The large, influential, and highly controversial Word of Faith movement is known within Christian circles and viewers of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. But it has yet to make its way into the conversations about Evangelical Christianity now raging in the secular press and academy. The focus on the white, Red State, suburban mega-church has led to a neglect of the most important trend today in at least the African American church, and as the astounding success of the Word of Faith-influenced Prayer of Jabez suggests, beyond.

With his pioneering new book, Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion, Milmon F. Harrison fills a yawning gap in the study of American religion. Righteous Riches, which is based on countless hours of interviews and time spent with everyday members of a California Word of Faith congregation, along with the author's original research, not to mention his own experiences as a former member, is a probing yet sensitive portrait of this growing movement.

The Word of Faith movement, the birth of which Harrison dates to the turn of the last century, is an amalgam of elements from the Holiness Movement, Pentecostalism, and New Thought metaphysics. The former elements are now ensconced in mainstream Evangelicalism, but the New Thought influence, which asserts that reality is created in the minds and affirmed in the speech of believers, remains a distinctive, central and controversial part of the Word of Faith movement. As a result three points distinguish core Word of Faith belief from its Evangelical counterparts:

• "Knowing who you are in Christ"—the Bible is a contract between a born-again believer and God. Believers are entitled to an abundant life by spiritual LAW.
• "Positive Confession"—this is where the phrase, popularized by Oprah and Dr. Phil, "name it and claim it" comes in. Even in tough times believers aren't "poor" or "sick," they are "between blessings." Words and thoughts have power, so believers always speak in an upward trajectory.
• Prosperity, Divine Health, and Material Wealth—the Word of Faith believer plants "seeds" with his or her tithing. He or she believes the mainstream church encourages a lifestyle of poverty in their lifestyles and thoughts.

While many Christians are quick to react against these tenets, Harrison provides no easy answers for his readers. For instance, while Word of Faith pastors indeed live in earthly mansions, the Word of Faith church is extending the Black church's historic commitment to fighting for the material needs of its community. And while they submit themselves to heavy financial demands, the believers we meet in Righteous Riches we mature and wrestle with their faith.

In an era marked by misunderstanding, Righteous Riches is unusual in that it balances and honest and decent treatment of its subjects with its probing questions. Milmon Harrison's book will surely become the classic study the growing Word of Faith movement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
Righteous Riches is Milmon F. Harrison's first book. A long-time member of the Word of Faith movement himself, he is currently Assistant Professor of African American and African Studies at the University of California, Davis.

Righteous Riches
The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion
By Milmon F. Harrison
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 0-19-515388-X (original paperback)