Daddy Owen shares why Gen Z may end the era of prosperity gospel preaching
By Steve Ireri, March 20, 2026Gospel singer Daddy Owen has shared his belief that the influence of prosperity gospel preaching could soon decline, largely due to changing attitudes among younger generations.
Speaking on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he and DJ Mo unveiled journalist Susan Mukami as the new host of their podcast, Owen expressed his view that the era of pastors who focused primarily on prosperity gospel is gradually coming to an end.
He noted that while such teachings once dominated, the current phase could be the last for that style of preaching.
“There was a generation of pastors who loved to preach about prosperity and the prosperity gospel alone. My opinion on that, and I might be wrong, is that this is the last phase of such pastors,” he said.
The ‘Vanity’ crooner explained that moving forward, it may no longer be easy to preach messages centred solely on prosperity, as people are becoming more intentional in understanding spirituality beyond material gain.
He said that, unlike previous generations who often believed prayer alone would transform their lives, many people today are embracing both faith and hard work as essential components of success.
“Moving forward, I don’t think it will be easy to preach only about prosperity. People are becoming more diligent in understanding the Word in a spiritual way, while also knowing that they can work hard and succeed,” he said.
The singer also pointed out that Gen Z, in particular, approaches spirituality differently, describing them as a generation that makes conscious and informed decisions about their faith.
He noted that their understanding of spirituality is grounded in research and personal conviction rather than fear.
According to Owen, many Christians in the past embraced faith out of fear of consequences such as hell, which he said limited their ability to live fully, while others joined religious spaces simply to fit into society.
“There were past generations that did not want to work, believing that they could just pray and their lives would change. That is why I feel Gen Z is different. They do not approach spirituality in that manner. Their understanding of spirituality is based on well-informed decisions and research, not decisions made out of fear. Many Christians got saved out of fear of going to hell, and because of that, they don’t even live a full life. Others got saved because they wanted to fit into society,” Owen explained.
Being spiritual and being religious
On her part, Susan shared her perspective on the evolving nature of spirituality among younger generations, noting that being spiritual does not necessarily mean being religious.
She explained that while some studies suggest Gen Z is highly spiritual, there is a distinction between spirituality and organised religion.
“I’m not sure about the research or how true it is that Gen Z is the most spiritual generation, because when you say spiritual, I’m not sure if you also mean religious. There is a difference,” she said.
Mukami observed that many young people today prefer to build a personal relationship with God, maintaining belief in a higher power, in Jesus, and in practices such as prayer and reading the Bible.
However, she noted that some are less inclined toward traditional church settings due to concerns about certain environments within churches.
“Lately, you will hear people say, ‘I am spiritual but not religious.’ I would say that younger generations are more focused on building a personal relationship with God. They believe in a higher power, they believe in Jesus, and they pray and read the Bible,” Mukami said.
She added that while some churches create safe and welcoming spaces, others fail to do so, leading to fears of judgement among congregants.
According to Mukami, this has contributed to a growing number of young people identifying as spiritual rather than religious, as they seek spaces where they can exist freely without fear of criticism.
“However, they are not as inclined toward religion or church because some feel there are issues in certain churches. Not all churches, though; there are those that create safe spaces for people. But there are others that do not allow people to exist as they are,” she said.