Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter One: Gospels
Chapter Two: Faith
Chapter Three: Wealth
Chapter Four: Health
Chapter Five: Victory
Conclusion: An American Blessing
Appendix A: Megachurch Table
Appendix B: Naming Names
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Kate Bowler is Assistant Professor of American Religion at Duke Divinity School.
"Blessed is beautifully written and extremely entertaining, yet not
at the expense of its subjects. Bowler analyses them with academic
rigor and as an insider-outsider-a Christian who does not claim the
prosperity gospel-yet she exudes compassion, even for easy targets
like disgraced televangelists. Her sources are varied and vast,
with two appendices clearly laying out intensive research. Recently
re-released in paperback, Blessed a must-read for all
students of religion and American culture, from college
undergraduates to journalists to academics. Read it now!" --
Brendan J. Payne, North Greenville University
"[A] magnificent study."--Heath W. Carter, Journal of Cultural
Economy
"Highly entertaining...and deeply human."--David F. Ruccio, Journal
of Cultural Economy
"Very readable and engaging...Blessed is the best history of the
development of the prosperity gospel written to date. It is an
important addition to the library of pastors or scholars who
regularly encounter the prosperity gospel in their
ministry."--Southwestern Journal of Theology
"Bowler shows how the prosperity gospel movement has drawn from
multiple denominational, racial, ethnic, and even secular
subtraditions. She identifies both the dazzling diversity and the
common understandings that have given the prosperity gospel
coherence"
--Christian Century
"Bowler's respect for her subjects and her ability to locate them
in the larger American religious narrative mean that serious
scholars dismiss the prosperity gospel at their own peril. Bowler
shows us that its deep roots and vibrant future, even after the
recent recession, place it solidly in the category of religious
movements to watch." --Church History
"Marvelous this is a stunningly empathetic book. By pushing far
beyond caricature, Bowler has produced a must-read for anyone who
wants to understand the prosperity gospel and how it is, even now,
remaking the American religious landscape." --The Christian
Century
"An important account of an audacious contemporary religious
phenomenon." --Booklist
"[A] riveting historical account." --Publishers Weekly
"The 'prosperity gospel' is as much despised by its detractors as
it is embraced by its millions of adherents. Yet until Kate
Bowler's Blessed, no one has attempted a balanced, informative,
inquisitive survey. Her book is a metaphorical godsend for those
with an outsider's curiosity about one of the fastest growing
religious movements in contemporary America and a literal one for
those inside." -- Mark A. Noll, author of Protestantism: A Very
Short Introduction
"Though often maligned and misunderstood, Bowler's comprehensive
and exciting examination of the prosperity gospel demonstrates the
ways 'health and wealth' has been a staple of American Protestant
life since the 19th century. Blessed provides a thorough and
nuanced account of the phenomenon, as it skillfully examines
varying attitudes toward prosperity which emerged across racial,
regional, and denominational lines. This is a grand contribution
to
the field of American religious history." -- Jonathan L. Walton,
Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Professor of Religion and
Society, Harvard University
"This book propels Kate Bowler into the first rank of younger
historians of religion in America. The author's keen ear, her
perceptive insights, and her command of history make this a
remarkable and unforgettable book-and her conclusion that the
'prosperity gospel consecrated America's culture of optimism' rings
very true." -- Randall Balmer, author of Mine Eyes Have Seen the
Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
"Blessed is worthwhile reading for what it is-a history of the
prosperity gospel and not a theology of the prosperity movement.
I've benefited from time spent working through it and would
recommend it to those seeking to learn about this topic." --The
Gospel Coalition
"Blessed is a good history of the rise and flourishing of the
gospel." --The Blade
"...[A]n unprecedented historical examination of health and wealth
as spiritual subjects in American Christianity by tracing the rise,
development, and transformation of the prosperity gospel in the
United States." --Religious Studies Review
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