What is Money's Role in Christianity?

This week's questions: What is money’s role in Christianity? How much can we want it? How much should we strive to make more? Is it not right to keep some for yourself?

Obviously, without money, there would be no church building, there would be no lunches, no bibles would get printed without the existence of money. One way or another, God’s church needs money. Where is the boundary between needing money for the good of God, and the need of money that stems out of greed?

Is it possible to be a rich Christian?

Answer: I’d like to begin the answer to this question with a story. Recently, I visited the home of a prominent church leader who shall remain nameless in this post. During the visit, he and his wife showed me and the other guests the addition they had just put on their house. The main feature of the addition was the bathroom, which was the fanciest bathroom I had ever seen. It was huge, roughly the size of my bedroom, had a giant walk-in closet with more pairs of men’s dress shoes than I had ever seen outside of a store, and even had heated tiles so your bare feet don’t get cold in the morning. It was incredible. A couple days later, I was with friends and this church leader’s name came up in conversation. I then said to my friends, “You should see that guys bathroom!” I was immediately disturbed by what I said, because I realized that despite all the good things this man does for the Church, what I’m going to remember about him is his bathroom.

About a week later, I was talking to a friend who works for a church in Pittsburgh. He told me that he and others in the worship band were practicing when a homeless man entered the church. The man approached the drummer and asked him for money. The drummer replied that he doesn’t like to hand out money, but would like to help meet his need. So he asked the homeless man if he had a place to stay. The homeless man replied that there was a place he could stay, but the woman charges a modest fee per night, which he doesn’t have the money to pay. So, the drummer took the man to this woman’s place, paid for a couple nights lodging and worked out a deal with the woman where the homeless man could shovel her driveway and sidewalk to stay additional nights. As he left, the drummer asked the homeless man if he had gloves. When the homeless man said “no,” he took of his own gloves and gave them to him. Now I don’t know this particular Christian personally; I don’t even know his name, and have only seen him a few times. But, whenever I think of him, the first thing I’m going to think of is this, selfless, Christ-like act he did.

I think these stories provide a negative and positive example for how Christians are called to handle their money. A few weeks ago during Advent, we looked at the ministry of John the Baptist on Sunday mornings. John the Baptist lived his life in such a way that everything he did, down to the clothes he wore and the food he ate, pointed to the Kingdom of God. We’re called to the same type of witness. Everything we do is to point to Jesus Christ, down to the clothes we wear and the food we eat, and the way we handle our money.

As far as how much we should desire money, you’re right that we do need some just to live and function. The distinction between the “needing money for the good of God” and “the need for money that stems out of greed” is the same on both the personal and church level. The distinction is: for what purpose do we desire the money? I know of many churches and individuals who have a lot of money and do a lot in the world for the sake of Christ with that money. (Consequently, yes, it is possible to be a rich Christian.) I also know a lot of churches and individuals who have a lot of money and use it all for their own good, with no concern for using it to bear witness to Christ in the world. (Consequently, being a rich Christian is a very difficult thing.) That’s the difference between need for money and greed, whether or not the money is used to honor Christ.

Jesus, drinking, and parties

This week’s question(s): What is the deal with partying? Is it hypocritical to go party Saturday night and then show up to church the next day all tired? How about drinking? Is it sinful to get drunk at parties and act a little crazy? Does it matter how drunk you get?

For most people reading this (college students), this is an important question to consider. As Christians, we’re called to be counter-cultural. We know that the world should not define who we are, what we value, or what we do. We have a higher, more fulfilling, calling to live lives of obedience and service to Jesus Christ. At KUPC several weeks ago, we finished up looking at Christ’s proclamations to the churches in Revelation 2-3, and we saw there how the churches struggled to remain faithful in the midst of a culture whose values did not line up w/ the values of Christ. In any context, Christians always need to evaluate the culture they live in, and determine which parts of it they ought not participate in, and even speak out against. On most any campus, partying and drinking are, to one degree or another, a part of the culture. So, we need to ask ourselves, “Does this part of the culture I live in line up with my calling to live as a follower of Jesus Christ?”

The drinking question is the easier of the two to answer, so we’ll start there. First off, if you’re not of legal age, then drinking alcohol, regardless of how much, is in disagreement with your call to follow Christ. Paul reminds us in Romans 13 that we’re to respect the authority of our governments, so long as they don’t interfere with our call to be faithful to Christ. Our government has set a law that you can’t drink until you’re 21, and as Christians, we ought to honor that.

Now, for those of us of legal age, the question gets more complicated. There’s nothing wrong with drinking socially and in moderation. Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and served and drank wine at the Last Supper with his disciples. Also, Paul, in his letter to Timothy, advises his disciple to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes. That being said, there is such a thing as too much. The basic principle of Scripture is summed up well in Ephesians 5:18: “do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Throughout all of Scripture, there’s a contrast made between being filled with the Spirit and drunkenness. For example, in Luke’s account of John the Baptist’s birth, the angel Gabriel explains to John’s parents that he is not to drink any wine, or even eat fruit of the vine, because he’s going to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The connection between alcohol and the Holy Spirit has to do with controlling influence. As Christians, we’re to allow the Holy Spirit to direct our living. If we drink too much alcohol, we allow something other than the Holy Spirit to control us. So, to the question, “how much can a Christian drink?” we’re given the answer: however much we can take in before it has influence over our decision making.

The question about going to parties is a little more complicated. There’s nothing inherently wrong with going to parties. In fact, it seems from reading the gospels that Jesus went to parties from time to time. There is good reason for Christians to go to a party. Firstly, Christians are allowed to have fun. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Christians might have the opportunity to bear witness to Christ at such parties.

That being said, there are reasons not to go to parties. Our inquirer brings one of them up. What if we party late on Saturday night and then come to church tired? I don’t know if I’d call it hypocritical, but I would call it irresponsible. When we worship, we’re to do so with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. Furthermore, in our worship, Jesus Christ desires to encounter us and speak to us, and we ought to seek Him out. All of us have, at some point, gone to church tired, and we all know how difficult it is to do give our all in worship when we’re tired. There’s nothing wrong with going to parties, but there is something wrong with being so undisciplined that we don’t prioritize our life in Christ.

Another reason for possibly skipping out on a party goes back to the concept of being countercultural. Sometimes, not going to a party may provide more powerful of a Christian witness than going to the party. By not going, we demonstrate that we don’t consider partying an essential aspect to our life, as some might. By abstaining, we can show that we live our life by different standards, and that we refuse to look like the rest of the world.

All that being said, there’s no universal rule for Christians and parties. It’s best taken on a case by case basis. Pastor Matt, your thoughts?