Monday, July 03, 2006
God and money
There's a Christian radio show in DC that focuses on financial issues ... great stuff.
Here's the bottom line from their web site:
Debt-free living is still God’s plan for His people today. The blessings of becoming debt free go far beyond the financial area. They extend to the spiritual and material realms as well. No one who is financially bound can be spiritually free. The effects of financial bondage on a marriage relationship are devastating. Currently 50 percent of all first-time marriages fail, and the primary reason for the failure is financial incompatibility. Therefore, it is to all Christians’ advantage to strive to become debt free.
I'm glad to see that the age-old Christian fear of usery is still alive and well.
First, being debt free is good advice -- no argument there. On the other hand, debt is also necessary in the modern world -- shouldn't be any argument there either. Should people live beyond their means and put everything on the credit card? Of course not. YAY!!!!! Financial responsibility is fun.
Here's what I find more interesting.
Christianity was not not a civic religion. What does that mean? In the Greek and Roman worlds, there was little separation between civic/political life and religion. All facets of life were infused with religious meaning -- even leisurely pursuits. (Can you imagine a Christian Bacchus?) Judaism is also a civic religion in that being "Jewish" is just as much about being part of a community as it is about a system of beliefs. The beliefs and the community are inseparable. Jewish law covers not only religious matters, but all aspects of life. Islam is also a civic religion with laws governing life in all its dimensions -- business dealings, etc.
Christianity did not start out that way. Christianity was a rebel religion -- anti-establishment. Jesus can be thought of as a political rebel -- he opposed both the Roman civic rulers and the Jewish religious authorities. Chrisitanity also preaches asceticism. The path to salvation was through self denial, with Jesus' willing crucifiction as the ultimate model.
Underpinning both of these teachings is the belief that this is not the "true" world -- the afterlife is God's Kingdom, with this life as a sort of trial run.
None of these beliefs are unique to Christianity -- what was exceptional was the zeal of the early Christians.
OK, fast forward to 2006 United States of America. Evangelicals every-goddamn-where. But I get the feeling that their Christianity is not the Christianity I just described. Their Christianity has taken on a very American flavor -- faith as tool towards self realization more than faith for its own sake.
I'm not condemning American Christians by making this observation, nor am I making some grand criticism of Chrisitianity in general. There is subtlety here -- more subtlety than a blog and my knowledge allows me to effectively convey, but there it be.
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Here's the bottom line from their web site:
Debt-free living is still God’s plan for His people today. The blessings of becoming debt free go far beyond the financial area. They extend to the spiritual and material realms as well. No one who is financially bound can be spiritually free. The effects of financial bondage on a marriage relationship are devastating. Currently 50 percent of all first-time marriages fail, and the primary reason for the failure is financial incompatibility. Therefore, it is to all Christians’ advantage to strive to become debt free.
I'm glad to see that the age-old Christian fear of usery is still alive and well.
First, being debt free is good advice -- no argument there. On the other hand, debt is also necessary in the modern world -- shouldn't be any argument there either. Should people live beyond their means and put everything on the credit card? Of course not. YAY!!!!! Financial responsibility is fun.
Here's what I find more interesting.
Christianity was not not a civic religion. What does that mean? In the Greek and Roman worlds, there was little separation between civic/political life and religion. All facets of life were infused with religious meaning -- even leisurely pursuits. (Can you imagine a Christian Bacchus?) Judaism is also a civic religion in that being "Jewish" is just as much about being part of a community as it is about a system of beliefs. The beliefs and the community are inseparable. Jewish law covers not only religious matters, but all aspects of life. Islam is also a civic religion with laws governing life in all its dimensions -- business dealings, etc.
Christianity did not start out that way. Christianity was a rebel religion -- anti-establishment. Jesus can be thought of as a political rebel -- he opposed both the Roman civic rulers and the Jewish religious authorities. Chrisitanity also preaches asceticism. The path to salvation was through self denial, with Jesus' willing crucifiction as the ultimate model.
Underpinning both of these teachings is the belief that this is not the "true" world -- the afterlife is God's Kingdom, with this life as a sort of trial run.
None of these beliefs are unique to Christianity -- what was exceptional was the zeal of the early Christians.
OK, fast forward to 2006 United States of America. Evangelicals every-goddamn-where. But I get the feeling that their Christianity is not the Christianity I just described. Their Christianity has taken on a very American flavor -- faith as tool towards self realization more than faith for its own sake.
I'm not condemning American Christians by making this observation, nor am I making some grand criticism of Chrisitianity in general. There is subtlety here -- more subtlety than a blog and my knowledge allows me to effectively convey, but there it be.
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