The merit of our work is that although these shifts are discernible in the Philippines, they can inform how other scholars as well might assess transformations to the prosperity gospel elsewhere. Put differently, it is the sanctification of individual hard work and desire. 6 We will argue that the prosperity ethic is an aspirational discourse that sacralizes the work of the neoliberal laborer.
In the latter part we explain the rise of the prosperity ethic by relating it to major shifts in the economy since the 1980s. The prosperity ethic has three dimensions: the morality of wealth (believing right), the prescribed mindset (thinking right), and the practical skills to accumulate wealth (doing it right). We make our case by drawing on the writings of Bo Sanchez and Chinkee Tan, two of the most influential prosperity-oriented preachers in the country. Specifically, the prosperity ethic values upward mobility and uses biblical principles to justify the acquisition of practical skills to become rich. Its dimensions set it apart from the previous incarnation of the prosperity gospel, which emphasized tithing and confessing. We call this the rise of the prosperity ethic. This article proposes that a shift has taken place. He observes that “due to their links to Western Christianity, continue to be triumphalist and have developed a theology of prosperity often expressed in their preaching.” 5 This observation complements a ten-country survey run by Pew Research, which revealed that 85 percent of Charismatics agreed that “God will grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith.” 4 For Filipino theologian Joel Tejedo, this is the case, too, for pentecostal megachurches, which are among the most influential religious institutions in the Philippines. Today the prosperity gospel is discernible in messages preached in churches all over the country. It became most influential with the success of El Shaddai, a Catholic renewal movement led by Brother Mike Velarde. The prosperity gospel provided the religious language for the material aspirations of many Filipinos. 2 Social and civic engagements characterized the activities of these churches, but over time, they became increasingly prosperity-oriented. It was a time when many new congregations and prayer groups-Catholic and otherwise-attracted low-income followers.
1 Its seeds were sown in the 1980s in charismatic circles around the country. It preaches that material wealth and physical health are God’s will for believers. The prosperity gospel has been a long-standing marker of contemporary Christianity in the Philippines. Keywords: prosperity gospel prosperity ethic neoliberalism Christianity Philippines
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