Christianity and Wealth

Christianity and Wealth 'Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell all that you have and

give I to the poor. Then come and follow me." In the light of this,

Christians in the First World cannot justify their wealth.'

c) God could have created the world in such a way that resources would

be distributed to each according to his need. He chose not to do that.

He distributed resources, and allows us to develop and redistribute

resources, in such a fashion that some have much more than they need,

and some have much less. It cannot be denied that resources, and also

the opportunity to access resources, are far from being equitably

available to all. Either God is unfair, or God does not care, or else

there is a purpose to this scenario of disparate resources. The

purpose is actually quite obvious, and leaps to mind as soon as we

pause to ponder the subject. God intends for us to derive the

spiritual benefit which comes from sharing with each other, providing

for each other's needs. We are to live as family, and care for each

other as family. In case of the First and Third World this balance is

not achieved, but does this mean that every Christian should curse

their own wealth and prosperity, and dedicate every financial asset to

the poor and needy? Theoretically, this may sound a valid idea, but

practically, it is nieve and implausible.

There is n...

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...to life. Relating to modern society,

I believe the command is more of severe warning against the sins of

gluttony and selfishness, which can lead to modern crimes such as

fraud and theft. As long as you follow God's will and are wise in your

treatment of money, then having wealth is perfectly justifiable. In

order to follow God's will, you must acknowledge how fortunate you are

and treat God's creation with respect; which means supporting

charities and dedicating fractions of your life to helping the Third

World inhabitants. God does not want a world of ruthless capitalism,

but neither does he want a world of corrupt communism, otherwise he

would have equally shared resources. He simply wants the wealthy to be

treat his creation with respect and humility, and realise they have a

moral duty to aid the lacking and needy.