Comparison: New Thought vs. Prosperity Gospel — Both Are Error

By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church – Fisher, Arkansas

This analysis will examine both systems historically, doctrinally, and biblically (KJV), demonstrating that although they differ in vocabulary, they share a common theological corruption: the elevation of human mental or verbal power over the sovereign will of God.

We will look at “occult” origins of the New Thought Movement, and how the Prosperity Gospel adopted the beliefs of the New Thought Movement and began promoting it as The Gospel even into modern day movements. In this blog we will compare both movements and compare them to what the Bible really teaches.

I. Historical Foundations: Where the Error Began

1. The Birth of New Thought (19th Century)

The New Thought movement emerged in America in the mid-1800s through the teachings of Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. Quimby taught:

• Disease originates in wrong belief.

• The “mind” determines physical reality.

• Correct thinking produces healing.

This system rejected biblical sin and redefined evil as ignorance. It produced organized movements such as:

• Unity Church

• Religious Science

Core premise: Man’s mind shapes reality because divinity is within.

This is metaphysical idealism, not Biblical Christianity.

2. The Bridge Into Christianity: E.W. Kenyon

In the early 1900s, E. W. Kenyon absorbed New Thought language and concepts, then re-branded them in evangelical terms:

• “Confession”

• “Faith formulas”

• “Spiritual laws”

This theological hybridization laid the groundwork for what became the “Word of Faith Movement” which today operates under several movements like the modern day “Prosperity Gospel”, “Name It And Claim It”, and “Health And Wealth” gospels.

3. The Rise of the Prosperity Gospel (20th Century)

The Prosperity Gospel gained traction through figures such as:

• Kenneth Hagin

• Kenneth Copeland

• Joel Osteen

• Fred Price

• … and many others.

They retained biblical vocabulary but adopted metaphysical mechanics:

• Your words create your reality.

• Faith is a force.

• Prosperity is a covenant right and every believer should be wealthy.

• Your negative speech produces negative outcomes.

Thus, New Thought metaphysics was baptized into Charismatic Christianity. These “Word of Faith” doctrines made their way into many churches and many today practice and promote these teachings as if were part of the gospel.

II. Core Doctrinal Errors — Side by Side

1. The Nature of God

New Thought:

God is impersonal — Universal Mind or Infinite Intelligence.

Prosperity Gospel:

God is personal but operates by spiritual laws that believers can activate.

Biblical Truth (KJV):

“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” — Psalm 103:19

God is sovereign, not a force governed by spiritual mechanics. He is not manipulated by mental alignment or verbal formulas that one speaks.

Both systems diminish divine sovereignty of God and derive from the occult.

2. The Nature of Man

New Thought:

Man is divine by nature.

Prosperity Gospel (extreme forms):

Believers are “little gods.”

Biblical Truth:

“There is none righteous, no, not one.” — Romans 3:10
“Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” — Isaiah 43:10

The claim of inherent divinity echoes the serpent’s lie in the garden of Eden when the devil beguiled Eve with these a false promise of becoming as gods:

“Ye shall be as gods.” — Genesis 3:5

The lie that the serpent promoted in the mind of Eve was a new way of “cognitive thinking” or “New Thought” that would empower her to become as “gods”, this kind of demonic thinking was not what God intended for mankind because it replaces and shifts the dependency of man from God, to self dependency that says I really don’t need God. 

When God placed man in the garden of Eden, God told Adam not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because God knew that if they did, they would begin to think like the serpent who thought he could elevate himself to be like God which caused his demise and sepearation from God.

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” — Genesis 2:15-17

What the devil did to Eve in the garden was that he wanted her to become like Satan. This is what God told the Satan when he thought he could be like God…

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” — Isaiah 14:13-15

Both the New Thought and Prosperity gospel movements elevate man beyond biblical anthropology, their origins trace back all the way to the garden of Eden and the occult because Satan is the author of these demonic movements. The sad truth is that these demonic teachings that make man think they can be as God is not only demonic, but sending many to hell because it is the highest level of pride. 

3. Sin Reinterpreted

New Thought:

Sin = incorrect thinking.

Prosperity Gospel:

Sin often re-framed as doubt, negativity, or failure to “claim” promises.

Biblical Truth:

“Sin is the transgression of the law.” — 1 John 3:4

Sin is rebellion against a holy God — not merely mental misalignment.

Both systems soften or redefine sin, and exploit the true definition of faith is according to the Bible.

4. Words as Creative Force

This is the most critical shared error.

New Thought:

Affirmations create material reality.

Prosperity Gospel:

“Positive confession” releases spiritual power.

Biblical Truth:

Only God creates by speech (Genesis 1).

Humans pray; they do not decree their own reality based on their own desires.

“Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” — Psalm 115:3

Faith is trust in God’s will and His word — not a force that bends God to ours. While speaking or decreeing the written word of God is good when it aligns to the will of God for ones life, but it will not guarantee that the written promise one decrees is what the Lord wills for a persons life in a particular time, God is sovereign and we are all at the mercy of God and all things are according to His will.

James 4
13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

5. Wealth and Suffering

New Thought:

Right thinking produces prosperity.

Prosperity Gospel:

Faith guarantees financial blessing and physical health.

Biblical Record:

• Job suffered though righteous (Job 1:1).

• Paul endured poverty:

  “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst…” — 1 Corinthians 4:11

• Jesus lived without earthly wealth:

  “The Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” — Matthew 8:20

Scripture never equates godliness with affluence.

Paul warns:

“Supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” — 1 Timothy 6:5

This directly exposes prosperity gospel doctrine, yet millions have been blinded by the false teaching of the word of faith movement.

What one should believe, say, and pray are words that align with the will of God:
“Lord Jesus, if it be your will to prosper my life with wealth then so be it, and I will use the wealth your provide to promote your kingdom as you will.”

III. Theological Root: Human Empowerment Over Divine Submission

Both systems shift the center:

Jesus said:

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross…” — Matthew 16:24

Neither system emphasizes self-denial. Both emphasize self-advancement, and a “better you” mentality. Dependence on God has no bearing in ones life because it is replaced with self-sufficient success, and faith is placed on the abundance of their accomplishments which causes one to rely in their earthly success rather then God.

Luke 12 – The Parable of the Rich Fool

13And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

IV. Historical Pattern of Drift

1. 1800s — Metaphysical idealism (Quimby).

2. Early 1900s — Kenyon blends metaphysics with evangelical language.

3. Mid-1900s — Word of Faith movements globalizes.

4. Late 1900s — Televangelism spreads prosperity theology worldwide.

5. 2006 — The Secret – (occult doctrines) mainstreams Law of Attraction, proving the metaphysical root never disappeared and still active including in many “Christian” places of worship.

The pattern is consistent:
Metaphysics (Occult Practices)→ Re-Defined As Christianized terminology (False Teachings) → Mass influence = Mass Deception → Modern Day Apostasy that turns people away from the truth found in the word of God is Judah did in the Old Testament and provoked God to anger.

Jeremiah 8:1-6 – Judah’s Sin and Punishment

1At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: 2And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. 3And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts.

4Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return?

5Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return.

6I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

V. Why Both Are Theological Error

1. They Distort the Gospel

The true Gospel is:

• Repentance toward God (Acts 20:21)

• Faith in Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:18)

• Regeneration (John 3:3)

• Eternal life (John 17:3)

It is not:

• Wealth acquisition

• Emotional empowerment

• Manifestation of desires

2. They Replace the Cross with Control

Biblical faith trusts God’s will.

Metaphysical faith attempts to control outcomes and control God.

Jesus prayed:

“Not my will, but thine, be done.” — Luke 22:42

That is the opposite of manifesting one’s desired reality. It is no wonder we read in the book of Timothy about people loving their own selves and not really God and his will.

2 Timothy 3:2

“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.”

3. They Produce Disillusionment

When healing or wealth does not come:

• The individual is blamed for insufficient faith.

• Doubt is labeled sin.

• Suffering is treated as failure.

This is pastorally destructive and biblically unsupported.

VI. Final Assessment

New Thought = Open metaphysical occult practices and humanism.
Prosperity Gospel = Occult Metaphysical humanism in Christian language.

Both:

• Minimize sin.

• Exalt human potential.

• Reduce God’s sovereignty.

• Promise temporal earthly gain.

• Deviate from apostolic Christian doctrine.

From a KJV doctrinal perspective, both represent theological error because they alter:

• The nature of God

• The nature of man

• The meaning of faith

• The purpose of suffering

• The content of the Gospel

If you have been ensnared by the deception of the word of faith movement, you can repent and ask the Lord to forgive you of idolatry and turn away from all the lies that these movements are feeding the masses.