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The term “televangelist” generally carries negative connotations. Common reactions when people are asked about televangelists include descriptors such as dishonest, greedy, materialistic, wasteful, and scandalous. The image of televangelists flaunting excessively expensive clothing and jewelry, residing in outrageously costly homes, and driving the most luxurious cars has led many individuals to lose faith in Christ. Even those who do not follow the Christian faith can recognize that the teachings and lifestyles of most televangelists contradict the principles of Jesus Christ.
There is nothing inherently problematic with televangelism. Television, like any other medium (such as radio or the internet), serves as a means to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide. Numerous devout Christian leaders utilize television to promote the gospel. Television itself is not the root of the issues in televangelism. The fundamental problem in televangelism lies in the unscriptural beliefs held by many televangelists. While television is not the direct issue, it does exacerbate the problem by making it more challenging to identify a deceptive individual on a television screen compared to in-person scrutiny. Television facilitates the presentation of a facade of piety and transformative ministry, while in reality, it often involves exploiting unsuspecting followers.
The primary cause of many televangelist controversies is the doctrine commonly referred to as the health-wealth gospel. Televangelists are the main proponents of the notion that it is always God’s intention for all Christians to enjoy perfect health and financial prosperity. The central tenet of the health-wealth gospel is that by giving money, God is bound to bestow health and wealth upon you. If you donate money but do not receive health and wealth, it is suggested that you did not give a sufficient amount.Hey, or do not have enough faith to truly receive the blessing. In this, health-wealth televangelists encourage people to give large sums of money, while preemptively explaining why the people are not blessed with health and wealth as they were promised.
Also known as the “prosperity gospel,” it is decidedly unbiblical. Yes, the Bible encourages believers to give (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6). And yes, the Bible teaches that those who give generously will be blessed by God (Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:7). However, the Bible does not teach that we should give SO THAT we will be blessed. The Bible teaches that we should give because we love God and want to thank Him for what He has given us. Our motive for giving should not be so that God will bless us in return. Rather, our motive for giving should be to glorify God and to share the blessings He has given, thereby further expanding His kingdom and promoting the message of the gospel. The message, focus, and motive of the health-wealth televangelists is clearly unbiblical.
While it is always wrong to motivate giving by unbiblical methods, it would at least be somewhat understandable if these televangelists used the money for godly purposes. Sadly, that is most definitely not the case. It is utterly ridiculous to think that it is God’s desire for televangelists to spend the money donated for their ministry on mansions, while there are hundreds of languages into which not even a portion of the Bible has been translated. It is offensive for televangelists to drive cars that, if sold, could feed a starving African village for months. It is abhorrent that televangelists own clothing outfits that cost more than the average family can afford to spend on clothing in an entire year. To those who have been offended by the many televangelist scandals, please unders
Understand this – those televangelists do not represent the Christian faith, and they are not following either Jesus’ teachings or His example. Televangelist scandals have truly “given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” «Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. », (2 Samuel 12:14).
While it is inconceivable that anyone could truly study the Bible and come away with a belief in the health-wealth gospel that many televangelists espouse, it is possible that some televangelists genuinely believe their message is true, biblical, right, and good. However, whether he believes it or whether he is intentionally and knowingly attempting to fleece people, the result is the same: people are deceived, robbed, and hurt.
To those Christians who have been deceived and hurt by televangelist scandals: please do not let your experience with televangelists cloud your relationship with Jesus Christ. Study God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and you will see the true message of the gospel. To those non-Christians for whom televangelism is a reason for your rejection of the Christian faith: do not reject faith in Jesus Christ due to the lies, deceptions, ungodly teachings, and unholy lifestyles of the televangelists. Examine God’s Word for yourself, and if you are to reject the true gospel, at least reject it for what it truly is.
