pastor who loves and serves his community from, say, a modest parsonage or lives a contented, middle-class life, the pastor of the prosperity church glories in his wealth and power. In fact, these pastors often teach that the most concrete way you can manifest your own faith and thus receive God’s blessing is by giving ever-greater amounts to the pastor’s ministry. You demonstrate your faith by sacrificing to enrich your pastor. Traditional Christians are used to giving money to help the poor and to keep the lights on at church. Christians who follow the prosperity gospel give money for the pastor’s mansion, and — in extreme cases — the pastor’s jet <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/qdgUUXu9jfrcBXkYZy9afA~~/AAAAARA~/YePAwH1qCDz4-skI2Gy3Hpg6b4mZQ6ulvy2EfBLmgYXHgxjcnrnFzcobr41yVCOTxocs2OqJKRSF1gu7LbN4sGIYx234QcW7jfFocI6hyl6Xx7BUi8TmihRRH0Bve0JRWUcxpxgG5b_4Ck0xq7Azfl5Gckg1VYrsESSYZ4fX_ZSRJfVdnEGh26IAodU_i3mMjvwqz55_mVBxNkrTF-v2U3JsuVZ9YgRgMwivhBzBreGNRanfimiQsnIxxL4b5QxSfobGMaSpGQ1feb7oYfeUfoHOz7Ff5xDGD1JL2oYJoFhKezM8k657nowGZc4uI7mT-Y-4ovoHu1mwKUOuxkTv_BvBvgFEzjjHM4rWibvDlMQQpsrTlTmgupZupLsVMPk6WasIBasgvMRWh58wlr764pRON3V-lgm7OK1IyMRku7kuAHAroxZaHYUD6h_VqmSv> . But here’s where things get truly strange. These congregations don’t love the pastor in spite of his obvious exploitation. They give to him or her enthusiastically, inspired by the pastor’s wealth, hoping that by providing him or her their absolute devotion (including their financial resources) they, too, will one day enjoy the same wealth and power. Think of it as a kind of investment strategy — pastors promise believers that they’ll receive a “hundredfold” return on their gifts (twisting a passage in the Gospel of Mark <https://nl.nytimes.com/f/a/zC-8ildg2Qw8sxw-5Ew0Zw~~/AAAAARA~/-iN_xZjuxd0QP4s5G38UdSMcMUCkoU-TZGMUtN9xZXpwnGYN2c1xPUaUzCNL2fsItKUZ-Oyfk1U-zSVA-fyTB7zy4ypJ9fpMmlDj5GUOQirDQJNyeBiOohE-zZujatqHhTtBoZBs4rx6_WkMSpQAPyxPNWtlhobQl2Bp-AijKkRmmLb4sBB0-reUmtcZHQFtr1eVdlo9UmE5go4C1TTeP0bfcQHy7NZmRg1lFFVGvqsNsWGhXJ_s33AcNtEYlOlIZyRBdcoz1ymVJu23JMUxg_seKO5YVph6mUPqaGg1FrnWBum4Y04vBcZCcovssSuPHOf9iqYmFGFW2wRpZzoa6dYU_OZvQIepQw7PyXSrnZI~> ). In his article, French argues that the contrast between what he calls "humble Christians" and their megachurch counterparts has never been clearer. In his view authentic Christians (and, in my view, true humanists of all stripes and sects, religious or not) are guided by humility and selflessness, live to some large extent to serve others, and prioritize love in the form of faith, charity, and at least the hope of community. Meanwhile, major megachurch figures embody a brand of (again in my view) pseudo- or even anti-Christianity that glorifies wealth, power, and personal gain; they offer "blessings" (material ones, like eventual great wealth, but also bizarre "spiritual" ones, like personal 'angels' as discussed in the article) in exchange for hefty donations. The *prosperity gospel* they preach distorts faith into a *transactional system* where believers are encouraged to enrich their pastors in hopes of "divine favor." Unlike the humble pastor who dedicates his life to service, these leaders revel in material excess (see the link above of the mega-pastor with a fleet of jets), mirroring the values of the political figures they endorse. The rise of independent charismatic churches -- led by self-appointed, unchecked leaders -- further deepens this, in my view, tragic distortion, promoting a worldview where power and wealth signal divine approval. So while historically the true "heart" of Christianity (and Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc. and non-religious humanism of all stripes) has emphasized humility, sacrifice, and concern for the poor, this perverse new "theology" celebrates dominance, prosperity, and even a dangerous, quasi-messianic view of political figures like Donald Trump. So French counsels that, just as Martin Luther once nailed his 95 Theses in protest of indulgences, today’s humble Christians especially (but also all truly human-centered folk) must challenge the corruption that has infiltrated their faith, thus rejecting the Gospel of Greed and returning to a Gospel of Love and Grace. David French's article https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/dynamic/render?campaign_id=292&emc=edit_df_20250402&instance_id=151659&isViewInBrowser=true&nl=david-french&productCode=DF®i_id=68716072&segment_id=195096&sendId=195096&uri=nyt://newsletter/bbcb3660-d70a-598d-94c4-00d89fd25ad8&user_id=b1422b225dd9c2c469ac06c116c9fb08 Best, Gary R
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