A dangerous “egocentric gospel” that omits Jesus, neglects the cross, and instead promises health and wealth is being promoted by some of America’s most well-known preachers today, and their teachings are readily available on cable TV and in local bookstores.

That’s the conclusion of two seminary professors whose new book, “Health, Wealth & Happiness” (Kregel), critiques what is often called the prosperity or “health & wealth” gospel — the claim by some of America’s most well-known preachers that God desires all Christians to be materially wealthy and physically healthy.

The prosperity gospel is dangerous, the professors say, because it contains just enough truth to make it appear biblical but more than enough distortions to make it heretical. That, they say, has led Christians to become discouraged in their faith or angry at God, or worse, to walk away from the church for good. After all, if a preacher says that enough faith can make a sick person well, and no healing ensues, then — according to the preachers — that person’s faith is weak.

One study quoted in the book found that 50 of the 260 largest churches in America promote the prosperity gospel.

“If Christianity is supposed to be about God and His glory and is supposed to be about Christ, and we’re making it about us — that’s the worst thing we could do,” one of the authors, David W. Jones, told Baptist Press. Jones is associate professor of Christian ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. “It is so catering to the flesh and it so exalts man that it gets to the point where you obscure Christ.”

The prosperity gospel, Jones says, is a “pagan teaching with a Christian face.”

The book, co-authored with Russell W Woodbridge, a missionary in Eastern Europe who is an adjunct professor at Southeastern, gives the history of the prosperity gospel movement, interacts with quotes from some of the most well-known prosperity gospel preachers, and ends by giving a “corrective” — that is, an explanation of the historical, biblical teaching on suffering, wealth, poverty and giving. Jones and Woodbridge distinguish between what they consider soft advocates of the prosperity gospel (Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer) and more staunch advocates (Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland).

Baptist Press recently spoke with Jones. Following is a partial transcript:

BAPTIST PRESS: Why has the prosperity gospel grown when, as you argue in the book, its teachings are overtly unbiblical and contrary to historical Christianity?

JONES: It caters to the fallen human flesh. All of us want Christianity to be about us, and we want to focus upon our own wants and desires and needs. And since our heart is already bent that way, when the prosperity gospel comes along and says, “Christianity is about you, and if you just believe in Jesus you’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise,” that just resonates with our fallen flesh. People are already primed to hear that message — especially those in our churches that don’t know much of their Bibles.

BP: One question people might have is: Are you saying that God no longer heals and that God does not want to bless His people?

JONES: That’s a very common question. We don’t want people to over-learn the lesson that we’re trying to teach in the book. Of course, God still does bless His people, but what it boils down to is this: What is being rich? Is it wealth, having a lot of money, a sports car and a trophy wife? Or is wealth being content with whatever it is that we have? I have five kids and I have a teacher’s salary, and so I don’t have much but I feel like I am an incredibly wealthy man. So God does want to bless us, but we need to define blessing on God’s terms and not on materialistic man-centered terms.