It’s all false, US cleric Creflo Dollar says after profiting from success gospel

After a lifetime of preaching and minting a fortune from tithes, popular American televangelist Creflo Dollar recently made an about-turn. He repudiated his teachings that emphasised on the gospel of prosperity, which teach that God rewards those who tithe and believe in him with money and success.

Thus, the more a Christian gives, the more they get wealthy and successful. Creflo Dollar urged followers to destroy books and any other resources on the subject, in a move that is causing ripples, especially in the global evangelical communion.

Dollar, who leads World Changers International Ministries in College Park, Georgia, told his congregation in a sermon at the end of June that what he’s preached about tithing for many years was incorrect. The sermon was aptly titled ‘The great misunderstanding’ and it has caused furore far beyond Dollar’s American homeland.

“I want to start off by saying to you that I'm still growing. And that the teachings that I've shared in times past on the subject of tithing, were not correct. And today I stand in, and humility, to correct some things that I've taught for years and believed for years, but could never understand it clearly, because I had not yet been confronted with the gospel of grace, which has made the difference.”

Dollar’s change of heart comes after the much-publicised move by another prince of the prosperity gospel movement, Benny Hinn, who said in 2019 that he was done with the prosperity gospel.

 Hinn has been a leading proponent of prosperity gospel theology since the 1980s, teaching that God rewards active faith with health and wealth.

“I am correcting my own theology and you need to all know it,” the televangelist said. “The blessings of God are not for sale. And miracles are not for sale. And prosperity is not for sale.”

There has been debate on whether tithe, an Old Testament edict, is still relevant for the believers living in the dispensation after Jesus established the church.

After the Israelites settled in Canaan, all the tribes were allotted land from which they could earn a living. However, the priests were not allocated any land and hence tithe was meant for their upkeep.

Pastor Zainab Hussein of Latter Glory Church says that tithe is biblical.  She says over the years, she has seen God keep His promises to her especially on the issue of tithing. Pastor Hassan challenges the claims that tithe is no longer relevant in the church.

“Jesus said I didn't come to abolish law but to fulfil it or strengthen it. Tithe is the only way God uses to rebuke the devourer (Satan) and to open heaven for us,” she says. She further backs her stand with Malachi 3:10: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “And see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

Many people were happy that Dollar had ‘seen the light’. However, some are of the view that his repudiation of what he has preached and benefited immensely from over the years was not good enough.

The head of Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) Bishop Calisto Odede is in this group. “Dollar belonged to the category of prosperity preachers. They emphasize the material aspects of wealth and abuse the scriptures to teach that God wants every Christian to materially prosper. The way the Christians would prosper is to give especially to their ministries. In this sense I do not think his apology is deep enough, for it was not tithe they had problems with but the whole idea of giving. He should therefore repent of the whole false teachings that they have propagated. As a result of these mistaken teachings, they have become extremely wealthy.”

Nigerian journalist Sunday Oguntola says that the manipulation is rampant and he has seen cases where believers and pastors use paying of tithes and offerings as some sort of blackmail- to force God’s hand to give the givers untold blessings.

Osborne Osanjo, an elder at a Seventh Day Adventist Church in the United Kingdom, agrees with Oguntola.

“I think my issue with tithes and how is presented as a way of forcing the hand of God to bless the hands of those who give it.”