How has the Prosperity Gospel influenced Purity Culture, and what does that mean for parenting today? 

The connections might surprise you. They surprised me. 

Purity Culture, much like the prosperity gospel, promises rewards for adhering to specific behaviors, but it often leads to disappointment and shame. And all too often in the church, parents apply this same type of thinking to their children. Parents assume that they will be rewarded with God-honoring, God-fearing children if they teach their kids all the right things and parent the Biblical way. Like with the Prosperity Gospel and Purity Culture, the emphasis is on the outcome, not your child’s relationship with God.

Joining me to discuss this deeply concerning connection in Episode 120 of CHRISTIAN PARENT/CRAZY WORLD is  Dr. Lina Abujamra, author of Don’t Tell Anyone Your Reading This: A Christian Doctor’s Thoughts on Sex, Shame, and Other Troublesome Issues. Together, we have a very candid discussion about the harmful effects of Purity Culture in Christian communities. After all, so many people caught up in Purity Culture are now a part of the deconstruction movement.Our conversation highlights how Purity Culture parallels the Prosperity Gospel by creating unrealistic expectations and measuring spiritual worth through outcomes rather than genuine faith and grace.

Episode Highlights:

• Purity Culture and Prosperity Gospel: Lina  draws parallels between purity culture and the prosperity gospel, noting how both promise material or relational rewards for specific behaviors. While purity culture emphasizes sexual abstinence with the promise of perfect marriages and fulfilling sex lives, the prosperity gospel promises material wealth and success for faithful followers.
• Misplaced Expectations: Both movements often set up unrealistic expectations, leading to disillusionment and shame when life doesn’t unfold as promised. This results in individuals feeling unworthy or questioning their faith when they don’t receive the anticipated rewards.
• Misogynistic Undertones: Both Lina and I criticize the misogynistic tendencies within purity culture, where women often bear a disproportionate burden of maintaining purity. Object lessons like the chewed gum or wilted flower are used to shame women, implying that they lose their worth through sexual activity.
• Biblical Misinterpretations: Both purity culture and the prosperity gospel teachings divert from Biblical truths, focusing more on human efforts and rewards than on God’s grace and the transformative power through a relationship with Christ.
• Impact on Young Believers: Lina and I discuss the generational fallout from purity culture, noting how younger Christians are increasingly rejecting outdated, shaming messages. This shift highlights the need for a more grace-filled, genuine approach to faith that centers on a deep, personal relationship with God.

Key Takeaways:

– Parents should teach their children that faith isn’t about earning rewards through good behavior, but about nurturing a genuine, loving relationship with Christ.

 – Rejecting the false promises of purity culture and prosperity gospel can prevent the deep disappointment and shame that arise from unmet expectations.

– A grace-filled approach to faith that acknowledges personal struggles and imperfection can lead to more authentic spiritual growth and fulfillment.

– Both purity culture and prosperity gospel distort the Gospel’s core message by equating spiritual worth with specific outcomes, rather than the inherent value found in a relationship with Jesus.

This conversation with Lina is so refreshing, so enlightening, so liberating. At some point, we are disappointed with God about something, because we all have expectations in our faith that aren’t realized. Lina helps us put our focus where it should be—on Christ, not on our what we hope to get out of our relationship with God. To hear this soul-satisfying conversation that has a lot to do with our disappointments in life and in parenting, click on the image below:

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Guest bio: Dr. Lina Abujamra is a distinguished pediatric emergency room doctor, author, speaker, and the founder of Living With Power Ministries. Known for her dynamic and heartfelt approach, she offers practical biblical insights to help people navigate life’s challenges with faith and resilience. Her most recent book, Don’t Tell Anyone You’re Reading This: A Christian Doctor’s Thoughts on Sex, Shame, and Other Troublesome Issues, offers a candid look into her sexual struggles and the grace that brought her freedom.

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS SERIES:

Ep. 119 “Finding Freedom from Sexual Sin and Brokenness”

EPISODE RESCOURCES:

“A Statement on I Kissed Dating Goodbye”by Joshua Harris

Horatio Gates Spafford – “The Story behind the Hymn It is Well with My Soul”

“The Amazingly Graced Life of John Newton”

Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I was and Who God Has always Been by Jackie Hill Perry

A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption by Becket Cook

SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:

Matthew 5:8

John 13:35