Glory to America

When I read Kenneth E. Bailey’s remarks on “glory theology,” I was delighted—not surprised—to discover that even Prosperity Theology has a respectable theological ancestry. And, as one might expect, America is somewhere in the family tree!

There is a famous, slightly irreverent way of describing the historical journey of Christianity: the Gospel began as a relationship with a Person in Palestine, moved to the Roman world and became an administration, travelled to the Greek world and became a philosophy, moved into Europe and became a culture, migrated to Germany and became a theology, and was finally picked up by the British and turned into imperialism.

And then it crossed the Atlantic.

America, being America, apparently looked at Christianity and thought: Excellent product. But can we monetize it?

After all, America has a distinguished record of acquiring things—Alaska, Hawai‘i, and, more recently, an interest in Greenland. So why not Christianity too? Once the Gospel reached American soil, it seems to have undergone one final transformation: theology became an enterprise.

I was already familiar with Prosperity Theology, which essentially tells the believer: Believe properly, and God will make you rich. But Bailey introduced me to the more technical expression “glory theology.”

And here the story becomes even more amusing.

Bailey explains that when Scripture speaks of “glory,” it refers to something like weight and wisdom, not earthly wealth, power and splendour. Luther and Calvin spoke of the theologia crucis—the “theology of the cross”—and contrasted it with the theologia gloriae, the “theology of glory.” For them, true divine glory was revealed through the weakness and suffering of the cross, not through the wealth and magnificence of emperors and kings.

That was the old glory theology.

But, Bailey says, it is still alive. Only the emperors have changed.

The new message is wonderfully simple:

“If you become a true Christian, you will acquire wealth.”

And apparently this modern definition of glory takes its meaning not from the biblical kabod—the weight or glory of God—but from contemporary American culture.

Now I understand.

The Reformers rejected a theology that equated God’s glory with the wealth and splendour of kings. America seems to have revived the idea with a democratic improvement:

Why should only kings be rich? Let every Christian become one!

So perhaps the theological journey did not end with Christianity becoming an enterprise. It merely reached its final stage:

Cross → Glory → Prosperity → Enterprise.

And thus, after two thousand years, we arrive at the grand American theological discovery:

Glory to God—and preferably, a substantial bank balance to His faithful servants!

Glory to America!

But, thankfully, Bailey reminds us that the glory of God is still found where the Reformers found it: not in the size of our bank accounts, but in the weakness and suffering of the cross.

That may be the one form of glory that money cannot buy—even in America.

Full excerpts from Bailey:

…When we discuss “glory” in Scripture (Hebrew or Greek), we are discussing weight and wisdom, not earthly power and wealth.  Both Calvin and Luther affirmed theologia cruces (theology of cross) against what they called theologia gloriae (theology of glory).  Their choice of vocabulary was appropriate for their time, but not helpful for us.  The true glory of God shines forth through the weakness and suffering of the cross.  The “glory theology” the Reformers discussed had to do with the wealth, splendor and power of emperors and kings.  This they rightly rejected.  The same “glory (p. 257) theology” is still with us.  Its message now is “if you become a true Christian you will acquire wealth.”  In the circles that endorse this twisted view, such thinking is still popularly called “glory theology,” and it takes its definition of glory from contemporary (American) culture, not from the kabod (weight/glory) of the Old Testament and New Testaments.— Kenneth E. Bailey, Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey From Psalm 23 to The New Testament, Illinois, IVP Academic, 2014 pp. 257-258