Fear and Loathing in Our Checkbooks

"Fear is the mind-killer." -Frank Herbert, Dune

It is also the Christianity-killer. When faced with the radical call of Christ to give up our excess wealth--a call that's heard in every church of every denomination--we as individuals routinely fall short.

Aside from the vices of avarice and greed, things all Christians should reject and things I don't think need too much explaining, we do this mostly out of complacent fear.

This fear comes in many flavors, but I think there are few that standout more than most: fear of the unknown, fear of opinion, and fear of self.

Fear of the Unknown
Our fear of the unknown is what keeps a more-than-reasonable amount of money in the bank for "rainy days," and is one of the most understandable (and most human) motivators for our hoarding. Children get sick, cars need repairs, air-conditioners break. Life is full of unforeseen accidents and events--many of which cost money. These events crop up without warning, and often demand immediate attention. Because of this, it's important to have money stored away for just such an occasion.

But there is a balance.

The proper amount for a "just-in-case" fund will have to be determined prayerfully between the household and God, but there is a proper amount. We can't financially plan for every possible misfortune, because we won't receive every possible misfortune. Some will come, yes. Is it prudent to have enough money for a car repair in case your engine dies? Probably, but it's illogical for someone to ensure they have enough in their account for every single one of their children to be admitted into the hospital with leukemia at the same time. The likelihood of a car breaking down is far greater.

Even so, Christ calls all of us to live beyond mere terrestrial reasoning.

Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?...Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:26; 31-33)

It is a tough thing, but it is what we are called to do as Christians. Our reticence to give of our excess because we may need it tomorrow is nothing more than a lack of trust in the Lord, and a fear of what tomorrow might bring. We may mask it in words like responsibility, prudence. But at the end of the day, it is like a small child too afraid of the leap to land softly in his Father's arms.

Obviously, we all must eat and we all must clothe ourselves and there is nothing wrong with having some money stored away for unforeseen circumstances since they will undeniably come. The problem is when we allow that money to grow beyond what is reasonable to satisfy reasonably possible financial disruptions in our very near future.

Fear of Opinion
This is probably the morally lowest reason we fail to give of our excess and, while understandable, should be obviously seen as unaligned with Christianity. Fear of opinion is a fear of what others--our neighbors, our co-workers, peers, or society at large--will think of us. It's conformity to avoid embarrassment or discomfort. Instead of hoarding our God-given treasure, we spend it on things we are supposed to have based on our class, occupation, life-status, or some other relational facet of ourselves. These are often not necessities, but luxury items that society uses to delineate status.

There's nothing wrong with fitting in, but there needs to be a greater motivator than that. We shouldn't turn in an old, but functional vehicle just because our neighbors are getting one or to prove to a prospective employer that we have our life together--that we aren't poor. And we shouldn't be ashamed of our out-dated cabinets or our out-of-style home decor when the new neighbors come over for a visit. All of these reasons for buying unnecessary things are not real reasons at all, but a result of our societal indoctrination on the part of a consumer culture. Returning to the previous two examples, the car, while old, completely fulfills its function as a car and thus does not need replacement. Additionally, the cabinets fulfill their function as cabinets and also don't warrant replacement. The only thing telling us to replace them is fear of other people's opinions, or our own home-grown fear that we are somehow living incorrectly if we have the means and are not keeping up with the times.

Fear of Ourselves
Which brings me to the third way we often fail to give of our excess: fear of ourselves. This fear is based, ultimately, in a lack of self-love. Instead of having confidence that we are good, beautiful, and worthy of love--that Our Lord, the creator of the universe loves us as a son or daughter--we look to the material things of this life, hoping that that will gives us the confidence we should have in ourselves. This is also societally based. It's adhering to the white-picket fence, four-family household, fancy car, and upward-moving career that our culture calls "making it." In many ways, this fear is stronger than one based on looking at the possessions of our neighbors and adapting accordingly. In this fear, we feel like we are not worthy of love, have not applied ourselves, or have failed in some way if we have not gained some material aspect in life. It is failure to trust in God, and to see ourselves truly as noble and worthy of love because we are His sons and daughters and possess basic human dignity.

The line society draws by which people "make it" will always continually rise, and it is based on nothing more than blind consumerism. If we find our self-worth in the Lord and in our own dignity as persons, I think we'd be surprised how much we actually need to "make it."


We must live an authentically "true" life, and that means adhering to the truth of what is actually needed for our survival and basic material comfort and giving to those less fortunate all of our excess. As far as our material blessings go, it means orienting ourselves around this principle: the more wants we fulfill in our lives, the less we have to fulfill the needs of others. This does not mean that we cannot splurge on ourselves and our loved ones once in a while, but we must be conscious of the fact that every unneeded purchase had the potentiality to do good for the lives of the underprivileged and the poor. To be a Christian is to be aware of this fact, acknowledging that everything we have is only on loan to us by God for our use and to be used according to good stewardship.

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