3A - Attitudes Toward Wealth

Give a quote from Luke 12:15

• "Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

What four Bible passages does the spec require you to know regarding the dangers of wealth?

- Mark 10:17-25
- Matthew 6:25-34
- 1 Timothy 6:10
- Luke 12:33-34

Give two quotes from Mark 10:17-25.

- "You shall not defraud."
* "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Give context of Mark 10:17-25.

• Traditional Jewish teaching on wealth = a sign of divine favour + urged to be generous
• Jesus provides an answer different to traditional Jewish teaching: give up your possessions and join the Jesus movement
- This might not have been expected from a respected Rabbi

What is the main message of Mark 10:17-25?

- Impossible to enter the Kingdom of God if one is wealthy. Does this apply to all, or just this one man?
- The Kingdom of God = infinitely more important than wealth

Give scholarly detail to Mark 10:17-25.

- "not defraud" ≠ one of the 10 Commandments, despite Jesus saying "You know the Commandments"
- Therefore, Jesus was likely talking specifically to the man - maybe Jesus was aware of the man's financial sins

Give an interesting fact about Mark 10:17-25.

- Some early manuscripts use 'kamilon' (rope) instead of 'kamelon' (camel)
- A story circulated that there was a passage into Jerusalem called 'The Needle Gate' (likely a fanciful medieval legend to impress pious tourists)
- Both of these suggestions make Jesus' words appear more sensible

Give a quote from Matthew 6:25-34.

• "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Give the context of Matthew 6:25-34.

• One of the main themes = that righteousness must be defined in a new way, beyond the letter of law, to an all-embracing lifestyle of love + commitment

What is the main message of Matthew 6:25-34?

- Have the right priorities - "strive first for the Kingdom of God"
* The enemy of any priority is anxiety. Have faith in God's provision.

Give scholarly detail to Matthew 6:25-34.

• 'Anxiety' = used more than in any other place in New Testament; related to being afraid in such a way as to cause distress

Give an interesting fact about Matthew 6:25-34.

• Jesus' audience would have been familiar with the wealth of Solomon (1 Kings 3:13), perhaps even longing for God to restore their nation to its former glory, therefore it would have been surprising for Jesus to point out that there is a beauty greater than Solomon's

Give a quote from 1 Timothy 6:10.

• "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil"

Give the context of 1 Timothy 6:10.

• The Pastoral Epistles (1+2 Timothy + Titus) = concerned with heretical church teachings + lax morality

What is the main message of 1 Timothy 6:10?

• Money ≠ evil/dirty in itself; the danger = greed

Give scholarly detail to 1 Timothy 6:10.

- It was a common phrase to the ancient world
* Cynic, Diogenes of Sinope: "the love of money is the mother-city of all evils"

Give an interesting fact about 1 Timothy 6:10.

• It was common for ancient philosophers to charge their opponents with teaching for pay and ∴ seeking to please rather than to present the whole truth

Give a quote from Luke 12:33-34.

• "Sell your possessions and give alms. [You will have] an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near."

Give the context of Luke 12:33-34.

• Earlier in chapter = parable of rich fool: a wealthy man celebrates the fact that he has hoarded enough material wealth to secure his future, But death now comes to him and he has made the mistake of not providing for his spiritual life

What is the main message of Luke 12:33-34?

- A test to see whether one is living for God's kingdom. Their decision puts them on the path of the rich fool or path of eternal life
- The 'spiritual bank account' is free from the anxieties + corruption of earthly bank accounts

Give scholarly detail to Luke 12:33-34.

- Acts shows J's followers living this instruction to sell their possessions
- Is it expected of all followers? Implies so. However, Jesus commands Zacchaeus to give away only half of his wealth in Luke 19:1-10.

Give an interesting fact about Luke 12:33-34.

• Dio Chyrysostom (40-115 CE) wrote that "greed is not only the greatest evil to a man himself, but it injures his neighbours as well."

What is stewardship?

- Administration/management
* In a theological sense, views humans as having the God-given position of managing all their resources well

What are the key principles of stewardship?

- Earth belongs to God ∵ he created it; does not belong to us
- The material world = "good"; goodness remains even if there is sin ∴ should not flee from the management of the material world
- B assumes there is private ownership (8th Comm.) ∴ stewardship also applies to individuals
- ∴ G = defender of the poor/oppressed; stewardship always includes generous giving
- Some Christians see tithes as an aspect of stewardship

What is the opposite of stewardship?

• Greed + covetousness
Consistently condemned in B (e.g. Psalm 10)
Hebrew prophets are remembered for their searing rebukes over eco. sins + even kings are told there are limits to the wealth

Explain how those who view their role in life as stewards do not necessarily embrace a communistic/monastic view of the Christian community.

They view their role as managing wisely the resources G has given them

John Wesley, founder of Methodism: "Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can."

What is asceticism?

-Comes from the Greek term askesus, which means "training" or "exercise"
-Christian ascetcism refers to a lifestyle of self discipline, self denial and spiritual practices aimed at acheiving greater holiness and closeness to God

Asceticism is only used once in the New Testament; where?

St Paul in Acts 24:16 - "so I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man"
-> means that he intends to work on himself and his mind, such that he and his conscience is not corrupted by temptation and greed, which would be offensive to God and man

Give a quote from Jesus about the ascetic ideal.

• "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and [...] follow me."
• What does it mean to deny oneself?
- For J, it involved fasting, prayer, giving up possessions, being itinerant
- Seemingly entails abstaining from sex, though not commanded (J refers to this in Matthew 9:12; Paul discussed the appropriateness of the celibate life in 1 Corinthians 7)

Give examples of how ascetic practices were widespread among early Christians.

• Origen = dedicated to an ascetic lifestyle of voluntary poverty so that his soul could be purified from passion to secure true knowledge of God
• The Desert Fathers focused on simple devotion in remote locations; viewed J's 40 days as an example to follow
- But, Jesus gave this up - Christianity = public, not private r. ∴ should not focus on one aspect of his life

Give a brief overview of asceticism in the Middle Ages

• Monasteries attempted to build C.tian character through a disciplined life
- Some focused on the suffering of J ∴ violent forms of asceticism developed (e.g. self-flagellation)

The value of asceticism was questioned by the rise of which two movements?

Humanism
Protestantism

What question does asceticism raise?

• What attitude should a Christian take towards the world?
• Christians view world as separated from G ∴ care = needed as to how to participate in the world
- Most Christians believe training + discipline = essential to live a God-oriented life, but there is disagreement of what types/how much

Which two extreme movements considered the world to be evil and therefore advocated extreme forms of discipline?

• John the Baptist was not ascetic, yet Jesus called himself a glutton in comparison w/ JtB

How did Jesus compare himself to John the Baptist?

Manichaeism
* Montanism

What is the prosperity gospel?

- The teaching that Christians have the right to expect wealth/good health
- Theme of faith = combined w/ view that the covenant God made w/ Israel included a promise of material blessing

How can Christians achieve the promise of the prosperity gospel?

• By making a positive confession of faith + 'sowing seeds' through tithes + offerings

Give some information on the popularity of the prosperity gospel.

- Approach = popular through prominent television evangelists at end of 20th Century, and now has a following in trad. Prot. c.chs + charismatic/Pentecostal
- Popular in deprived areas; offers a sense of hope for upward mobility
- Also popular in affluent areas - 'The Prayer of Jabez' (centres on a prayer for material blessing) topped NY Times Bestseller List

What is the prosperity gospel also known as? Why?

• The 'Word-Faith' movement
• ∵ of the teaching that it is not good enough merely to believe in what B says about well-being
- one must proclaim aloud that the healing has occurred, even though the symptoms may not be present
- Positive confession demonstrates faith + initiates G's healing powers

Give a quote from James 4:3 relating to the prosperity gospel.

• "You do not have because you do not ask."

Give evidence for why some view that God wants his followers to be wealthy.

- The C.ch patriarchs exp., at times, enormous wealth
- God's instructions for the tabernacle include costly materials
- The people of God inherited a land "flowing with milk and honey"
- This all suggests that God ≠ ascetic, not prescribing an ascetic ideal

According to Craig L. Blomberg, what are some issues with the prosperity gospel?

• G never promised prosperity to all individuals. Promise given to nation of Israel based on personal levels of obedience to Torah
• G never made similar agreements w/ any countries surrounding Israel ∴ should not apply OT promises to modern-day nations
• No NT text makes promise of prosperity contingent on faith
• B.berg notes that the blessing believers receive for faith = often spiritual qualities, not wealth - B = about being aware of wealth's corrupting influence
• Hardships endured by J do not seem to confirm prosperity gospel