A Christian view of money

The relationship between Christianity and money is a vexed one. Most seriously, in possibly the worst economic transaction of all time, Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 silver pieces. Then in Acts we have Simon the magician presuming to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then we have all the different sayings and parables: 'You cannot serve God and Mammon', the parable of the rich man who stored up his wealth and gains while his life was going to end that very night, and in the magnificat of Mary we have the 'rich being sent away empty' and then we have St James condeming the rich and their rotting wealth in his epistle (of course Christ also compared the eternal treasures of heaven which are safe from thieves and moths to the impermanent riches of earth). Finally, Jesus himself was born in poverty and the 'inn has no place' for him.

On first perusal, these passages may indicate how Christianity has an extreme distaste for wealth and its temptations. And in one sense, this cannot be denied. For what Christ came to offer, that is, Himself, is far greater than any earthly riches. For those who are steeped in material attachment and whose heads are glued downwards to the earth, they clearly need to be told in no uncertain terms that earthly wealth and money are not permanent and cannot lead to true happiness. In addition, people need to be warned that the greed for money can also lead to grave evils (as in of course the betrayal of Christ). One can indeed 'gain the whole world but lose his own soul'.

But should we then swing to the other extreme? Elevating the narrow road of poverty and viewing wealth as the sure 'wide road' of perdition? Again, in a very real sense, we cannot deny how poverty (though of course, subsistence level is assumed. Anything below that is famine, not poverty) can often help a person focus his or her mind on eternal things. For example, the main reason why people do not pray more often is usually 'I do not have enough time'. It is indeed hard to conceive how a person who is dedicated to the rat race of career advancement and more money for its own sake can also be at the same time dedicated to the pursuit of God and his Spirit. A person is finite after all.

Freed from material attachments and the vexations of seeking wealth and its growth, the person can simply focus on the riches of God without undue distractions. Catholics may term it an attribute of the 'consecrated' life.

But there are several problems with this elevation of poverty. For one thing, given the practical state of our world, those who renounce riches and enagage only partially or not at all in the economic life usually require the others who are engaged in the economy to support them. This is of course a rather ironic situation. The second is that the external renunciation of wealth is useless without internal renunciation. That is, one may take a vow of poverty and all that, but if one actively seek for money in one's heart and act in accordance with this greed, one is still serving Mammon and not God.

A much bigger problem is this: there are only 3 main ways in which masses of men can be organised in collective action (probably I will elaborate more on this in another blog), through persuasion, money or force-violence. The very nature of human society requires employment of some combination of these three to effect almost anything that requires more than the strength of an individual. Force and violence is not an option for most people outside the rarefied circles of high government (where violence is usually legitimate and employed in the enforcement of laws through police and military forces) and the mafia. Persuasion by reason or spiritual force (Gandhi's satya-graha) can work, yes, but only to a limited extent and on limited numbers of people (not everyone listens to reason, or to your species of reason. Witness the proliferation of religions and philosophies). Persuasion by itself can only go so far without ANY financial or armed support.

So money is basically indispensable as a means of effective social organisation for the masses of men. Essentially, you can purchase the services of thousands of men by appealing to their self interest (ideally in the formation of a win-win situation where they provide you a service and you with them with money), and the goods needed for your profitable or non-profitable cause. Persuading these men that your cause is truly an ideal worth fighting and even dying for will be an additional help, and in some case, indispensable. Thus money and persuasion can work together to achieve supreme effectiveness.

Note also that such methods are far more efficient and civilised than say, the use of force to compel slave labor. Perhaps many do not recognise that the one main reason most governments are so much more civilised today as compared to olden days is the simple presence of an effective market and the greater power of money. I.e. If you can strike a deal with your workers, you do not need to send your goons to threaten them with starvation and death simply to get them to do what you want.

In short, to renounce money is to renounce, to a very large extent, effective social action. The other effective alternative normally available is to employ pure iron and blood backed with fanatic brainwashing (the essence of totalitarianism), and that, needless to say, is far worse. This, I think, is a dilemma recognised by many throughout history. Without engaging in an profitable economic life, you can still engage in a very intense but individual spiritual advancement, and write all sorts of good books, preach the most wonderful sermons, or produce the most sublime art--but ultimately, you fly with one wing. Typically, such contemplative sorts must find and persuade a patron with wealth and resources to even promulgate their ideas or works. Or they starve.

This is implicitly the solution accepted by many throughout the ages, Simply, the Christian community, the Church in some form, tries its best to keep away from the economic life, but relies on a less spiritually inclined laity to supply them with tithes and donations. Or they starve. To say the least, this is not a satisfactory solution, since you are doomed to condemn the hands that feeds you, and often to be seduced by its ways. The laity may also find it difficult to reconcile their economic behavior with their religious one. The dampening of religion is a common outcome.

I think in recent times, a more satisfactory movement towards the spiritualisation of the economic world is underway. This may be a movement more advanced in the Protestant denominations than the Catholic church (though post-Vatican Council II changes do take note of such things); not for nothing do we speak of a Protestant work ethic, where even mundane money-making work (not just the work of the religious) is seen as a way to glorify God. While one cannot deny how such lofty sentiments are typically muddied and compromised in the real economic world, it is still a very important ideal worth striving for.

After all, as stated before, it is ultimately the inner renunciation that counts in the eyes of God. Christ praised the old woman who 'put in all she has' to give to the Temple. Ultimately, all wealth and money belongs to God and should be used in accordance to His will. The world is in need, more than ever (given the increased power of the market--see earlier blog) of people who are willing to embrace this attitude sincerely, and be humble stewards of the wealth of God--'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. The advancement of the kingdom of God cannot take place merely individually. Instead massive social organisation in the forms of the different churches and religious organisations, then the governments, corporations, charitable, educational and social organisations are needed. And such organisations require monetary investment and skilful management by people of great vision and wealth.

And in a more 'apocalyptic' and metaphysical sense, Christians must always remember that the old Enemy of man and God is not averse to using any means whatsoever of crushing the kingdom of freedom and peace. Mass abandonment of the economic realm by the people of God is equivalent to allowing Satan to seize this all important means of social organisation and wreck total havoc. During World War II, we remember it was fundamentally the economic might of the United States that allowed the Allied powers to far-outproduce Germany, Italy and Japan. It was the huge market, vast financial resources, industrial productivity and economic skills of the American people that sustained a deluge of tanks, aircrafts, ships and supplies that ultimately overwhelmed the dark and violent totalitarian states. Money and its skilful employment is indispensable in the practical state of our world to sustain an effective action against the forces of evil.

I conclude this preliminary discussion of religion and money here. Will look forward to comments on this highly controversial topic =).