Do Christians Justify Wealth? (Jesus, tradition, soul, followers, America)

[tomspug]

There were quite a few wealthy kings in the OT, but Jesus was pretty clear that wealth was nothing more than a burden to followers of God. Do you see Christians appropriately justifying whatever wealth they have in America, or do you think they could use a lesson from Jesus?

[Charity]

Originally Posted by tomspug

There were quite a few wealthy kings in the OT, but Jesus was pretty clear that wealth was nothing more than a burden to followers of God. Do you see Christians appropriately justifying whatever wealth they have in America, or do you think they could use a lesson from Jesus?

There is nothing wrong with wealth in itself....It's the way you handle it...If you use your wealth to help others and keep God first then I don't see any reason to try to justify it. Scriptures say that God would have you prosper even as your soul prospers....

[No*s]

Originally Posted by tomspug

There were quite a few wealthy kings in the OT, but Jesus was pretty clear that wealth was nothing more than a burden to followers of God. Do you see Christians appropriately justifying whatever wealth they have in America, or do you think they could use a lesson from Jesus?

Remember those words of Jesus come through the earliest Christians. In general, they met in the wealthiest member's home (as an aside, a traditional church building, RC or Orthodox, derives its structure from a rich Roman's house), who used his wealth to help the community. He didn't give it up. The issue was being attached to it and being unwilling to help others. One can have wealth, provided it is used appropriately.

That said, whether people do so in America today is another question entirely.

[ChristineES]

It isn't money that is evil, but the love of money. People who have money can do a lot of good with their wealth, if they choose to.

[UnityNow101]

Money, or the lack of, is the root cause to all of humanity's problems. No, the paper which we call money is not evil, but the intention to control people with this source very much is. Especially when we have the resources to provide for people, yet we fail to take the necessary steps to do so. Why do we fail to provide? Because feeding the poor and providing for others does not turn a profit for our big corporations. Afterall, the big corporations have all of the complete control and power because they have the majority of this worthless paper supply that we call money...

[dawny0826]

Originally Posted by tomspug

There were quite a few wealthy kings in the OT, but Jesus was pretty clear that wealth was nothing more than a burden to followers of God. Do you see Christians appropriately justifying whatever wealth they have in America, or do you think they could use a lesson from Jesus?

Truthfully, I feel it depends on the individual. What are they doing with their wealth? Are they planting seeds? Are they using their wealth in a manner which brings glory to Christ?

[ChristineES]

Why do we fail to provide? Because feeding the poor and providing for others does not turn a profit for our big corporations.

This is true. It seems when people have money and/or power, they always want more. (well, maybe not always).

[misanthropic_clown]

I remember having this discussion with an online acquaintance who found the wealth controlled by the Mormon church to be hypocritical to the notion of being giving and charitable. My reply, aside from highlighting the extensive philanthropic efforts of the church, was to consider the following.

If I gave you £1 million, some would consider the most philanthropic thing to do to give that money away in its entirety. However, consider saving this money, and investing prudently, and donating what interest and profit you achieve on the money. Whereas giving the wealth in entirety is certainly noble, in the long term the greater net good can be brought by being in control of wealth. Thus being in control of wealth can be a great force for good, and is not in itself a bad thing provided you use the power it brings for good.

[Worshipper]

Originally Posted by misanthropic_clown

I remember having this discussion with an online acquaintance who found the wealth controlled by the Mormon church to be hypocritical to the notion of being giving and charitable. My reply, aside from highlighting the extensive philanthropic efforts of the church, was to consider the following.

If I gave you £1 million, some would consider the most philanthropic thing to do to give that money away in its entirety. However, consider saving this money, and investing prudently, and donating what interest and profit you achieve on the money. Whereas giving the wealth in entirety is certainly noble, in the long term the greater net good can be brought by being in control of wealth. Thus being in control of wealth can be a great force for good, and is not in itself a bad thing provided you use the power it brings for good.

Do you think there's a difference between controlling wealth for the good of others and controlling it for your own benefit?

If I amass a great deal of wealth and set up a fund to use it toward some good end, then though mine may be the name on the title, in practice, it's not my wealth any more than the wealth I might control in a job for a corporation is my own. It's wealth I control, but it belongs to another.

If you gave me a million pounds and I put most of it toward a fund like that, but also skimmed a bit of the top of the interest to have a nice home (not an extravagant home, mind you, but even just a median-value home) and similar amenities, have I sacrificed my commitment to follow Jesus? He said it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

I don't think a person who lives in a low-rent home, wears second-hand clothing, eats poor fare, and walks everywhere he goes would be considered rich by most people, even if his name was the title of billions of dollars' worth of funds and other assets that were solely philanthropic. But most people who own and control that much wealth also enjoy a higher standard of living than most people. And when you do that, are you really following Jesus?