What's wrong with "Prosperity Preaching"?

When I read or hear about "Prosperity Preaching" I cringe. This particular website called "desiringGod" puts it this way:

"Paul said, 'There is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.' But then he warned against the desire to be rich. And by implication, he warned against preachers who stir up the desire to be rich instead of helping people get rid of it. He warned, 'Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs' (1 Timothy 6:6-10). So my question for prosperity preachers is: Why would you want to develop a ministry that encourages people to pierce themselves with many pangs and plunge themselves into ruin and destruction?"

Amen, brother! I don't watch very many t.v. Evangelists but I do like to watch Joel Olsteen on occasion. It alarmed me to learn that recently he has been offered $13 million for his new book, plus he drives a Ferrari and lives a lavish lifestyle. I brought this topic up today to some of the woman I do a bible study with. I got some mixed opinions, and quite a few responses that disappointed me. They were of the opinion that if he earned that money outside of the church (like in his book sales) that it was okay that he lived a lavish lifestyle, and they argued, that he could have been given the Ferrari by a church member, and he could be giving most of that $$ away anonymously. Basically, who was I to judge (my words, not theirs). They are right about the judgment part, but I keep going back to scripture on this one. God wants our needs to be met; he wants us to blessed but He never said material possessions, that will rot and rust when we leave this Earth, were particularly apart of His blessings. Here's more of what "finding God" says:

'What is it about Christians that makes them the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is not wealth. The desire for wealth and the pursuit of wealth tastes and looks just like the world. It does not offer the world anything different from what it already believes in. The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it. '

After pointing the finger at preachers and Evangelist for living a lifestyle I don't feel is Godly, I have to take a look at myself. Can I scale back on my spending? The answer is: absolutely! Can I give more? The answer is: absolutely! Can I be homeless like Jesus? No, because I have a family to raise, but I can desire His ways and not the worlds, which are pure, unselfish, and certainly unmaterialistic! My flesh desires material things and the physical and temporary comfort that money can bring, but my spirit desires Jesus. The next time I desire to spend when I should be giving it away, I need to be reminded that if I died tomorrow is God going to care about the car I drove or the house I lived in or is He going to care how many souls I touched; how much I loved Him; how much I tried to be like Jesus?

I don't know what Joel Olsteen's financial situation is; that's between he and God. I do know that scripture says..."What is hidden, will be revealed." However, I personally think that if you are in a "service-oriented" field, such as a police officer, fireman, teacher, doctor, and preacher or rabbi, etc...you are held to a higher standard. I expect police officers to obey the law because they represent the law. I expect teachers to not seduce their students because they are entrusted with children. I expect preachers to live a lifestyle that is conducive to biblical teachings....aren't they telling the world, via the television and radio, about God and the bible? Is it wrong for me to expect more from them, after all, they are only men/women, flesh-and-blood? Perhaps. All I can do is pray that the men and women who are called into ministry stay grounded in the Word and do what is pleasing to the Lord....and I pray that prayer for myself as well.