Episode #299
We're All Prosperity Preachers Now with Andrew Root | Episode 299
What if the church's obsession with growth is just modern-day Baal worship? Andrew Root returns to the podcast to discuss his new book Baal and the Gods of More: Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry (Baker Academic). Root — Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary — unpacks how the pressure to grow (whether through innovation or identity affirmation) mirrors ancient Israel's turn to fertility gods, and what it might mean instead to trust a God who meets us in weakness rather than escalation. In This Episode [0:24] Intro — Facebook-as-salvation in the 2000s, LGBTQ inclusion in mainline churches, and Flint, Michigan as parallel stories of hoping something will bring back “the good old days” [4:44] What led Root to write the book — a recurring church-growth conversation and an offhand comment about “fertility gods” that became the whole project [7:15] Baal as a fertility god, and how capital (financial, social, cultural) functions the same way for us today [9:27] The real question underneath growth anxiety — do we actually trust God? [9:53] Golden-era memory in mainline Protestantism (and Flint) as a parallel to Israel longing for Solomon’s era [15:37] The two camps inside every denomination — techno-optimists and identitarians — and why Root thinks both run on the same escalatory, capitalist logic [23:36] “We’re all prosperity preachers now” — willing to take on poverty now only to cash out later [31:35] Why Protestants have neglected Mary, and Luther’s reading of her as the true prophet [34:16] Jezebel reframed — not a sexual temptress but “the great economist” importing growth theory into Israel [38:12] The Magnificat as confession, not just judgment on others [41:09] A widower’s story on a Viking cruise — what he was actually grateful for from his church [45:35] Root’s word to pastors and small congregations dealing with anxiety about decline [50:21] Where to find Andrew Root’s work — andrewroot.org Resources Andrew Root's website: andrewroot.org Book: Baal and the Gods of More — Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry (Baker Academic) Ministry in a Secular Age Podcast: https://www.andrewroot.org/podcast/ Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/churchandmain ) | Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/ ) | Threads ( https://www.threads.net/@churchandmainpod) | Website ( https://churchandmain.org/ ) | YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/@churchmainpodcast ) | Substack ( https://churchandmain.substack.com/ ) Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Church and Main on your favorite podcast app, leave a review, and visit churchandmain.org or churchandmain.substack.com to read more and support the show. Send an email to dennis@churchandmain.org .
