Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Charlene Désir

Committee Member

Anne Joslin

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

adherent perceptions, prosperity gospel leaders, prosperity gospel movement, religion, poverty, relational work theory, seed-sowing, tithing, miseducation

Abstract

The prosperity gospel, a well-known global phenomenon, is a feature of the Pentecostal Movement. The teachers of its doctrine claim that, through divine intervention, health and wealth are within reach of believers as long as they continue to give to their church ministries. Countless religious leaders around the world adopt this doctrine of quid pro quo with God, portraying God as a father who provides for his children only if they keep begging (i.e., praying) and offering inducements (i.e., monetary donations to church ministries). Using Relational Work Theory as a framework, this qualitative case study explored the perceptions of low-income Haitian adherents attending churches in South Florida in which religious leaders preach a prosperity gospel emphasizing blessings through tithing/seed-sowing.

Data collection for the study involved interviewing seven participants using a semi-structured interview guide and observing a prosperity gospel church’s offering moment via videos. Then, through qualitative coding, specifically the pattern-matching method, five themes emerged, identifying the participants’ perceptions of the prosperity gospel doctrine of tithing in exchange for God’s blessings: 1) Views on Tithing, Offerings, and Seed Sowing, 2) Divine Favor and Spiritual Responsibility, 3) Applying Sermons in Daily Life, 4) Tithing and Sowing Seeds for Holistic Growth, 5) Church Leadership and Accountability.

The study's results revealed that, although adherents acknowledge and understand their financial responsibilities toward the church they attend, they disagree with how tithes, offerings, and seed-sowing are collected and used by some church leaders. Additionally, the findings indicated that believers are dissatisfied with pastors’ lack of accountability. Of course, the study's outcomes had many implications, including theoretical, practical, and future research.

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