Faith and Money

Scripture:
- Deuteronomy 15.1-11
- Job 42.10-17
- Isaiah 10.1-4
- Matthew 19.16-30
- Mark 12.41-44
- Mark 14.3-9
- Luke 12.32-34
- Galatians 2.9-10
- James 2.1-7

Articles:
- Excerpt from Jim Wallis' God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
- God and the Recession: How will the Prosperity Gospel ride out hard times?

We began our discussion with a reflection on the reading from Jim Wallis' book. This led to a discussion of stewardship campaigns, a topic we continued to come back to throughout the evening. How can a congregation talk about stewardship without recognizing the poverty that might exist within its own family? What's the deal with tithing? Should one tithe strictly to the church or is tithing to charity the same thing? What about tithing one's time rather than one's money? What if one has the money to tithe but chooses to tithe time instead? If the purpose of tithing in Biblical times was the care of the poor, can we justify spending offerings for buildings and salaries? Paul continuously reminds people in his letters that his collection is for the poor in Jerusalem. When the "pillars" of the church grant him apostolic authority, they ask only that he remember the poor (Galatians 2.9-10). So do our modern stewardship campaigns miss the point entirely? This is a point we returned to later.

We then turned to this week's scripture. In the Law, the Israelites were instructed to hold a year of Jubilee (cf. Deuteronomy 15.1-11). In time, this commandment was disobeyed, leading to the condemnation by the prophets (cf. Isaiah 10.1-4) and, according to scripture, the destruction of Israel and Judah. In recent decades, a grassroots movement has sought to revive this tradition. Jubilee 2000 was an international faith-based initiative which sought the solution to third world debt by the year 2000. While they were ultimately unsuccessful in this goal, they made broad strides. Since the year 2000, this organization has broken up into national movements. Jubilee USA is an alliance of over 75 denominations and faith communities, including First Presbyterian Church in Thomasville. A detailed explanation of their platform can be found here.

In looking at the Job passage, we discussed whether or not this passage could be used to promote the Prosperity Gospel. The sugar-coated retelling of Job says that Satan made a bet with God, Job had everything taken away from him, he remained faithful in spite of it, and, as a reward for his faithfulness, God restored Job's fortunes twofold. However, the story is more complicated than that. The argument was made that this couldn't support the Prosperity Gospel because Job did not want this wealth. He was only given it once he had realized that God's supremacy is all that mattered. The same cannot be said for adherents to the Prosperity Gospel. However, are those individuals who give money to ministries that preach the Prosperity Gospel wrong? Does their sacrifice of monetary resources still count?

Here we returned again to the issue of tithing. While it is easy to say that tithing should be used for the poor alone, the reality is that pastors need to be paid for their work. Buildings need to be maintained. We were reminded that Jesus changes us through our giving. When money is given out of a generous heart for love of God, that is what ultimately matters and what can be truly transforming. No matter what the money is being used for, the giver is changed, and tithing can have an incredible spiritual effect. The problem with the "Sermon on the Amount" occurs when the focus is wrong. Tithing is not about pre-tax vs. post-tax, moving up a percentage point each year according to the distributed spreadsheet, etc. etc. etc. Our tithing is a gift, given in response to God's love and mercy. However, what about those ministries that truly misappropriate funds? Does it really not matter where the money goes as long as the motivation is right?

Ultimately, care of poor comes out of relationships. In the ideal Christian community, there would not be a needy person amongst us because we would be able to have faith that the community would meet any need that arose. Miraculously, there are some churches who still live by this. However, there are more that do not. We need to form relationships through which people feel safe enough to be vulnerable. It is hard to admit that you have lost your job and cannot afford to pay your mortgage or provide food for your family. We need to create safe spaces so that we can know the needs of our congregations in order to properly care for them.

Our discussion then turned to the issue of homeless beggars. What do you do when someone asks you for money? Should you give money? Should you give food? Should you give a gift certificate of some sort by which s/he could buy food? Many homeless organizations will tell you not to give anything because anything and everything can be traded for drugs or other harmful substances. But it is so hard to walk or drive past a person. One of the biggest ways you can make a difference is through treating the homeless individual with respect. Say "sir" or "ma'am." Recognize that they, too, are children of God, and honor that in your interaction.

Poverty is an unfortunate reality in modern society. However, instead of focusing on what we can't do about it, let's focus on what we can. I cannot solve the poverty crisis. But maybe we can.

Questions for further reflection:
- Does it matter if the money is going to be used for malicious purposes if one's motivation is true?
- How has tithing (or not tithing) made a difference in your spiritual life?
- How can we create safe spaces at Duke Chapel for those in need to be vulnerable enough to ask for help?