Main content

Prosperity Gospel is on the rise in the UK and its worth millions. How has its brash, bling style of worship become so popular?

Prosperity Gospel is a movement within Christianity which says that if you believe, you will be blessed with prosperity. Or, in other words, Christianity will make you rich. The last time Nigerian-born writer Dotun Adebayo returned to his country of birth, he saw a church pastor driving a car through poverty stricken streets, with a bumper sticker that read 'God is great, life is sweet!'

In Nigeria, prosperity and the Gospel are apparently not in conflict. In this programme, Dotun sets out to discover why the prosperity Gospel of his Nigerian upbringing, is flourishing in Britain. He visits the fastest growing church in Western Europe and hears powerful sermons mixing theology, finance and self-help. He meets people who claim their lives have been transformed by the message and others who were left feeling cheated, lied to and lost.

With congregations in their thousands and bank balances in the millions, Dotun explores how the churches raise vast revenues through donations from congregations. Perhaps you can't subject God's work to a financial audit but Dotun seeks to uncover where the money goes and what those that give, receive in return?

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Tue 9 Jul 201303:32GMT

More episodes

Next

Coming soon

See all episodes from Heart and Soul

Broadcasts

  • Sat 6 Jul 201319:32GMT
  • Sun 7 Jul 201301:32GMT
  • Sun 7 Jul 201309:32GMT
  • Mon 8 Jul 201314:32GMT
  • Mon 8 Jul 201323:32GMT
  • Tue 9 Jul 201303:32GMT

Podcast