I was pondering my life when walking to coffee this morning. The trigger was an article in Friday’s Oz by Jack the Insider (JTI). He was on about Christianity. Best to leave that to Greg Sheridan – he who no longer refers to Donald Trump as a despicable human being but who, so far as I can tell, has never apologised for so doing. Still, he’s good on Christianity theology.
According to JTI, Jesus (in the Gospel of John) added two commandments: to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. He didn’t. He encapsulated the existing commandments and laws into just two; He didn’t add to them. Moreover, it is recorded in Matthew (22:40), not in John; with a similar account in Luke 10:27. But this is by the way. It was JTI’s reproving reference to so-called prosperity theology, “the notion that God will bestow wealth on people of faith,” that interested me.
I too have despised this peripheral branch of evangelical Christianity. It has always seemed to me to me totally at odds with Christ’s message. For example, Matthew 6:19: “do not store up for yourselves treasures earth, where moths and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…”
I still think this. Yet, to speak for myself, without going into the gory details, I reckon if I had become the same convicted Christian as I am now, say, thirty-five and more years ago, the chances are I would have lived a better life and, to boot, been a lot richer in material terms. Of course, it is counterfactual, so no one knows. But, is there an underlying general truth worth pondering?
I am not taking about some crass connection between Christianity and gaining material wealth. Religious leaders who preach that are simply after your money. Instead of selling indulgences for the redemption of souls, they sell them for the promise of earthly rewards.
I am talking about the earthly rewards which tend to flow from living a Godly life. Think about two people who marry and remain faithful to each other. In all likelihood they will end up comfortably off.
I know, unethical people get often get rich. At the same time, I wonder whether going through life with standards of decency moulded by the Christian faith tends to translate into earthly as well as spiritual wealth. It is a hypothesis which I think is probably right but I can’t prove it. It is an extension of a hypothesis which history has shown to be most definitely true. That is that Christianity is foundational to capitalism which, in turn, allows whole societies to escape from poverty.
Christianity is such a potent force for good that it is hard to believe that it doesn’t bestow advantages across the board, materially as well as spiritually. What a contrast it presents to the pall of poverty and fatalism bestowed by Islam.
I do like the ideas you have laid out here, Peter, especially about the earthly rewards from trying to live by Christian principles and the 10 Commandments as best one can, but paying attention to the monetary side of things as well (hey, everyone’s human.)
Spouse and I are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary of marriage, have a loving family and a great extended network of friends, and on the way we have accumulated a good lot of earthly wealth.
I think the two can go hand-in-hnd as long as you follow the Golden Rule with an eye to the people who are going to do you down, and get them before they get you.
You don’t have to prove your thesis Peter.
Proverbs lays out – not laws – but general principles of life that are emphatic about the rewards of diligence, faithfulness, honesty and benevolence. And greatly contrasts the great ruin that generally comes on the lazy, the liers and the malicious.
But the NT does cut a vastly different emphasis. The Proverbs is speaking of generally good character and its general rewards which is still true as a general principle. Note that Job does provide a counter balance as to the right response of godliness to absolute ruin. “You have heard of the patience of Job”
But Paul quotes from the complaint of the Psalmist – “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter”, but this time not as a complaint, but for the Christian, as a calling – “For Your sake, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” And then delights that in all things, whether in blessing or in the midst of the greatest of troubles, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”
In many ways we have lived in the place and time which has known the greatest ease and richness which the underlying civil order and the technological advances could bring. But this is actually abnormal for the Christian. For most of time and in most places Christians have generally suffered. For “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
I think this is the key, Peter.
The material conditions of individuals who have faith can differ (“the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate”), but Christianity leavens whole cultures and everyone benefits therefrom, be they believers or not.
Of course, material prosperity can lead to apostasy too, as money and the apparent security it brings becomes a god. We do well to reflect that shrouds don’t have pockets…or in more modern terms, hearses don’t have tow bars – you can’t take it with you! When we come to be judged, the righteousness of Christ is our only security.
The USA is being born again, I hope. There are still a lot of good Christian folk there, even at the higher levels of the new Republican (MAGA) movement.
Have to be careful what you wish for though – I welcomed the Howard victory over Keating, but the Howard government strangled my business (indirectly) over several years.
Nice idea, unless you have two ex-wives.
Try this simple favourite of philosophical Christians:
If you are going to argue that your religion makes you rich, you should look at Jews, who probably are richer on average than Christians. Just saying. I’m neither.