BLESSED
A History of The American Prosperity Gospel
“[A] riveting historical account.”
—Publishers Weekly
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Millions of Americans believe God wants them to be healthy and wealthy.
I spent a decade traveling the United States and Canada visiting megachurches, archives, television studios, and revivals interviewing leaders and followers to understand the history of the “prosperity gospel.”
This book is the first comprehensive American history of one of the most popular Christian movements in the world today. Introducing readers to its most famous faces—celebrities like Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, T.D. Jakes, and Paula White—this book gives an intellectual framework for understanding the theology and everyday lives of people who tune in to hear its familiar message: God desires to bless you.
ENDORSEMENTS
“This is a stunningly empathetic book… pushing far beyond caricature.”
The Christian Century
“This book propels Kate Bowler into the first rank of younger historians of religion in America.”
Randall Balmer, author of Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America
“Blessed is an extraordinarily satisfying book. It is elegantly written, full of wit and humor.”
Fides et Historia
The world of Kate Bowler is beautiful.
She’s a four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and Professor of Religious History at Duke University. She also has two honorary doctorates, an award from Yale University for service to theological education, and seven books to her credit. Additionally, she is the only person ever to hold the prestigious titles of mother to Zach and wife of Toban.
The world of Kate Bowler is terrible.
At 35, Kate was blindsided by Stage IV cancer and the aftermath of its grueling treatment. After that colossal suck and her subsequent recovery, Kate began to rethink pretty much everything she thought she knew about life, loss, grief, and even joy.
The world of Kate Bowler is as human as it gets.
She is on a mission to unravel our complicated humanness. She’s not looking to add to the cultural library of lovely stories about hard work and positive attitudes and yet-to-be-revealed reasons things happen. Because those lovely stories are fiction, and Kate knows that an ugly truth will always serve us better than a beautiful lie.
