Kate Bowler is a Canadian professor at Duke Divinity School who researches the prosperity gospel movement. Sheâ??s also 35, a wife and mother, and critically ill with cancer. In a widely shared New York Times piece â??Death, the Prosperity Gospel, and Me,â? the author of Blessed reflected on her research and how it informed her convictions on suffering and faith. (Read CTâ??s book review.) â??Iâ??m never very theologically declarative,â? said Bowler. â??Iâ??ve really tried to hold off on doing that in order to make enough space for people to make up their own minds. But in this case, it was just a lot more personal. I donâ??t have a lot of pretension anymore.â?
Bowler recently spoke with Christianity Todayâ??s assistant editor Morgan Lee about how Americans define suffering, what she would embrace from prosperity gospel theology, and how she copes with the loss of control that suffering brings. â??Itâ??s very bizarre to be eclipsed by a disease you barely knew existed a couple months ago,â? she said. â??Itâ??s been a really intense year.â?
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