Is this teaching biblical?
Rod Parsley teaches that you can 'sow money for whatever you want' — even love. This reduces God to a cosmic vending machine and reduces love to a purchasable commodity. You insert money, God dispenses blessings. This is not the gospel — it is commercial religion. It is the spirit of Simon Magus, who tried to buy the power of God. Peter's response to Simon was: 'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!' Parsley teaches the opposite: that the gifts of God CAN be purchased with money. 'Sow money for love.' Peter would be horrified.
What did Rod Parsley say?
"God is saying you can sow that money for whatever you want... You mean if you need some love you can sow money? Well, that's what it says."
Speaker: Rod Parsley
Source: TBN Praise-a-thon, April 3, 2003
What does Scripture actually teach?
Acts 8:18-20
"And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, 'Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.' But Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!'"
— NKJV
Simon tried to buy spiritual power with money. Peter cursed him for it. Parsley teaches: 'Sow money for whatever you want.' This is Simon Magus theology — the belief that the gifts of God can be purchased with money. Peter's rebuke applies directly: 'Your money perish with you.'
Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
— NKJV
Jesus said you cannot serve God and money. Parsley's teaching FUSES God and money — making money the medium through which all spiritual blessings flow. Want love? Sow money. Want joy? Sow money. Want peace? Sow money. This is not serving God — it is serving mammon while using God's name.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal... And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor... but have not love, it profits me nothing."
— NKJV
Paul says even giving away ALL your goods profits NOTHING without love. Parsley says you can SOW MONEY to GET love. Paul's entire point is that love cannot be bought, earned, or purchased — it is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The idea that 'sowing money' produces love is the inversion of Paul's teaching.