Stewardship
The Wealth of Nations
December 11, 2006, 10:30 AM | Permalink
Our congregation is comprised of sincere and generous believers who come from work-class towns whose average household income is slightly below the 2005 median US household income of $44, 389. We're down-to-earth folks - farmers, school teachers, homemakers, truck drivers, homemakers, artists, carpenters, salesmen, secretaries, cooks, physicians, and others. Yet no matter how we look at it, we are much wealthier than the rest of the world (see below). We're painfully aware of that, and trying hard to adjust our spending habits so that we can give generously to missions, global aid, disaster relief, and locally needy people. We're trying to find ways to talk about our culture's obsession with consumerism and how it's robbing our souls. Last year we gave a lot of money to victims of natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes). For centuries, Mennonites have emphasized that the living in the Kingdom begins NOW, and that our faith should manifest itself in our everyday life, including our spending habits. That's not easy.
Three weeks ago, I was amongst a group of people discussing the Sermon on the Mount and its implications for our lives. The conversation was among young people who are keenly aware of the poor, human trafficking, victims of war, and oppression. They talked about the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, war, child soldiers, and slavery, and what the Bible says about peace, mammon, greed, and conflict. It was deep, thought-provoking stuff. Here's a copy of the Gini coefficient, the most accurate way of assessing the global inequality in the distribution of wealth:
Green countries have income equality; orange and red have a big discrepancy between the rich and the poor. Looking at the map think about where slavery and prostitution is rampant. Or global conflicts, child soldiers, slavery. Look at where where there's explosive growth in the church. There's a correlation here.
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Global Distribution of Wealth
A story about the wealth of individuals and nations was recently published in the Financial Times. To place in the top half of wealth on the planet you and I only need be worth $2,200. If you own assests greater than $61,000 you're in the top 10% wealthiest in the world. You can read the article online. It's also important to note the gap between the rich and the poor is growing.
- One,
the Lord has blessed a lot of people with a lot of
money.
- Two,
it is not by accident nor through oppression and
exploitation alone that the West and several Asian
nations have attained such great wealth.
Certain critics love to allege that the West's
wealth stems only or primarily from
oppression/exploitation.
I don't see how any honest assessor of the United State's interaction with non-Western peoples can deny that some oppression and exploitation took place, slavery being the most prominent example. However, multitudes of regimes in world history have oppressed and exploited dominated people groups without attaining to the wealth that the West has. Adroit use of resources, innovation and hard work have played a significant role in the creation of the West's wealth.
- Three, Christians have a responsibility to think through issues of justice and love. So what does it look like to accept and address the responsibility of justice and love, particularly with respect to storing up mammon and loving our neighbor?
Since the crusades of the 11-13th-centuries, Christianity tends to follow whatever unites Europe. Interestingly enough, Europe is united over money (the Euro currency) right now. Money is the issue of our day, and Jesus' challenge, "You cannot serve God and money" sets up a religious battle in our day: allegiance to the God in Christ Jesus or allegiance to the god Mammon.
Throwing money at corruption is a bad idea. At the same time, Jesus charged us to express charity even towards those who take advantage of us (if someone takes your cloak, give him your tunic, too).
What wealthy western Christians do with all this money is going to be a plumb line by which history (and God) will judge us. I think many of us will have to hear the words, "You fool! This very night your life will be required of you," and we'll be standing with properties and investment accounts full of resources while God's children starve on our streets, suffer from AIDS in Africa, get sold into prostitution in Albania, secret slave trades in the Middle East, get orphaned and locked in cages in Romania ... you get the picture.
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A Call for Environmental Stewardship
May 28, 2006, 11:56 PM | Permalink
Nature also praises and gives glory to God. Creation extols the glory of God (Psalms 19 and 96). We are reaffirmed that the Lord blesses us and keeps us (Psalm 104; Numbers 6:24-26).
Despite such clear messages concerning the Creation, there seems to be confusion, ambivalence, neglect and biblical ignorance among Christians.
The need for fresh attention to the whole of the Bible’s perspective on the created order – the Earth, land, air, soil, water, animals, food, the environment – is urgent. We are thankful for the beginning that has been made but a lot more needs to happen in order to meet the challenges now and into the future.
