The Apostle Paul vs. The Prosperity Gospel
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.” I Timothy 6:10a (KJV)
“My poor dad said money is the root of all evil. My rich dad said lack of money is the root of all evil.” Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad
As a person of faith, one of the hardest questions to address is the role that one should take in the financial world. There are some who believe that money is an absolute evil, and they try to avoid it at all costs. I know of some people who refuse to earn any more than a subsistence living because they feel that is greedy. There are still others who believe that the Bible actually calls people to be wealthy. I think that most Christians would fall somewhere in between these two extremes, but this contrast is something that can be very enlightening for those of us who have decided to pursue a career in business.
Taken to Extremes?
One thing that I have noticed that is very interesting among those who argue that Paul is wrong about this issue is that they have a tendency to misquote the Apostle Paul’s famous statement. Paul never said that “money is the root of all evil,” but that “the love of money” was the root of all evil. Of course, there are those who say that this means to go ahead and try to build a huge fortune.
A More Balanced Approach
Unless society returns to the barter system, I think that it is safe to say that it is impossible to live life without any money at all, but I think that it is clear from this passage that motive plays a huge role in the process of building a fortune. In what is often considered the greatest movie ever made (and for good reason), Citizen Kane, the newspaper reporter is trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle of Charles Foster Kane’s life through a series of interviews and reading private journals.
At one point, he interviews Mr. Bernstein (his first name is never given in the movie), who was one of the few who remained loyal to Kane, “before the beginning, and now, after the end.” When he discusses Mr. Thatcher, the banker who handled Kane’s finances, Mr. Bernstein described him as a fool. When Mr. Bernstein is reminded that Mr. Thatcher made a lot of money in the world of finance, Mr. Bernstein tells the reporter, “Making a lot of money isn’t hard, if all you care about is making a lot of money.”
Why Are You Doing Your Business?
I have heard people talk about the “reason why” as the most important factor in finding the motivation to build a successful business. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know this: no one will ever be happy if his/her only goal in life is to make more money, because there can always be “more money” to be had. However, if one can understand that money is a tool, and not the ultimate goal, business can be conducted in an ethical way, and a lot of pure greed can be avoided. I have seen greed tear families apart, and I know that, in this sense, the Apostle Paul was right, and the preachers of the “prosperity gospels” are wrong. However, it is important never to lose sight of why you are in business in the first place.
Tags: balance, greed, money, Paul, Prosperity Gospel
This entry was posted on Sunday, May 16th, 2010 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Thoughts on Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
July 5th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Wonderful insight Steve! I agree with your interpretation of Paul’s statement that it is the ‘love of money’ that is the root of all evil. Indeed, we should take a more balanced approach, and as we should all be living in abundance, doing so enables us to help others in need!
Wishing You Tremendous Success!
Vicki
.-= Vicki Berry´s last blog ..How to Use LSI Keywords to Boost Your SEO =-.
July 5th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Hey Steve,
We are all here to help and serve. Money is just a convenient way of keeping score of how many people we help. The more people we help the more money we make… simple.
Coach Freddie
.-= Coach Freddie´s last blog ..Hats Off To The Law Of Attraction =-.
July 5th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Thank you for your reply, Vicki! I think that, in many ways, I am closer to Paul than the Prosperity Gospel people. I think that their real problem is that they make no attempt to hide what is often blatant greed. As a seminary graduate, I am appalled when I see things like that. However, I am a big believer in the idea of giving to others, and giving until it hurts. If we have no money at all, we will suffer, but if we have money with no vision, we will suffer even worse. I have seen people who have money, but it really seems like their only real goal is to make more money. This is why I loved it so much when I read books about financial planning that talked about purpose rather than just numbers on a spreadsheet.
July 5th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Thank you for your reply, Freddie! I like the idea of making money by helping people. There are sometimes when I wonder whether people who make money are doing so by helping people or gaming the system (Like the people who made a fortune by bringing our country to its financial knees.), but those of us who provide a service are best served when we remind ourselves that we are there to help others, and the wealth will follow.
October 6th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Amen brother preach it!
I can’t stand to hear people say that you must be broke for Christ.
I believe everything is from God and God would want his people to control and manage it. To think otherwise would say that God wants the ungodly to rule over his creation.
The point of purpose and how you look at money is key and I am so glad you brought it up.
I heard a pastor put it bluntly, “The richer you are, the more you can give to others. The poorer you are, the more you rely on others.
I believe God calls us to be givers. The richer you are the more you can give and the poorer you are the more you must take.
Besides, the richer you become the more it helps stimulate the economy and provide to others.
It can be said that it is noble to work hard to get wealthy and lazy to sit back and only feed yourself.
Great post man, fired me up!
Andre
.-= Andre Messner´s last blog ..Where Do You Start With Internet Marketing – Step 5 =-.
October 6th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Thank you for your reply, Andre! I personally believe that our relationship with money is a little more complicated. After all, no less than Jesus kicked the money changers out of the Temple for “turning My Father’s House into a marketplace” (John 2). So, I think that Paul is right when he talks about the love of money, but I think that we have to use money as a tool. If we want to make money for our own selfish ends, we are definitely doing a disservice. I know that there are some people who have taken vows of poverty in service of God, and I will never take that away from them, because I believe that people have many different callings. However, if someone wants to help others financially as well, I think that is also an act of service.
I remember reading a quote by Andrew Carnegie (the first billionaire) that it was a great sin to will a great fortune, which is why he gave away 95% of the money he made, including providing the seed money for Carnegie Mellon University. There can be questions about the way he treated his workers, but I do think that he made an effort to have a positive impact with his money. I think that it is all about the way we use money and our motivations.
May 16th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Steve the Owl's Blog » Blog Archive » My First Year Blogging says:[...] space during a blizzard, and how this only led to fewer parking spaces available for everyone. My second, fitting for something that was written on a Sunday inspired by thinking through some things on the [...]
August 24th, 2011 at 2:50 am
Steve the Owl's Blog » Blog Archive » Authentic Tithing says:[...] who read this blog know that I am very critical of the prosperity gospel movement. In a way, this story encapsulates everything that I don’t [...]