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Pennies from Heaven: An Integration of Cognitive Dissonance and Spiritual Frames in a Prosperity Church

Abstract This paper integrates the theoretical perspectives of cognitive dissonance and frame analysis by (1) acknowledging that the frame through which an individual defines a situation is especially relevant for studies of cognitive dissonance, and (2) revealing how the act of defining ordinary events through a spiritual frame reflects the motivational tendency to reduce cognitive dissonance. For the subjects under study, their belief in the prosperity message is that if they give their finances to the church, God will bless them in abundance (with financial wealth or other tangible and intangible goods). The prosperity message presents a kind of “if-then” statement that allows one to observe, in a natural setting, individuals' pre- and post-decision-making behaviors over time. Emphasizing the prosperity message as an ongoing production, I discuss the church leaders and the impact of their dramaturgical performances on congregants' tithing habits and congregants' subsequent perceptions of return blessings.