Christian Piatt
This is part of the weekly Heretic’s Guide to the Bible study series. To read more, or to take part in the study, CLICK HERE, or click on the Heretic’s Guide banners above or below.
Rich people are jerks. They’re greedy, selfish, and don’t care about anyone else. That computer software guy may be the antichrist. Money is just plain evil.
I’ve heard statements about the evils of wealth and the corruption of people of means. Sometimes people quote scripture to support their case. Often, the exclamation point at the end of the polemic is about how money is the root of all evil. Read it. It’s right there in your Bible.
Actually it isn’t. Though Paul does say that the love of money is the root of all evil (a quote he takes from Jesus), money itself is amoral. It is a tool, much like a brick or a vial of nitro glycerin. The former can be used to build a hospital or crush someone’s skull. The latter can help prevent heart attacks or be made into dynamite. Money is no more inherently evil than any other tool.
The power is in how we use it, and how we value it.
Some rich people really are jerks, but some are incredibly generous, faithful and well-adjusted. I’ve met some pretty obnoxious poor people in my life too, and some that give of themselves as if their money would spoil tomorrow if not passed on.
Does Jesus really want rich people to give everything away? Maybe. But at the heart of his message is this: You can follow all the rules, go to church, say all the right prayers and study your Bible, but if you let money or anything else of this world get between you and God, you’ll be lucky to squeeze through the gates of heaven, trying to cling to all of that baggage.
There’s a Malay proverb that says, “If you have, give. If you lack, seek.” Now, go live it.
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