Peter Berger on the prosperity gospel:
In 1968 a conference of Latin American bishops meeting in Medellin, Colombia, proclaimed a “preferential option for the poor,” which since then has become an important ingredient of Catholic social teaching and has influenced mainline Protestantism. Liberation theologians interpreted the “preferential option” as an option for socialism. But it is helpful to pay attention to the syntax. The option is for the poor. That is, it is an option to be taken by those who are not poor.
The proposition is well-intentioned. But it is not surprising that many of the poor are opting for a less patronizing message. They do not think of themselves as dependent on the compassion of the rich. I have no idea how the current mess in the financial markets is to be fixed. But I am convinced that capitalism provides the only reliable mechanism for lifting large numbers of people out of poverty. In other words, if one is concerned for the poor, one will adopt a preferential option for capitalism. A Mexican bishop returning from the Medellin conference said “No hay otra salida!” — “There is no other way!” He meant socialism. He was wrong.
Read his entire piece in the Wall Street Journal.