The Effects of Prosperity Gospel Theology on Generosity Pubblico

Abstract

Using a modified version of the dictator game, this paper examines the effects of theology, specifically a prosperity gospel theology which focuses on God's desire for Christians to be materially wealthy, on giving behavior. 59 students from Christian gatherings on Emory's campus were exposed to short sermons and then played a version of the dictator game in which they could choose to transfer money to the Christian organization at which recruitment took place. Participants were randomly placed in a control group, which was shown a sermon that focused on God's grace, or a treatment group, which was shown a sermon which emphasized God's desire and ability to make Christians rich. We observed a statistically significant and negative effect of the treatment on giving behavior. Participants who were primed with the Prosperity Gospel gave less than those who were primed with a theologically conservative sermon. Our research suggests that an explicit focus on God as a source of wealth does not encourage increased generosity toward religious causes.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction. 1

II. Literature Review. 1

III. Methods. 12

IV. Results. 15

V. Discussion. 27

VI. Conclusion. 29

Figure 1: Frequency Distribution of Race. 16

Figure 2: Frequency Distribution of Denomination. 16

Figure 3: Frequency of Amount Given. 19

Figure 4: Frequency of Amount Given (Comparison). 19

Figure 5: Distribution of Religious Giving. 23

Table 1: Description of Variables and Summary Statistics. 17

Table 2: Hypothesis Test for Difference in Means. 18

Table 3: Regression of Treatment on Amount Given. 21

Table 4: Regression of Variables on Amount Given. 21

Table 5: Regression of Variables on Religious Giving. 24

Table 6: Preliminary Regressions. 26

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	Economics
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Economics, General Theology Religion, General
Parola chiave	Generosity Dictator Game Prosperity Gospel
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Lanier, Kelli F, Emory University
Committee Members	Francis-Tan, Andrew, Emory University Patterson, Bobbi (Barbara), Emory University

Ultima modifica

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	The Effects of Prosperity Gospel Theology on Generosity ()	2018-08-28 12:18:41 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	Data Entry.xlsx ()	2018-08-28 12:21:58 -0400	Press to Select an action Download