Prosperity vs Poverty Theology

I have mentioned in a few posts already that there are two common, incorrect views of money and wealth. These are the theologies of prosperity (or 'health and wealth') and poverty. They act as opposites of one another while actually promoting the same root sin: materialism. Let's take a look at each, in an admittedly simple discussion, so that we may better understand how they are both biblically false and from where that falsehood springs.

Prosperity Theology
Prosperity teachers claim that, as Christians, we are 'children of the King' and therefore ought to live accordingly here and now. Possessions are an indicator of faith as well as favor from God. Are you sick? You just need enough faith, and you will be well. Do you need a car? Well don't just pray for provision - pray for a Mercedes! And the Lord will give it based on your faith because He loves to bless His faithful ones with lots of stuff.
In essence, this teaching promotes justification by material possession. After all, the most faithful will be physically rewarded while the less faithful will not. The extremes of this view go so far as to claim that Jesus was wealthy while He walked the earth (because why would the King of Kings walk about in shabby clothes with a bunch of riff-raff and stay in tumble-down shanties?), utterly ignoring the plain biblical reading that Jesus was a poor, homeless manual laborer who was eventually betrayed by His friends and left to die at the hands of the people His Father had placed into power.

Some common texts used by prosperity teachers
Malachi 3:10 - "...And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need."
Phillippians 4:19 - "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
3 John 2 - "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul."

Refutation
The belief from prosperity teachers is that the above verses stand as promises of abundant material and physical blessing for the believer. While I could go into a detailed refutation on each of the verses listed above, I'll keep this relatively short for the sake of the overall length of this post.
The verse from Malachi is dealing with one's faithfulness in tithing. God knows we don't want to give up any of our money or wealth because, in our fallen nature, we get worried about our provision. He says here, through the prophet, that the provision is taken care of by Him. Take special note of the final six words of the verse ("until there is no more need"). The blessing is meant to fulfill the needs of those who act in faith with their giving. It does not promise a super-abundance for those who exercise increased giving 'on faith'.
The Philippians verse is hilarious to me because, based on what I wrote last week, one need only back up a couple of verses to see where Paul is coming from. He is content with little, and he is content with much. He can be content because Christ gives him the strength to remain in Him no matter the circumstance. The key words in this verse are "need" and "in Christ". God supplies for needs, and He knows that what we need, more than anything else, can only be found in Christ.
My favorite is 3 John 2. Here's the deal - John was writing a letter. In a letter you give a salutation. This is part of his salutation. He's praying a blessing over those to whom he is writing. Do you ever pray a blessing over someone you deeply care for? Of course! Prosperity teachers turn this prayer of well-wishing into a promise from God. It simply is not so.

Poverty Theology
This is the exact opposite of Prosperity Theology. Essentially, this states that the less you have the more faithful you are. Rather than justification by material possession, it promotes justification by material dispossession. Having possessions results in guilt on the part of the possessor, and getting rid of them relieves the guilt. After all, Jesus was a poor, homeless manual laborer who was eventually betrayed by His friends and left to die at the hands of the people His Father had placed into power.
I must admit that this teaching is more challenging to disprove for me. I am attracted to its notion of 'give it all away for the benefit of others'. It feels very spiritual. And that is why, though it is false, it is hard to reveal its falsehood. It is easy to refute a teaching that promotes getting and having more. We all know gluttony is wrong (unless, as John Piper says so often, we are glutting ourselves on Christ). But extreme generosity? How is that bad?
When the heart behind the seeming generosity is one that is compelled by guilt, it becomes a veiled form of legalism. Rather than operating with generosity from a heart of grace, the giver believes that giving everything away leads to more righteousness in the eyes of God. The giver uplifts the act of getting rid of something for the benefit of someone else to the position of functional savior. In short, the act of giving becomes idolatry.
Given this refutation, it must be stated that this mentality is not so common among those of us operating in the developed world. We like the idea of being generous, but when it comes right down to it, we rarely give sacrificially. This teaching is gaining in popularity, though, so if this post serves as an inoculation, then I am okay with it.

Conclusion
Both teachings stem from one besetting sin: materialism. For the prosperity camp, that's obvious. Faith = having things = worshiping things = materialistic idolatry. But what happens when disaster strikes and your home is destroyed? Or, in my case, a loved one gets sick and doesn't get better but in fact dies? Is that a commentary on the state of my faith and the faith of those who prayed for her healing?
For the poverty camp, materialism takes on a shadow form. Faith = getting rid of things = obsession over things = worshiping the removal of things = materialistic idolatry. But what happens when God, who is a good Dad, wants to give us a present for no other reason than He loves us and wants to bless us (Matthew 7:7-11)? Do we reject it out of hand?

There is substantially more to this discussion, and perhaps I will engage it more thoroughly and more spread out in weeks to come. For now, though, this is a good start.

For more resources on money, wealth, and what we should do with it, check out the following:
Doctrine, by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, chapter 12
Money: God or Gift, by Jamie Munson
The Blessed Life, by Robert Morris