Wealth Idolatry

My article from this week's edition of the Rockford Squire:

When reading the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels, His frequent warnings about the dangers of wealth are inescapable.  When we consider that we live in one of the most prosperous nations in the world, in one of the most prosperous times in human history, these warnings might be even more striking. 

So, when Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell everything he has and give it to the poor in order to follow Him, when He criticizes the wealthy in the parables, even comparing their wealth to thorns which choke and starve a growing plant, and when He says things like, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,”  it’s possible even the decidedly middle-class reader might be concerned about how their current net worth impacts their eternal wellbeing. 

Looking at the full witness of Scripture, we can see that the Bible’s approach to wealth is similar to many of God’s other earthly blessings in life.  Whether the question is how much to eat, how much to drink, or how we spend our time and energy, the question typically comes down to two factors:  duty and idolatry. 

First, we are to use all things God has given, whether ability, time, or wealth, to fulfill the responsibilities of the vocations in which we live.  The advice of the Reformation era theologians, drawing on the earlier example of the Early Church Fathers, was that we are to begin in the sphere of the home and use these earthly resources to fulfill our duty as parent or child, husband or wife.  We then devote these things to the good of our own congregation, and finally, we use them in service to the world more broadly, beginning in our own community, and extending to our nation and the world. 

Second, when we consider how much we ought to consume or save up, rather than give away to help others, a closer look at Jesus words is in order.  He doesn’t say, “You must become poor to gain eternal life.”  He warns against idolatry—trusting in that wealth for your highest good.  When a person struggles and suffers, they are continually reminded of their need to rely on the grace of God, but when a person prospers in earthly things, it can give them the impression they can make their own way in heavenly things, rather than trusting Jesus.  

So the approach of Christians is neither one of consuming endlessly for their own pleasure, nor is it a requirement to live in strict austerity.  Instead, we practice moderation, avoid idolatry, and generously live for the benefit of others in the roles we have each been given.