Victory Family Church’s website includes a chart of sermon topics and a number beside each topic that shows how many times that topic has been covered there. The list includes 35 topics that have been the subject of one or more sermons. The themes include some Prosperity buzzwords like “purpose,” and also many practical topics, “how to live,” “relationships,”
“children,” and “finances.” The list does not include “giving,” “missions,” “salvation” (although
“grace” and “redemption” are listed), or “life after death.” The topics seem somewhat arbitrary, but represent the main concepts covered in sermons at Victory. Rather than focusing on spirituality, the list is skewed toward practical content.
The sermon topic list includes the term “Holy Spirit” and has this as the sermon topic six times, however, the topic, “being led by the Spirit,” was preached 41 times. “Being led by the spirit,” is a way that Pentecostals might describe the way they make decisions through prayer.
This ratio of coverage between the two topics indicates that even when traditional Pentecostal themes are being covered, they are done so with a more practical approach. Like Oasis Church, during my research period, Victory included sermons on traditional Pentecostal themes like the Holy Spirit. Even during this series, titled, “The Other Baptism,” Nuzzo acknowledged how
“baptism in the Holy Spirit,” (i.e., speaking in tongues) can be seen by many as a strange, freakish, or even sinister concept. The discussions on the topic often acknowledge how most people find the practice odd at best.
During “The Other Baptism” sermon series, Nuzzo talked about how modern evangelicals often say that glossolalia is for the “undereducated” and unsophisticated people.163
163 John Nuzzo, sermon “The Other Baptism Part 2,” February 3, 2013.
He scoffed at this notion and assured them that baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all of God’s followers. He started singing a popular Christian children’s song saying, “It is in the B-I-B-L-E,”
and then he adlibbed a verse making fun of people who claim to believe in the Bible, but make exceptions for “speaking in tongues because it makes [them] nervous.”164 He called these people
“cafeteria Christians,” because they pick out only the verses or concepts they are comfortable with.165 For many years, Pentecostals believed when they spoke in tongues that it was meant to be an existing foreign dialect, but most now say it is a “prayer language,” rather than an actual language spoke on Earth.166 During this sermon, however, Nuzzo told stories of people he knows who spoke in tongues or observed someone speaking in tongues, when the tongues was an actual earthly language. He did not, however, claim that he speaks in tongues and indeed none of the pastors or congregants displayed the gift during the services that I attended.
A different pastor at the church preached a sermon during my research period called
“How to Be Charismatic Without Being Crazy,” which is clearly alluding to the perception that many people have that Pentecostals are weird or “crazy.” The inclusion of these sermons indicates two things: Victory is committed to their charismatic roots and is also keenly aware of the negative connotations this tradition has in the public eye. Their sermons indicate a desire to remain a part of the Pentecostal tradition, but demonstrate how people can do so without appearing odd.
Despite the inclusion of the charismatic-themed sermons, Nuzzo primarily focused on applying biblical stories and characters to modern concerns. In a six-week sermon series called,
“Extraordinarily Normal,” Nuzzo discussed biblical characters who he said were just normal
164 Ibid.
165Ibid.
166 Miller, et al., Spirit and Power, 6.
people who did extraordinary things. One of the weeks featured Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Nuzzo often includes stories of growing up in his Italian home, and frequently jokes about his upbringing. His background inspired him to include a parody video of “Italian Mary,” where Nuzzo dressed up as an older Italian woman and did a comical take on Jesus having a “normal”
mom. Nuzzo wore a cheap wig, grandma-style “muumuu,” stockings rolled down so you could see them at his knees, and bright pink lipstick. The sketch was humorous, but Nuzzo tweeted his concern about the content saying he would not post it outside of the sermon because it could be considered offensive if it was taken out of context. Regardless of whether this video is offensive to some, it shows how the sermons are designed to appeal to modern sensibilities and be entertaining. Nuzzo’s acknowledgement that his irreverent take on Mary could be offensive to some demonstrates his awareness of branding, presentation, and the importance of audience response. Even though Nuzzo was aware of the provocative nature of the sketch, he decided the benefits of being entertaining and comical were worth any potential risk. Nuzzo’s acknowledgement that the “Italian Mary” video could be offensive to some is evidence that the audience’s reception is important to him.
Nuzzo often preaches on Prosperity Theology and how to practice and apply it to one’s life. Within this theme, Nuzzo presented a sermon series called, “The Blessed Life,” in which he described how his audience could live a prosperous and victorious life. In this series, Nuzzo describes his beliefs about money, blessings, and poverty. During this series he said poverty is a curse. He claimed God wants to bless all of his children, and it is up to you, as God’s follower, to ensure you receive the blessings. Essentially, Nuzzo is saying if you are poor it is not because of God, but because you did not give God what he wants/deserves. Nuzzo said Victory is a
“Prosperity” church because he is not here, “to preach you into a curse.”167 He supplied several verses during his sermon that described the blessings and wealth that will befall those who follow God. In addition to his sermon, he showed videos of church members who tithed even when they did not have much money or when they had lost their jobs, and a financial windfall or professional success came their way. These testimonies help provide legitimacy to his religious philosophy.
This comedic approach to their theology extends also to the presentation of their worldview. When Chick-Fil-A’s President, Dan Cathy, affirmed the company’s anti-gay stance in the name of biblical family values, Victory presented a video of comedian Tim Hawkins singing a song about his love for the restaurant to the tune of the Beatles’ “Yesterday.”168 The audience laughed uproariously and the pastor presenting it pointed out how “crazy” it is that a company would be punished for being “pro-family.”169 He noted television shows like “The New Normal” and “Modern Family” that have “clear messages” that go against biblical values.
The pastor (who is not identified in the audio clip) said the church was not “anti-anybody,” but wanted to remind everyone it was a Presidential election year and the congregation needed to learn how to navigate their faith within the modern culture.
A focus on the “traditional” family has been a strong mobilizing and unifying force among American evangelicals, and helps provide a shared-identity among conservative Christians. The pro-family/anti-gay-rights posturing is a powerful element within the evangelical worldview. Along with their anti-abortion position, this platform provides them with a common cultural worldview that has facilitated great political influence over the past thirty
167 John Nuzzo, “The Blessed Life sermon series, Part 1, February 10, 2013.
168 Accessed February 28, 2014, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5EztTZYbyU
169 Victory Family Church service, August 5, 2012.
years, to varying degrees. Their tax-exempt status means they must be careful to avoid candidate or party endorsement, but by focusing on “moral” issues or “values,” Victory is able to make their views clear without violating the law.
While these videos are common opening act to the sermons, they are not the headliner.
The sermons present more serious content and are rooted, at least to some degree, in Scripture.
Prosperity Theology plays prominently in Nuzzo’s sermons. He makes no apologies for his belief in it, and treats the subject matter as biblically based. He sees the Prosperity Gospel as simply “The Gospel” in that all Christians should believe that their “Father” wants to bless them.
His preaching style, while conversational, is bold and unapologetic. The topics focus on you, the believer, and how God wants to work in your life. He does not preach about giving (to charity, for example) aside from encouraging the audience to tithe and donate to the church. In a sermon called, “Receiving by Faith,” Nuzzo made it clear that if someone does not receive God’s blessings they did not have enough faith. He claimed when people see someone receive something bad, even if you think they have been faithful, you just do not know.170 In other words, God always follows through on his side, so if blessings aren’t coming it is because of a failing on the believer’s side. “You have got to go after what belongs to you in faith,” he tells his audience. “We must have a posture of aggression,” regarding prayer, according to Nuzzo. He says despite this, many believers just “leave it God’s hands,” but it is up to you to get what you want by walking in faith.171
This core Prosperity Gospel understanding of God’s blessings in return for faithfulness is often criticized for the implicit message that if one is poor, sick, or in despair it is because you have not maintained enough faith. This component of the Prosperity Gospel is often downplayed
170 John Nuzzo, “Receiving by Faith,” sermon December 12, 2012.
171 Ibid.
or avoided completely during sermons. Naturally, believing the less fortunate have failed God is considered by some to be provocative theology. At Lakewood and Oasis, this element of the Prosperity Gospel is not discussed. Even though both churches feature video testimonies of people who have received blessings through faith, they do not explicitly say why it is that other people fell ill or lost their jobs. Victory is the only one of the three churches that examines why it is that some people do not receive God’s blessings.
The difference among the churches with regards to how or if they present this aspect of the tradition is a reflection of the spectrum in the presentation of the Prosperity Gospel. Some Prosperity Churches are unapologetic and explicit in their commitment to the tradition, while others accept its tenets, but are more vague or implicit in its application and presentation. The range of this presentation is also part of the reason why churches like Oasis distance themselves from the theology. It aims to promote the giving and uplifting side of the message and avoid the concepts that point fingers at “sinners” and condemn those who are sick or poor.
While Osteen, Nuzzo, and Wagner have different approaches to Scripture and rhetorical styles, they are all committed to providing practical, everyday advice on how the congregants can live their best lives on earth. They vary in their use of biblical references and more traditional Pentecostal themes, but for each of them, the bottom line is for people to leave feeling inspired, uplifted, and ready to live a victorious life. The pastors use the sermons as a way of outlining their beliefs, but also to “brand” the church within certain parameters. Sermons are perhaps the most important component of in-house marketing, and for each of these churches the senior pastor drives the direction of the marketing through sermons. Each week all three of these men make statements that place their respective church within theological boundaries, and guide the congregants in a particular direction. Every person attending can choose to come back or
not, and many will make this choice based upon whether they are on the same theological page as the pastor. While causation is difficult to determine, pastors are aware of who is in their audience and their sermons must meet the needs of the audience in order for their success to continue.