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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 5, Changing Our View of Mammon  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
Bercot says prosperity is a snare and even jokes that abundant possessions might be a “curse”; what would have to be true about God’s wisdom and love for that to make sense, and what parts of American Christian culture make that interpretation feel almost impossible to accept?
Another way to ask: If prosperity can be a trap or even a “curse,” what would that say about God’s wisdom and love? What parts of American Christian culture make that idea hard to accept?

Direct Answer For prosperity to function like a “curse,” God’s love would have to aim at our salvation and loyalty more than our comfort, allowing (or withholding) wealth based on what helps us enter the Kingdom. American Christian culture resists this because it often equates wealth with blessing and treats a comfortable lifestyle as normal and even God-given.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot states plainly: “Prosperity is a snare, not a blessing. Godly poverty is a blessing, not a curse.”
  • His provocative joke targets our assumptions: when people say, “Look at what the Lord has given us,” he’s tempted to ask why God is “cursing you.”
  • He grounds the danger in Scripture: “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare.”
  • Jesus links wealth to divided hearts: “You cannot serve God and Mammon,” and “where your treasure is… your heart will be also.”
  • Cultural critique: “Contrary to what most Christians think, the riches of America are not a blessing from God.”
Discussion Follow-ups If God is wise and loving, what might He be protecting you from by limiting your wealth? What church messages, songs, or testimonies have trained you to assume prosperity equals God’s favor?

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