Is “Prosperity Theology” the Cure for Struggling Homosexuals?
Conversion therapy is a cruel hoax
Prosperity Theology
“Prosperity theology” asserts that God has a contract with humans. If the human provides enough faith, God will deliver health and wealth.
Faith, in this case, means maintaining the right identity, “leaps of faith,” and charitable donations.
Doesn’t it seem a tad cruel to tell someone deeply suffering that God will provide health and wealth if only he will “call upon Jesus as his savior?” Oh, and by the way, if you will tithe to God, He will provide for your financial deficits.
In a Prosperity Theology arrangement, the hurting person is always guilty of “doing his faith wrongly” whenever his healing and wealth are not yet achieved. Did I pray too little? Did I pray the wrong prayer? Did I need more faith? Did I fail to tithe? To me, that is a recipe for self-condemnation and shame.
Conversely, if your health and wealth are supplied, was it because you prayed properly? How smug you must feel. And how compassionate less you must be toward others who are doing their faith “all wrong.” If only they could be like you.
Shame, pride, and lack of compassion are not Jesus’s hallmark virtues.
This “name it and claim it” belief appeals to the poor in spirit, health, and wealth. Such ideology is primarily found in charismatic, non-denominational churches. The presumption is that God wants you (the Christian) to live an abundant life, free from suffering and despair.
Such Prosperity Theology celebrities include Joel Osteen, Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, Bruce Wilkinson, and Zig Ziglar.
Why struggle with bad health and insufficient income when God wants you to join Him in richness? At least, that is what Prosperity Theologians claim.
The ticket to success — so they say — is faith in the inherent goodness of God. And faith is assumed to be something you confess with your mouth and contribute with your checkbook. And what “good” God wouldn’t reward you for such “faith?”
But what if someone is “broken” by homosexuality and known as a “struggler?” Can this struggler hope for “transformation” if he places his faith in Jesus?
“Yes!” is the answer from Prosperity Theology church leaders, professional counselors, and “redeemed” former strugglers.
Sexual Orientation Change Efforts
As background, for forty years, there existed small parachurch groups that proclaimed “freedom from homosexuality, through faith in Jesus.” Each group was headed by a church leader, layperson, professional counselor, or a “recovered” homosexual.
These groups all followed the same basic script.
First, give your life over to Jesus.
Next, proclaim a self-identity as a “struggler” rather than as gay or homosexual.
Then, trust that God has already given other people freedom from their homosexuality. And He can do it for you too — if you have enough faith.
For example, their principal Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (paraphrased and condensed below):
“Do you not know that the wicked — male prostitutes and homosexual offenders — will not inherit the kingdom of God? And such were some of you! But you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit.”
What could be clearer for conservative Evangelical Protestants? God transforms homosexuals who come to Jesus!
The next transformational step is to abstain from all homoeroticism and homoromantic relationships.
Finally, one is supposed to repeatedly repent by confessing each infraction.
After all, as their motto says, “Change can happen!”
Does this remind you of Prosperity Theology? You betcha.
In this case, “change” was heralded as the loss of same-sex attraction, the gain of opposite-sex attraction, marriage to a woman, and even the creation of your own child.
The problem was obvious: it was all one big hoax!
“Exodus International” was the agency that was the hub of all parachurch conversion therapies. Exodus encouraged faithful attendance to a local ex-gay parachurch support group and working under the supervision of a professional counselor who believed that Change Can Happen.
However, Exodus closed its doors after 40 years of faithful allegiance to the “change” agenda. The results indicated that it had all been a charade. The leader declared that in all 40 years, 99% of the strugglers had not truly changed in the ways that the Exodus leaders promoted.
I concur. Having mentored thousands of gay Christians, I have never met anyone who could tell me that his same-sex attraction has permanently disappeared. That is a pretty pathetic track record of “success.”
With the closure of Exodus International, what agency would step up and supervise the various local groups? What “certifying” organization would screen and refer strugglers to a “competent” professional counselor who could assist in the transformation?
The flagship agency became “Restored Hope Network.”
Restored Hope Network (RHN)
Restored Hope Network says that it does not practice “conversion therapy.”
Oh, really.
Their website describes themselves as transformational: mortification to life-changing, broken to restored, struggler to redeemed. That sounds like a lot of changing for a ministry that does not engage in “conversion.”
If it looks, walks, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
Their mission statement reads,
“Restored Hope is … dedicated to restoring hope to those broken by sexual and relational sin, especially those impacted by homosexuality.”
RHN believes that those who “struggle with homosexuality” (a.k.a., “strugglers”) are not whole. Rather, homosexuals are broken. RHN presumes that the struggler is inherently sinful because he experiences ongoing, same-sex attraction, identifies as “gay,” engages in homoerotic behaviors (to even include hugs and hand holding), and wrongfully seeks a homoromantic relationship. Such “sins” must be killed off.
“Change” occurs when the struggler “walks in the Spirit.” Christlike sanctification then occurs when the struggler disavows any sexual identity (i.e., rejects such identities as “I am gay,” “I am a homosexual”), abstains from focusing on homoerotic thoughts and behaviors, and confesses all infractions.
Such conversion often occurs with the aid of a professional counselor who is guided by the psychodynamic principles of “Reparative Therapy.” Such therapy assumes that the causation of one’s gayness was an incomplete emotional bonding with his dad. Furthermore, the “cure” for eliminating same-sex attractions is to become more “masculine” — by hanging out with masculine men and acquiring their habits.
Conversion (i.e., restoration) is also aided by attending a local small group of fellow strugglers. Typically, the group is led by a struggler who has “changed” (or at least advanced in the “mortification” process). RHN has a list of affiliated ministries, plus certified individuals who serve as spiritual mentors, pastoral guides, and professional therapists.
RHN also provides plenty of resources, plus an online conference.
The leadership of RHN includes prominent celebrities during the ex-gay era, such as both presidents of Focus on the Family, key people from the former Exodus International, theologians who do not affirm gay marriage, and the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their website even praises the founders of Reparative Therapy (who are deceased).
Objections
My objections to RHN are many.
At the core, RHN presumes that a person who is gay is broken and in need of repair — simply because he possesses an involuntary, enduring attraction to certain men. RHN vilifies all homoerotic and homoromantic desires, let alone their aligning behaviors. The homosexual is viewed as disordered.
Tragically, RHN presumes that gays do not have a permanent relationship with Jesus. Such is absurd! I know of countless gays who are likewise Christ-followers. It is a great insult to assume that gay Christians have less of a relationship with Jesus than their counterpart, straight Christians.
Becoming aligned with Jesus does not equate to losing one’s same-sex attraction. While aligning with Jesus is wonderful, He apparently doesn’t remove all of one’s same-sex attractions.
I find RHN as “promising much and delivering little.” Such is true with Prosperity Theologies. At best, RHN appears to help some gay men stop calling themselves “gay.” In some cases, RHN and its affiliates may help a man reduce the number of acting-out homoerotic behaviors.
Also, in a minority of cases, RHN may facilitate the spontaneous sexual attraction to one certain woman. That is not to say that the man has been converted, repaired, or transformed out of his same-sex attraction.
There is, however, an “alternative universe” for the gay men who believe they are broken.
Jesus’s Love
Jesus is love. He can never stop being love.
Jesus loves every gay man — exactly as he is.
The gay man does not need to be ashamed of his same-sex attraction. Likewise, he does not need to be “restored,” “transformed,” or “healed.” After all, there is nothing wrong with being gay.
You are already fully and completely loved by Jesus.
My dear gay Christian friends, why have you allowed yourself to be tricked by those who practice conversion therapy?
You cannot attain more of Jesus’s love by changing your name to “struggler.” Nor can you earn more of Jesus’s love by abstaining and confessing. Such disciplines may be helpful to your life situation, but they will not gain you one iota more of Jesus’s amazing love.
In closing, your “hope” should not be in the supposed transformation advertised by Restored Hope Network. Such is the scheme of Prosperity Theology.
If you want to be with Jesus, He will never leave you. Unending love.
Dr. Mike Rosebush (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology; he, him, his;) is the creator and editor of GAYoda, plus a writer for Backyard Church. A short synopsis of Dr. Rosebush’s life can be found at I Lived the Most Unusual Gay Christian Life Ever. He may be contacted at mikerosebush75@gmail.com.
