How a Professed Baptist Pastor Nearly Destroyed American Christianity
Russell H. Conwell, a Baptist pastor, lawyer, and orator, is best remembered for his famous speech Acres of Diamonds. Delivered over 6,000 times, this lecture emphasized that wealth and success were not found in distant lands but right in one’s own community, waiting to be discovered through hard work, diligence, and wisdom. His teachings aligned closely with the American Dream and helped shape the prosperity-oriented mindset that took root in American Christianity.
However, Conwell’s legacy is far from positive. While he undoubtedly inspired generations of entrepreneurs and leaders, his influence also played a critical role in shifting American Christianity away from its foundational emphasis on evangelism and biblical doctrine toward a more secular, materialistic, and socially driven movement. His teachings set the stage for the rise of the Social Gospel, the prosperity gospel, and a redefinition of Christian success—all of which have contributed to the theological and moral decline of American churches.
The Traditional Baptist Understanding of Wealth and Purpose
Historically, Baptists and other conservative Christians viewed wealth with caution. While they did not believe that money was inherently evil, they were deeply aware of Jesus’ warning that “ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). The Bible consistently teaches that a believer’s purpose is to glorify God through faith, obedience, and evangelism, not the pursuit of material gain. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20) makes it clear that the church’s primary mission is to spread the Gospel, not to amass wealth or build financial empires.
Baptists traditionally emphasized personal holiness, evangelism, and biblical truth over worldly success. While hard work and responsible stewardship were encouraged, financial prosperity was never seen as a measure of spiritual maturity or divine favor. The early American Baptist movement was deeply rooted in missions, church planting, and calling sinners to repentance. Yet, with Conwell’s message, a subtle but dangerous shift began—one that redefined the role of wealth in the Christian life and redirected the church’s focus away from its biblical mission.
A Gospel of Wealth
Conwell’s Acres of Diamonds introduced a radically different perspective on wealth. His central claim was that poverty was largely a result of personal failure and that riches could be found in one’s immediate surroundings if only one had the wisdom to recognize them. He taught that financial success was not just possible but a moral and spiritual responsibility. He suggested that Christians who remained poor were neglecting their duty to seek out and use the opportunities God had provided for them.
This philosophy resonated deeply with an American audience already captivated by the ideals of capitalism and self-reliance. Conwell’s teachings blended the Protestant work ethic with a quasi-religious justification for financial ambition. He argued that it was not only acceptable but righteous for Christians to pursue wealth, provided they used their riches for good causes.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with Christians being successful in business or personal finances, Conwell’s message distorted biblical priorities by making earthly prosperity a measure of faithfulness. This shift set the stage for a redefinition of Christian purpose—one that focused less on saving souls and more on achieving personal and societal success.
The Rise of the Social Gospel
One of the most damaging effects of Conwell’s influence was his role in paving the way for the Social Gospel movement. Traditionally, Christianity had always prioritized spiritual salvation over social change. While the Bible certainly teaches compassion and charity, these were never meant to replace the primary mission of evangelism.
Yet, as Conwell’s philosophy gained traction, churches across America began shifting their focus from preaching salvation to addressing social issues. The Social Gospel movement, which gained momentum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, taught that Christianity’s primary role was not to save souls but to improve society through activism, social programs, and economic reform. Instead of viewing sin as the fundamental problem and Christ as the only solution, Social Gospel proponents saw poverty, inequality, and injustice as the greatest evils, and human efforts as the means of salvation.
Conwell never directly preached the Social Gospel in its most liberal form, but his message helped change the way American churches viewed success, purpose, and wealth. His emphasis on personal financial achievement and community upliftment blurred the lines between the church’s biblical mission and secular social progressivism. Over time, many churches abandoned soul-winning and biblical teaching in favor of social activism and economic upliftment.
Twisting Faith into a Business Model
If the Social Gospel was one unintended consequence of Conwell’s teaching, another was the rise of the prosperity gospel—the belief that financial success is a sign of divine favor. This doctrine, made popular by televangelists and megachurch leaders in the late 20th century, teaches that God rewards faithfulness with material wealth and that financial prosperity is a direct result of spiritual righteousness.
Conwell’s emphasis on opportunity, hard work, and wealth accumulation provided a foundation for this distorted theology. While Conwell himself still preached moral responsibility in wealth, later preachers took his ideas further, claiming that faith itself could produce riches. Figures like Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, and Joel Osteen built multimillion-dollar ministries on the idea that God wants His people to be rich.
The problem with this doctrine is that it fundamentally misrepresents the Bible’s teaching on suffering, faith, and divine blessing. Nowhere does Scripture promise material wealth as a reward for faithfulness. In fact, many of the most faithful men in the Bible—Paul, Job, and even Jesus Himself—lived in poverty or endured great suffering. The prosperity gospel, rooted in Conwell’s emphasis on financial success, turned faith into a transactional system, reducing God to a mere provider of material goods rather than the sovereign Lord of all creation.
The Long-Term Effects on American Christianity
Conwell’s message helped set in motion a secularization of the church that continues to this day. The emphasis on worldly success over biblical truth has led to a host of negative consequences:
A Decline in Evangelism – Churches influenced by Conwell’s message and the Social Gospel have largely abandoned direct evangelism in favor of community programs and social initiatives.
A Focus on Earthly Success Over Spiritual Maturity – Many modern churches now measure success not by faithfulness to Scripture but by attendance numbers, financial growth, and cultural influence.
The Rise of Megachurches and Celebrity Pastors – The prosperity gospel, influenced by Conwell’s ideas, has produced a culture of entertainment-driven churches that prioritize self-help messages over doctrine.
Moral Compromise in the Name of Relevance – As churches have become more focused on social issues and personal empowerment, many have watered down biblical truth to avoid offending modern sensibilities.
Conclusion
Russell Conwell may have been a well-intentioned pastor, but his legacy has led to a deep corruption of American Christianity. By shifting the focus from evangelism to economic success, from biblical preaching to social activism, and from spiritual faithfulness to material prosperity, he helped pave the way for the modern decline of the church’s true mission.
American Christianity must return to the foundational truths of Scripture—a focus on saving souls, preaching the Gospel, and standing firm on biblical principles. Wealth, when gained ethically, can be used for good, but it must never replace the true riches of God’s Word and the salvation found in Jesus Christ. The church must once again prioritize the Great Commission over earthly success, rejecting the distortions that have led so many away from biblical faithfulness.