Mark Chapter 10, for instance, Jesus tells a rich man to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, but Prosperity theologians argue that Jesus was simply telling the man to turn his solid assets into liquid ones. More extreme proponents do not merely ignore the examples of St Francis and Mother Teresa: they condemn them, teaching that poverty is the work of Satan.

Who believes in this stuff?

A recent poll of American Christians in Time magazine found that 17 per cent considered themselves part of the Prosperity movement. More than 60 per cent believed that God wanted people to be prosperous and 31 per cent thought that if you gave money to your church, God would repay you. According to Time, three of the four largest US “mega-churches” (all of them in the South) are Prosperity pulpits. One of the reasons for their success is that their mainstream evangelical counterparts have avoided talking about personal finances or social inequality. The Prosperity Gospel speaks straight to the concerns of poorer congregations. In Britain, adherents of Prosperity theology are overwhelmingly to be found among West African and Caribbean communities. "Poor people like Prosperity," says Stephen Prothero, chair of religion at Boston University. "They hear it as aspirant. They hear, 'You can make it too: buy a car, get a job, get wealthy.' It can function as a form of liberation."

Isn't it just a scam?

The history of the movement is certainly coloured by the conspicuous wealth of its pastors, and some scandals. Jim Bakker, a US Prosperity preacher, came a cropper after allegedly raping his secretary and trying to buy her silence for $265,000. In Britain, the charity that ran the KICC was criticised in 2005 by the Charity Commission for buying an £80,000 car and a £13,000 timeshare in Florida for Pastor Ashimolowo, who subsequently paid the money back. None of this, however, seems to bother the faithful. In fact, says William Martin, a sociologist from Rice University, Texas, congregations want their teachers to thrive, believing their wealth is "confirmation of what they are preaching". The result is that the Prosperity Gospel industry has never been in better health.

So it's growing in Britain too?

Yes, mainly thanks to large, rich churches like the KICC, which has an annual income of £9m, chiefly from donations and the spread of cable TV televangelists into Britain's living rooms. Another important Prosperity church is the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which began in Nigeria and now has 346 British congregations; the largest, in London, has 3,000 members. At least 300,000 people in the UK now attend Pentecostal services each week. The Church of England, meanwhile, has seen Sunday attendance drop beneath one million.