IN the landscape of modern Christianity, particularly within evangelical and charismatic circles, a variety of theological emphases dominate the pulpits of many preachers.
These teachings, often packaged in charismatic sermons and broadcast through mega churches, social media, and television, promise spiritual fulfilment, personal success, and divine favour.
However, beneath the appealing surface lies a host of theological pitfalls that can distort the core message of the gospel, mislead congregations, and even endanger souls.
One of the most widespread theologies among many preachers today is the prosperity gospel, also known as the “health and wealth” doctrine. This teaching posits that faith in God, often demonstrated through financial giving or positive confessions, will result in material blessings, physical health, and overall prosperity.
This prosperity gospel is mostly popularised by the most renowned spiritual figures in the country today, having its roots in American Word of Faith teachings from Kenneth Hagin and Oral Roberts, which promise health, wealth, and success as divine rights for believers who activate faith through positive confession and generous giving.
The core message to believers is sow a seed, while tithing or special offerings will allegedly unlock supernatural breakthroughs, thereby twisting Mal. 3:10 out of context. They misuse Mark 11:23 by saying, “name it, claim it, speak wealth into existence, and believers expect it to materialise while they sit at home, lazy, doing nothing.
They say poverty is a curse and your suffering is a signal of your weak faith, thereby ignoring Job and Paul’s thorns in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. But what they do not know is that this theological heresy reduces God to a cosmic ATM, contradicting Jesus’ warnings about wealth in Matt. 19:24 and Paul’s contentment in lack, Phil. 4:11 13.
At the end, the seed faith drains the poor; widows give school fees, cancer patients sell their land, expecting miracles that rarely come. When prayers fail, followers blame themselves, not the false promise.
Proponents argue that biblical promises, such as those in the Abrahamic covenant, entitle believers to earthly riches as a direct consequence of their devotion. Most critics, however, identify this as a severe distortion of scripture, where the atonement of Jesus is extended to cover not just sin but also poverty and illness, effectively turning God into a cosmic vending machine.
Bonano will contend here that the dangers are multifaceted as they foster materialism and greed, secularising the Christian faith by equating spiritual success with worldly achievements. This theology preys particularly on the poor, promising quick fixes to economic hardships while ignoring systemic issues and the biblical call to contentment in all circumstances.
When blessings fail to materialise, followers may experience profound disillusionment, questioning their faith or God’s goodness. Moreover, it renders grace obsolete by implying that human actions such as tithing or “seeding” faith can manipulate divine favour, shifting the focus from Christ’s sufficiency to personal effort. In extreme cases, this leads to a form of theodicy that blames suffering on insufficient faith, exacerbating pain rather than offering comfort.
Beyond prosperity teachings, many preachers adopt a theology rooted in poor biblical exegesis, prioritising topical sermons over in-depth study of the text. This approach often involves cherry-picking verses to support preconceived ideas, leading to sermons that sound inspirational but lack substance.
For instance, bad biblical theology can result in messages that emphasise moral examples without connecting them to the redemptive work of Christ, turning the Bible into a self-help manual rather than a revelation of God’s plan.
Bonano will tell you that the risks are evident in how this warps the congregation’s understanding of faith because preaching out of context strips away the authority of Scripture and veils God’s intended glory, leaving listeners with fragmented truths that fail to transform lives.
It can also promote a ‘Christless Christianity’, where biblical truths are proclaimed but the centrality of Jesus is overlooked, echoing the Pharisees’ error of studying Scripture without recognising the Messiah. In a broader sense, this contributes to moralistic therapeutic deism, a diluted faith where God exists to make people feel better and behave nicely, devoid of demands for repentance or discipleship.
Modern preaching faces additional hazards from cultural trends. Many preachers reject traditional expository preaching in favour of entertainment-driven messages, fearing boredom in an image-saturated world. This shift prioritises relevance over reverence, often resulting in sermons that avoid hard truths like sin, judgment, or sacrifice. Pastors themselves face personal dangers, such as burnout or moral failure, when the weight of preaching becomes a performance rather than a stewardship.
Bonano will project further that, overemphasising biblical theology while valuable, can lead to sermons that overlook the immediate application’s demands, focusing solely on grand narratives at the expense of ethical imperatives. Common problems include a lack of cross-referencing Scripture with itself, allowing cultural biases to interpret the text rather than letting the Bible speak on its own terms.
This theology of many preachers, while often well-intentioned, poses real dangers by diluting the gospel’s power and leading believers astray. Prosperity promises breed false hope, shallow interpretations foster superficial faith, and trendy preaching undermines doctrinal integrity. Preaching is inherently dangerous for the preacher, who must answer for every word, and for the hearer, who risks building on sand rather than rock.
Bonano would submit that, to counter these threats, churches must prioritise expository preaching, rigorous theological training, and a Christ-centred hermeneutic. Believers should test teachings against Scripture, seeking depth over dazzle. Ultimately, true theology points not to earthly gain but to the eternal riches found in Jesus Christ, where suffering has purpose, faith endures trials, and God’s sovereignty reigns supreme. By heeding these warnings, the church can reclaim the transformative power of faithful preaching.
