Live Long and Prosper - by Sandra L Barnes (Paperback)

About the Book

Are Black megachurches more focused on prosperity than people? Live Long and Prosper examines some of their motivations and programs in light of Prosperity or "Health and Wealth" Theology. It considers how Black megachurches address two pressing social problems among Blacks - HIV/AIDS (a "health" issue) and poverty (a "wealth" issue) - as well as influential church and clergy dynamics.

Book Synopsis

This pioneering new study of the Black megachurch phenomenon brings nuance and depth to the question, Are Black megachurches more focused on prosperity than on people?

Black megachurches and their pastors are often accused of failing to use their considerable resources to help the poor; focusing on prosperity theology rather than on social justice; requiring excessive monetary and time commitments of members; and pilfering church coffers for the their personal use. The debate rages on about
whether these congregations are doing all they can to address specific challenges facing African American communities. Live Long and Prosper is a refreshing, innovative study that reaches beyond superficial understandings of the Black megachurch phenomenon in a piercing interrogation of how powerful megachurches address (or fail to address) two social crises in the Black community: HIV/AIDS and
poverty.

Live Long and Prosper offers an intriguing examination of sixteen representative Black megachurches and explores some of their motivations and subsequent programmatic efforts in light of prosperity or "health and wealth" theology. Professor Barnes makes the case that the Black megachurch is a complex, contemporary model of the historic Black church in response to globalism, consumerism, secularism, religious syncretism, and the realities of race. She contends that many of these megachurches hold unique characteristics of adaptability and innovation that position them well to tackle difficult social issues. Prosperity theology emphasizes two characteristics--physical health and economic wealth--as examples of godly living and faith. This book considers whether and how efforts to address HIV/AIDS (a "health" issue) and poverty (a "wealth" issue) are influenced by church and clergy profiles; theology, in general; and prosperity theology, in particular. Frame analysis informs this mixed-methodological study to compare and contrast experiences, theological beliefs, pastoral profiles, and programs.

Live Long and Prosper is a must-read for general readers, academics, and students alike--indeed, anyone interested in the contemporary Black megachurch's response to social problems and the link between theology and social action. It is at once a fascinating, readable narrative and a rich piece of scholarship complete with
extensively documented endnotes, statistics, informative charts and tables, and an exhaustive bibliography.

Review Quotes

"A pioneering work! Dr. Barnes offers us a vitally important contribution, not only for black church scholarship, but for sociology of culture, sociology of religion, with implications in social movement theory, urban sociology, and American studies."-----Shayne Lee, University of Houston

This new study of the black megachurch phenomenon asks whether such megachurches are more focused on prosperity than on people.-- "--Publishers Weekly"

"A rich ideological analysis of black megachurches from within comparative theological frames that include social gospel, liberation, prophetic, and prosperity gospel in relation to 'calling' and 'corner.'"-----Victor Anderson, Vanderbilt University

About the Author

Sandra L. Barnes is Professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development and the School of Divinity at Vanderbilt University. Her numerous books include Black Megachurch Culture: Models for Education and Empowerment, The Cost of Being Poor: A Comparative Study of Life in Poor Urban Neighborhoods in Gary, Indiana, and the co-edited Black Sexualities: Probing Passions, Problems, and Policies (Rutgers University).