{"id":2138,"date":"2009-11-11T21:49:29","date_gmt":"2009-11-11T21:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owenstrachan.com\/?p=2138"},"modified":"2009-11-11T21:49:29","modified_gmt":"2009-11-11T21:49:29","slug":"christianity-and-money-two-recent-stories-from-the-atlantic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thoughtlife\/2009\/11\/christianity-and-money-two-recent-stories-from-the-atlantic\/","title":{"rendered":"Christianity and Money: Two Recent Stories from The Atlantic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"daveramsey\"The Atlantic<\/a> <\/em>has recently published two stories that touch on Christianity and money.\u00a0 The first, \u201cDid Christianity Cause the Crash?\u201d<\/a> by Hanna Rosin, covers the prosperity gospel.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a snapshot from the piece that touches on Joel Osteen:<\/p>\n

Your Best Life Now<\/em>, which has fueled a TV show that Osteen claims is now seen in 200 million homes worldwide, opens with a story of a man on vacation in Hawaii. He was \u201ca good man who had achieved a modest measure of success, but he was coasting along, thinking that he\u2019d already reached his limits.\u201d While sightseeing, he and his wife admired a gorgeous house on a hill. \u201cI can\u2019t even imagine living in a place like that,\u201d he said. For this bit of self-deprecation and modesty, Osteen pities the man: \u201cHis own thoughts and attitudes,\u201d he writes, \u201cwere condemning him to mediocrity,\u201d or what is known in the gospel as the \u201cdefeated life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The second piece, \u201cLead Us Not into Temptation\u201d<\/a>, profiles evangelical financial guru Dave Ramsey<\/a>.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a snatch from Megan McArdle\u2019s engaging write-up:<\/p>\n

Ramsey has made a convert out of a secular journalist with one of the pricey M.B.A.s he likes to poke fun at. I have never felt as serenely in control of my finances as I have during these months of knowing that every single dollar is where it is supposed to be: either in the bank, or on a well-chaperoned date with our envelope organizer. The process has been surprisingly painless but, even more surprisingly, pleasant.<\/p>\n

Of course, both my fianc\u00e9 and I have already acquired our expensive educations and a pair of decent cars. We don\u2019t have any kids, we don\u2019t own a home, and it won\u2019t hurt us to rent a few extra years until we have paid off the last of our student loans and can afford a 20 percent down payment on a house. It is easier for us to be weird than for most of our peers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are stories to note.\u00a0 It\u2019s always interesting to see how the culture views Christians.\u00a0 Clearly, the first piece<\/a> is slanted, though it also has some strong and needed critiques of the prosperity gospel, which is a cancerous growth on the face of true Christianity.\u00a0 The second piece<\/a> shows how Ramsey\u2019s methods work.\u00a0 They\u2019re simple, but they\u2019re very helpful.\u00a0 The writer of the piece actually adopted Ramsey\u2019s techniques.<\/p>\n

The way we handle and approach money is not insignificant, whether to ourselves, our culture, and most importantly, our God.\u00a0 Non-Christians are watching us to see how we handle money.\u00a0 Are we greedy?\u00a0 Materialistic?\u00a0 Wise?\u00a0 Generous?\u00a0 These matters will not settle how people think about the Christ we proclaim, but they certainly factor in. What\u2019s more, they ultimately show how we <\/em>think about Christ and what kind of Savior we consider Him to be.<\/p>\n

I might say in closing that those seeking a wise financial path, one that leads out of debt, fear, and poverty, could do little better than to consult Dave Ramsey\u2019s ministry<\/a>.\u00a0 He\u2019s got the whole man-of-the-people thing going on, but younger types shouldn\u2019t ignore him for that reason.\u00a0 He\u2019s wise, and his principles are biblical.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Atlantic has recently published two stories that touch on Christianity and money.\u00a0 The first, \u201cDid Christianity Cause the Crash?\u201d by Hanna Rosin, covers the prosperity gospel.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a snapshot from the piece that touches on Joel Osteen: Your Best Life Now, which has fueled a TV show that Osteen claims is now seen in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1025,1092,1486,13176,1703,1847,2808,3132],"class_list":["post-2138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dave-ramsey","tag-did-christianity-cause-the-crash","tag-hanna-rosin","tag-jesus-christ","tag-joel-osteen","tag-lead-us-not-into-temptation","tag-the-atlantic","tag-your-best-life-now"],"yoast_head":"\nChristianity and Money: Two Recent Stories from The Atlantic<\/title>\n<meta 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