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The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) is a charismatic church founded in Brazil in 1977 by Edir Macedo. Since its founding, the church has expanded to over 100 countries. The church claims seven million members in Brazil alone, making it that country’s second-largest Protestant denomination. Macedo claims to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, but his teachings diverge significantly from biblical Christianity.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God blends Pentecostalism and the prosperity gospel with a generous dose of exorcisms, spiritual warfare, and tithing. The prosperity gospel, sometimes called the “health and wealth” gospel, teaches that faith in Jesus Christ guarantees physical and material prosperity. Members of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God are encouraged to make “sacrificial offerings” to receive personal blessings.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God requires tithing of its members. Giving 10 percent of one’s income to the church is seen as having two benefits: “First, it enables God to rebuke the devourer in your life. That means you will be protected from undue losses. Second, it brings God’s favor upon the actions you take to conquer financial blessings” (from their official website, accessed 12/4/24). Of course, the idea of our actions “enabling God” to do what He otherwise could not do is unbiblical. So is the teaching that our monetary gifts result in “financial blessings.”
In 2014 Macedo opened a giant-sized replica of Solomon’s temple in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The auditorium seats 10,000, and the building stands 180 feet tall, about the height of an 18-story building. The building includes a replica of the ark of the covenant and massive menorahs and features materials imported from Israel. The project cost about $300 million.
Macedo and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God are heavily involved in Brazilian politics. Macedo also owns Record, the second-largest broadcasting company in Brazil, and a majority stake in the private Brazilian bank Banco Digimais. Forbes online estimates that Macedo has amassed a personal fortune of $1.7 billion (www.forbes.com/profile/edir-macedo, accessed 12/4/24).
Jesus taught that earthly prosperity should not be a believer’s top priority. He says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21, ESV). Spiritual wealth is more important than earthly riches.
Pursuing earthly riches can have devastating consequences. The apostle Paul writes, “Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:9–10, ESV).
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God’s preoccupation with earthly prosperity opposes the Bible’s teachings about where a believer’s priorities should lie. As with other groups that promote the prosperity gospel, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God leads well-meaning people astray and causes them to discount Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:24: “You cannot serve both God and money.”
