Atlantic: Did Christianity Cause The Housing Crash?

The Atlantic:

America's churches always reflect shifts in the broader culture, and Casa del Padre is no exception. The message that Jesus blesses believers with riches first showed up in the postwar years, at a time when Americans began to believe that greater comfort could be accessible to everyone, not just the landed class. But it really took off during the boom years of the 1990s, and has continued to spread ever since. This stitched-together, homegrown theology, known as the prosperity gospel, is not a clearly defined denomination, but a strain of belief that runs through the Pentecostal Church and a surprising number of mainstream evangelical churches, with varying degrees of intensity. In Garay's church, God is the "Owner of All the Silver and Gold," and with enough faith, any believer can access the inheritance. Money is not the dull stuff of hourly wages and bank-account statements, but a magical substance that comes as a gift from above. Even in these hard times, it is discouraged, in such churches, to fall into despair about the things you cannot afford. "Instead of saying 'I'm poor,' say 'I'm rich,'" Garay's wife, Hazael, told me one day. "The word of God will manifest itself in reality."

Read the whole story: The Atlantic

Comments

[RG777]

It is really quite remarkable that someone would be this irresponsible to write this article. It shows first a total disregard for journalism, truth and us the readers. The author makes some allegations and then fails to show any proof for this sort of connection. It is very reminiscent of Germany blaming every one for their ills except themselves just prior Nazism coming to power. Connections have been made and verified but he does not show these but goes after alleged Christians. It would appear a perfect scapegoat when the truth scares you. We know the steps the Clinton administration took to make it easier for those who could not afford a home to purchase a home. We know further the steps a Democratic lead congress and senate did to put teeth behind their “Homes for broke people” program that was signed by President George Bush. Further it has been shown clearly that acorn and organizations like acorn sued banks to force them to give subprime loans. Even Obama sued a bank in behalf of Acorn to force banks to give subprime loans in Chicago. Congress was warned about a crisis with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but Democrats like Meeks and Waters refused to listen instead they became insulting towards those who brought this up. But it appears that Atlantic and Huffington Post prefer authors from the Bill Maher school of Journalism; whose motto is blame the Christians when in doubt or when not in doubt.

[jalowe1957]

Preach the prosperity gospel, expect to get burned financially practicing what was preached.

And how are Joel Osteen's finances doing these days, as those of Credo Dollar?

[katieandtom]

i am a christian, and the above sounds like rubbish. sounds like baptist beliefs to me.

[FloresdelaHoz]

The current global economic meltdown is the results of the special efforts of Greenspan, Rubin and Summers. None are Christians.

I have got news for the writer, Gods blesses his children.

[LibChicAZ]

Try reading the article - it makes a lot of good points.

[FloresdelaHoz]

Why do so many articles attack or demean Christians or the Catholic Church? It is unnecessary. All this does is make compassionate Christian join forces with other Christians who are much more narrow minded. Articles like this will get Huckabee into the White House.

I read the article. My impression was that author fails to see the forest and concentrates on a field of trees.

I also did not care for the openning comparison of the traditional hard working Prostestants who founded this country and the get rich scheming simple Catholics turn Evangelical Hispanic Americans. Cheap shot. This country from the days of the Pilgrim immigrants to today's immigrants have been risk takers. The consumer of financial products should not be the scapegoat.

Those who overextended themselves will incur the consequences of their poor financial choices. But let's be honest and not blame the victim of the deregulation of the financial industry.

[balancedsolution]

Good intentioned and well meaning people is what i meant to write.

[balancedsolution]

Well if you read the article you'd realize that there's something to think about.

I do think that the Christians ruined the country...­. Here's my logic.

#1. Christians are good mean people, but are pawns (like any religion, but they are predominant in this country)
#2. The architect knew the best way to get bush elected was to do his work through churches, knowing that pawns will vote for him. (pawns don't utilize their brains, just their emotions)
#3. bush was elected.
#4 bush went into an unnecessary war
#5 bush couldn't focus on anything domestically because he was obsessed with iraq
#6 cheney was in charge for the first 4 but bush was still the boss?
#7 it was bush who bailed out the banks
#8 bush was the leader of the country when everyone hated us
#9 he gave our country a bad name
#10 he and cheney and and the other deutsch, (that secty of defense) had no idea what they were doing
#11 all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn't put humpty dumpty back together again
#12 bush made Powell look like a fool. Slam dunk! huh?
#13 A true war hero Powell is made to look foolish while the chickenhawks send other kids to get killed or mamed.

i'm an equal opportunis­t...becaus­e i blame OBAMA for ...
#14 i blame obama for continuing the policies of bush in regards to banking and doing nothing to protect consumers. so far all talk.

[katieandtom]

dear balanced, i respectfully disagree with your statements.

[rissole]

Same here. Why do you say Colin Powell is a war hero.

[mbaty]

No of course not. Was it a slow news day? Are we just speculating to pass the time? The housing crash was caused by inflated house prices coupled with deceptive mortgages and shady bankster practices of setting people up for failure and then buying the foreclosed houses as assets. Christians are supposed to believe in grace--but foreclosures are still happening at an alarming rate. Christians are supposed to believe in doing good by the "least of these." So whether or not any of the loan sharks or mortgage manipulators call themselves Christians, it's fair to say they aren't.
And don't forget to place some responsibility on our out of control monetary system that lives and grows on unending debt and usurious practices.
A 30 year loan means it's not affordable. And if you are giving someone thirty years to pay something off, a little grace in hard times is not an unreasonable expectation. This did not happen because a bunch of Christians read "the secret" and started praying for money.

[katieandtom]

you are correct with your summation; however, i do know of christians, baptists specifically, who do say "God will provide", "we wont worry about it, because God always finds a way". im not joking and they live by this completely.

i like to say that God helps those who help themselves, get off your tail and get a job.

[suejester]

Oh good...fin­ally the gays aren't being blamed for something.­..

[JohnFromCensornati]

"Seed faith is the church’s central tenet. The tithe, he says, is tangible proof that a believer has taken the first step toward God."

That kind of honesty is hard to come by from these hocus pocus grifters. Change a few words and you've got scientology.

[harpo73]

The crash was caused by George W Bush REFUSING TO ENFORCE REGULATORY LAWS on the books. Bottom line. Case closed.
-------

Totally agree with Donatella.

When stuff like this comes out, it gives more ammunition for the right wingers to say, "see Libs are anti-Chris­tian."

One of the finest person I know prays several times a day but donates her time to reading programs at school - giving kids food and coats if they need it; donating money and time to her church's food kitchen; and voted for Obama.

[CollinJE]

Pointing to the works of one or many believers does not justify their message or beliefs. It has no place in the argument.

[FloresdelaHoz]

Agreed. Only a spinmeister would blame this economic meltdown on Christians.

[HeresJohnny]

The 'Prosperity Gospel' is a damnable heresy; it has as much to do with real Christianity as Osama bin Laden's 'Jihad Doctrine' has to do with Islam. Its appeal is seductive, because it promises to offer theological support for the greed that churchgoers feel but are unsure how to deal with. Of people such as this, Jesus himself said what would happen in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessnes­s.’

[luckyone77]

Amen.

[Donatella]

While I think the majority of “Christians” are hypocrites and fakes, that they are responsible for the housing crisis is journalistic promotional claptrap.

Yes, Christians, especially the red-state variety, were the most eager bloodthirsty cheerleaders for war. They also are the stingiest when it comes to programs that help the under-privileged and poorest among us. They should switch to praying to Ayn Rand, a G-D whose ideals are more appropriate to their beliefs.

The true culprit for the financial problems is corporatism; it has corrupted the political process and taken control of our country.

[repearwo]

The God of the United States is Money, and that has crept into all religions. We bathe in riches and congratulate each other on how good we are and how much "god" cares about us while Africa dies.

[sposton]

If anything the crisis can be attributed to teachings which have abandoned fundamental Christian norms. Let me just name one - usury! All three big Abrahamic religions specifically forbid usury. Christians have quietly abandoned this teaching without replacing the original anti-usury norms, Jews were always allowed to utilize usury outside their flock while forbidding usury within. Islam is the only of these groups that still retains the anti-usury stance. BTW, in this context usury does not mean excessive interest; instead, it means no interest at all!

It is worth reflecting on why all these religions forbade usury in their original teachings and why we have strayed away from them.

[mesioul]

If you interchange "God" with "the universe", that last quote sounds just like the Law of Attraction discussed in "The Secret". I'm not saying that's good or bad, it's just an observation.

[The Meek]

Pretty much the same thing, except The Secret is targeting middle class and upper middle class liberals.