Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion [Paperback]

Milmon F. Harrison (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019515388X | ISBN-13: 978-0195153880 | Publication Date: March 3, 2005

Does God want us to be wealthy? Many people believe that God offers not only eternal joy in the hereafter but also material blessings in the here and now. Other Christians see this "prosperity theology," as nothing more than vulgar materialism, incompatible with orthodox Christianity. In Righteous Riches, Milmon F. Harrison examines the Word of Faith movement, an independent, non-denominational Christian movement that preaches the so-called "health and wealth gospel."
The Word of Faith movement is an international network loosely bound by a basic doctrine called the "Faith Message," which teaches that it is God's will for Christians to be prosperous, successful, and healthy in the present life. Drawing on his personal experiences as a former insider and in-depth interviews with members, Harrison takes us inside the movement, revealing what it is like to belong, and how people accept, reject, and reshape Word of Faith doctrines to fit their own lives. Although the movement is not exclusively African American, many of its most prominent and recognized leaders are African American ministers with large congregations and national television audiences. Analyzing the movement's appeal to African Americans, Harrison argues that, because of their history of oppression and discrimination, African American religious institutions have always had to address the material--as well as spiritual--concerns of their members. The Word of Faith Movement, he says, is one of several prosperity movements that resonate strongly with African Americans. Situating the movement in the contexts of both contemporary American religion and the history of the Black Church, Righteous Riches offers a fascinating look at a quintessentially American phenomenon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This debut is an engaging ethnographic account of the Word of Faith movement, a loosely affiliated group of nondenominational churches that embrace a hodge-podge of New Thought, evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. Harrison, a former Word of Faith adherent, introduces readers to several members of the movement as if he were (and in many cases, he is) introducing old friends. He describes his first informant, Cassandra, as someone he has "known for many years... an extroverted, gregarious person with a great sense of humor... [who] would not hold back in terms of what she thought." This personal touch, in keeping with Harrison's desire to write a "straightforward, clear" book, is refreshing and will appeal to a wide audience. Not as illuminating are Harrison's analyses, which often feel as though they could apply to any conservative religious movement. He does give fascinating insights into the tradition's emphasis on Christian prosperity, but only skims the surface of its complicated relationship to the idea of progress and, most regrettably, largely neglects its relationship to the African-American community. He does address these topics, but only briefly, and mostly in concluding thoughts that should have been expounded earlier. Still, Harrison delivers an informative, readable introduction to a little-known but very influential religious movement. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Those interested in and concerned about contemporary African-American religious practices owe a debt of gratitude to Harrison. He has meticulously documented a religious movement that is highly visible but scarcely understood." --Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"...a careful yet sympathetic phenomenological analysis of a predominantly African American "Word church." Righteous Riches contextualizes the Faith movement with touchstones from the black church experience and contemporary American culture and therefore is an important contribution to American studies as well as contemporary American religion." --The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies

"Indispensible for anyone interested in understanding contemporary permutations of the black church. Highly recommended." --Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019515388X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195153880
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Read, February 21, 2005

By 

BirdSong (West Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion (Paperback)

Professor Harrison has penned a reader-friendly book filled with insights into the wonders of the Word of Faith Movement. I truly appreciated this expose on an under exposed African American religious movement. While the subject matter, particularly the interviewee's points of view, may be quizzical and perplexing (perhaps even unintentionally comical) at times, Harrison's text remains gripping and enthralling, causing me as a reader to want more. As an average "lay person" having no theological/seminary background or training, I appreciated being able to read this book on a religious/faith-based phenomenon without being indundated with undecipherable jargon. Though Harrison's scholarly intelligence is apparent he, again, does not throw his intellectual prowess about and intimidate the reader. I could have used a dictionary once or twice (and I consider that a good challenge), but again the writer (unlike some other lofty authors) skillfully engaged me without making it necessary for me the reader to possess an advanced degree just to understand and appreciate the text. I also enjoyed the fact that Dr. Harrison was somehow able to remain neutral, neither scathing nor approving , regarding the word of faith and just allow the interviewee's and historical facts/comparisons to speak for themselves. Good work, Professor Harrison! I look forward to more.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important study of a phenomenon pervading the black church for decades, October 6, 2005

By 

skip G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion (Paperback)

I'd like to begin responding to the review by Publisher Weekly (above). First, I agree with his or her statement that Harrison's work "is an engaging ethnographic account of the Word of Faith Movement," and that his clear approach "is refreshing and will appeal to a wide audience." But I strongly disagree with this part of the review:

"Not as illuminating are Harrison's analyses, which often feel as though they could apply to any conservative religious movement. . .and, most regrettably, largely neglects its relationship to the African-American community."

Harrison's analyses are fascinating. He delineates how congregants are active interpreters of their pastor's teachings, the creative ways they apply faith teachings to their individual experiences, and how they skillfully filter some ideas and embrace others. He provides an "illuminating" discussion on the distinct influences of black Word of faith theology including precursors like Johnnie Coleman and Rev. Ike (important leaders who have gone virtually unexplored until now). He also dabbles into aspects of contemporary black culture and economics that have black churches strategically situated for prosperity theology. I could go on and on about the various insights that Harrison provides concerning the historical development of black Word churches and the dialectical tension they create with their more traditional counterparts.

Righteous Riches is a long-overdue study of a black Word church. I urge anyone interested in the black church to read this important work. The fact that it took this long for such a study demonstrates neglect on the part of scholars of religion, which isn't surprising being that academics generally are the last to know about developments in pop culture. With this effort Milmon Harrison is part of a growing group of young social scientists (Omar McRoberts, Mary Pattillo, Shayne Lee, Marla Frederick, to name a few) that is unraveling contemporary developments in the black church. Hopefully others will build on Harrison's study with more ethnographic work on Word Churches. I.V. Hilliard, Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Keith Butler, and many more superstar prosperity preachers are huge in the black church and community and so scholars should take Harrison's lead and study the implications of their prominence.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, November 28, 2011

By 

Calvin W. Fergins "Maverick Historic Theologian" (Seminary (Outside Bethlehem, PA)) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion (Paperback)

Point by point:

1. A sociological look at the Word of Faith movement, focusing in on a church in California that the author was a member of.

2. Title is a little deceiving because the book, though looking at how the Word of Faith effects the Black Church and community, is more or less a look at the Word of Faith movement period, whether white or black.

3. Because this is from a sociological stand point the author does a lot of interviews instead of interacting with the printed material of the pastor and church in question. This is both good and bad. Good because you get a look at the pew level and hear from the people. Bad because the interviews are almost word for word and it made for VERY rough reading. The word "like" was over used by the interviewees as well as several other grammatical errors that made me re-read several sections just to get the gist of what was being said.

4. The author does a good explaining the huge difference between Classic Pentecostalism and the Word of Faith movement. In a day when people think all Pentecostals watch TBN and like Creflo Dollar, the author shows that there is a huge difference between the two.

5. The author does a good job of showing the connection between New Thought and the Word of Faith movement and how New Thought influences the movement more than Pentecostalism.