Our Wealth is Not Our Own (Which Means More Than You Might Think)


Let's set the stage:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another. Romans 12:5 
No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12  
Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:10-12

Nothing like starting from the source. All of these passages are in every Christian's Bible. They are read during Mass and services of every denomination; universally acknowledged as part of sacred scripture and thus the word of God. Christians unabashedly believe what these passages imply: the universal brotherhood of mankind united under Christ--that we are all equal under God's eyes. The sinner and the saint, the rich and the poor, the old and the young--everyone is equal and loved in the eyes of the Lord.

So how can we justify what we "Christians" justify? Namely, how can we support that some deserve more than others?

And that is what we are supporting. I understand why or how some have more than others. "They were smarter." "They were good businessmen." "They got lucky." "They offer a great product." "They lived within their means." Those are all valid points, and (perhaps) even true. I'll cede that that logic makes perfect sense from an earthly standpoint. Their shrewdness, hard-work, or cleverness was applied and was rewarded as a result. But that logic is not what is asked of the followers of Christ. What is asked by Christ is that "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise" (Luke 3:11).

The Church and Christian society as a whole reads this passage from Luke in their Bibles as the Christian call to charity, the "tithe." They accept that a Christian must give charity--a portion of their wealth--but that is not what is said. Christ did not say, "If you have 20 coats, give your tithe of 10% and part with 2 since that is your Christian duty." He did not leave it up to the individual to decide what his charitable donation would be. What is said is if you have two coats--if you have more than you need--while another has not, you must part with your excess.

He did not say to the rich man, "Go and sell at least 10% of your belongings, or whatever is comfortable for you and give the money to the poor." He said, "sell all your possessions, then come follow me." (Mark 10:21)



We all read these passages. If we frequent the Mass or church services we know them by heart. So why do we gloss over their clear and inescapable meaning? Why do we decide that these passages do not mean what they say? Namely, that the Christian is not to accumulate wealth while there are those without, that "profit" in the business sense is unchristian, and that we must relinquish our excess earthly possessions to follow Christ. Moreover, how can Christians defend the very creation of wealth and earthly possessions on the backs of those who have less--the capitalist system--by which persons are necessarily paid less than the value of their labor in order to make a profit that they will never see?

Obviously, Christ came to call sinners, so we cannot expect perfection at every turn. God does not expect perfection from us either, but it is what He demands.
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48
If we do not live perfection now, it is still our moral and Christian duty to seek and move towards it, and it is the duty of all Christians to profess it. It is a travesty that Christians, as a majority, will decry so many sins in their neighbor and in society and stay suspiciously silent on the clear call of Christ to give the entirety of their excess. Instead, they offer excuse after excuse, justifying that giving that which they could never miss--like the gift of Cain--is somehow perfectly aligned with Christ's teachings.

Everyone who has a second home or an unused guest room or more than the minimum needed for a rainy day in their bank account is not guilty of sin, necessarily. Giving is a virtue, and that line of "more than you need" is going to be different for everyone. Ultimately, we should treat Christ's call for complete charity and giving of all that we do not need like we do all the rest of His commandments: striving for perfection, but knowing that our God is merciful and perpetually offering us his love and forgiveness.

But we still have to strive.

I cannot condemn anyone based on their belongings or purchasing habits but I think, as a cultural institution, Christianity has conveniently overlooked something big that has always been with us--something that has the potential to change the world in a substantial and revolutionary way.

Something that cannot be ignored.


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