BLOG 10/24/17. CHRISTIAN FAITH . . . AND THE SEDUCTION OF WEALTH
One has only to have a cursory knowledge of current events to realize the enormous influence, politically and socially, of the powerful financial interests that control so much of the agenda in this nation. It is quite too easy for us to consign that to those in high places. And, yes, it is frightening (as one of the political pundits graphically described a powerful lobby force as having taken congress captive with a money clip on their male parts!).
This is nothing new. In the apocalyptic language of the Book of Revelation, one of the great enemies of the Lamb of God and his people is that great whore Babylon, which seems to refer to the vast economic influence of the huge trading powers of that era, who wielded their influence ruthlessly among the nations. We read news daily about those wielding trillions of dollars in trade to gain advantages for themselves, even when it ignores the human costs of their power. Remember, then, that Jesus only named one identifiable competitor with God: mammon–money. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon/money” (Mathew 6:24).
It is seductive, and I doubt if any of us are totally innocent on this score. Our very capitalistic society what with all of its ‘principalities and powers’ of corporate hubris and influence, the omnipresent advertising industry seeking to find our vulnerable spots in order to suck us in, . . . all bespeak that power. Again, it is so subtle. I am a fan of the PBS program “This Old House” because of the remarkable craftsmanship displayed on that show. But the extravagant expenditure of money of those wanting to build their prestigious and enviable dream home can border on the obscene. It is no sin to want to have an adequate and well maintained home. But where does that basic need morph into vanity and the display of wealth to one’s neighbors?
Something of the seduction was also exhibited a generation ago in the sit-com “Moving On Up,” about a family that had done well financially and wanted to move out of the marginal neighborhood into one that would display their newly acquired status and wealth. There’s something of that temptation always before us in this consumer society. It was obviously present in the first century church at Laodacea, which the Lord described as becoming “rich and increased in goods and in need of nothing,” but in the process, had displaced Jesus and left him outside the gate.
It was the problem of the rich young ruler, who came to Jesus asking to become one of his followers. He boasted of his faithfulness in keeping the law and his religious credentials. But when Jesus required of him that he sell all his possessions and give them to the poor, then he could come and follow, . . . the young man went away sorrowing for he was very wealthy, i.e. he was captive to his wealth.
Or the foolish man in Jesus parable whose farm has been hugely productive, so he determined to build bigger barns and then retire comfortably, only to be reminded that he was to die that night, “then whose shall these things belong to?” Money/mammon takes possession of one’s soul, of one’s conscience, of one’s sense of values, and turns a blind eye to the law of love. If racism is a pathology in our society, then greed is equally a pathology. When there are neighbors locally or globally who are in need of basic subsistence (like 64 million refugees homeless in the world today), and I indulge myself in pleasant but un-needed luxuries rather than seeking to provide their basics with my modest contributions, . . . something is awry in my understanding of Christ’s teachings that call us to sacrificial love.
Stay tuned . . .
