Wealth is a power that opposes God

This week we're reading Chapter 41, 'God or Mammon', from 'Following the Call - Living the Sermon on the Mount Together' a collection of writings by more than a hundred writers who "call for the formation of a fellowship of disciples who will simply live as Jesus taught us to live." In this chapter, selections from Eberhard Arnold, Jacques Ellul, and David Bentley Hart. Every week we'll be reflecting on a new chapter. Get yourself a copy and read along with us. www.plough.com/en/topics/fait...
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[@summerlake356]

This feels true....

[@andrewdewitt7234]

Just to be sure I had a correct understanding of 'Mammon' I checked out the meaning - 'Wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion'. I had more than a few problems with Arnold's anthropomorphism (if I can use that word in this context!) of 'money'. I suppose this approach is taken to support the Bruderhoff modus operandi of 'another life is possible'. (Not sure about the idea that your community renounces the idea of 'corporate ownership' Rich, as after all the apostles 'had all things in common'. (insert lively discussion here....!)). For me, the key word that Jesus uses in this passage is 'serve'. We serve God by using the resources He gives to serve Him. In my opinion this passage reminds us to take stock of our relationship with money - who is the master and who is the slave?

[@billcanonico6657]

...i'm not disagreeing with your points, but i think of scriptures like "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil", or "they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition". it seems to me that it's the love of money or the desire to be rich are evil, not the money itself.

[@sassy3923]

That's right. Money in and of itself is not evil because we need it to do our business in this world. It's our attitude towards money that's critical. If we learn that God owns everything, and that the extra we have should be shared with those in need, all is well. If the love of money makes the pursuit of money like a god to us, then it's wrong. We shouldn't love money more than God or our relationships.

[@kevinmccauley3877]

was the Apostles who did not own things, not the people who supported them.

[@tomasribeiro8127]

If money couldn’t be used for anything good, why would Jesus use a denarius to point out that we are to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Why would Christ give money from the mouth of a fish for the paying of a debt? Of course money can be used for God’s glory.

[@stonemaze9925]

It's all bullshit

[@edwardsolecki6036]

It is very hard to see our own bias, especially when talking about doctrines accepted in our community, that required "interpreting" the Scripture in certain way. Or sometimes "required" putting in Jesus mouth words He never said like for example; "Money is the power that opposes God". Jesus never said that, but you Rich said this as if you quoted Jesus and without referencing it. The Scripture doesn't say that money is bad. But "love of money" is! 1Tim.6.10. And not only "many Christians think that money can be used for good" Rich. Jesus thinks that way too. He said "use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves" Luke.16.9 . It should be clear for anyone that GREED is the problem, not the money! I recommend to study Luke 16 because there is a great lesson there. As we can see there, wealth is not a problem for Jesus. He is even saying; v.11 So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?... DISHONESTY is the problem, not wealth, or possessions or money! And perhaps this is the reason why many Christian teachers "are not entrusted in true riches"... (Just to clarify the lack of my bias in that issue - I do not own a house or property, and a few things I do own I consider a burden and a trap that I have to carry to support my family).

[@communicatingcollectivelif3946]

Jesus tells us it’s like a camel going through an eye of a needle because it *feels* like going through the eye of the needle- painful, sharp, tight.

[@andrewdewitt7234]

I've been told that the 'eye of the needle' was a nickname for a small gate in the wall surrounding Jerusalem that required the rich to dismount and unload their camels to enter...😮.

[@debby1242]

Does this mean a Christian can lose his salvation if he owns a business?

[@sktgfk9229]

Money answereth all things. You cannot propagate the gospel without money.

[@hollandgreen7555]

I knew people that use to always talk about the rich young rulers reluctance to give wealth in Luke 18. Some of these guys were into dumpster diving and condemning of people w education or professions...they condemned a lot of other stuff--including the idea of living together w a common purse. These guys never spoke of the rich tax collector Zacheus in Luke 19. Jesus stayed at Zacheus house. He was generous w his wealth. He actually changed his name to Matthias and took Judas place amongst the apostles in Acts, according to Clement of Rome. There is a story about this in the Orthodox church. In the Didache, the earliest known catachism it also states that Christians are to share their possession but that a person that does not work should be shunned or something to that effect. I guess my point is that it is important to have thw right attitude about sharing, but also about contributing. I assume you have had conflictions over people that did not contribute as much as you think they should. Maybe the church changed that rule when it became popular and fashionable in the Byzantine.

[@surfboy344]

As a Christian, i believe we should follow Jesus Christ and His teaching on money. That having been said, there is absolutely nothing in the New Testament that tells us how much money someone else should have. So long as they don't steal, where do we get the right to decide how much money a person is allowed to have? Dangerous thinking there.

[@sassy3923]

Eberhard Arnold states that "capitalism involves injustice." I think this is mistaken. You can run a business that provides a useful product or service while making a reasonable profit. The sin comes in when a merchant lies about the quality of his product or charges an unreasonable price for it; if he pays an unjust wage to his employees or cheats on his taxes. There is nothing wrong with capitalism as long as it's driven by a transformed heart. Think of Ike Godsey's store from the Waltons or Lars Hanson's lumber yard from Little House on the Prairie. They often used their profits for the good of the community as well as providing items needed by the people. Like everything else in life, an action can be good or evil depending upon the hearts of the people involved...

[@kevinmccauley3877]

money is not the problem nor is wealth. Love of money is the evil . plain and simple. Joseph of aramthea was a rich tin mine owner and he took care of Jesus tomb.

[@teresasmith9333]

This scripture in Matthew…you cannot serve God and money….is only part of the thought. It goes to say…..therefore ( this word means consequently) do not worry about your life….and then it goes on to say how the pagans run after these things but our heavenly Father knows we need them, so we should seek His kingdom and righteousness first. Jesus never refers to money as a “power”. Eberhard Arnold leans towards philosophy and metaphysics ….indeed, he did his doctorate on Elie Weisel and studied the philosophers of his day. He thoughts are more humanistic that spiritual…

[@teresasmith9333]

Eberhard’s doctorate thesis was on Friedrich Nietzsche, not Elie Weisel. By all accounts, Nietzsche had a great influence on Eberhard Arnold.

[@DStall]

And yet, money, especially in modernity, is most certainly "power", and the Church Fathers "leaned towards philosophy" in order to translate the Gospel into the language of the day. See "Who Rules America?" by Bill Domhoff, ongoing research at UC Santa Cruz since the 1960s. Jesus didn't have to overtly refer to money as power, as that connection is readily understood. The rich have always derived power from their wealth by which they have ruled over others. It's high time America "woke" up to the fact that capitalism as it's come to be practiced in USA and the "west" has little to no redeeming value, and that Americans have been brainwashed with propaganda from free market fundamentalist crony criminals who have usurped US government about how "good" USA is, a veritable white knight in white hat on white horse come to save the world with "freedom", "liberty", "democracy", human "rights", "national security", and oh, of course, "free markets". See Criminal State, Gangster Capitalism, etc. Ask the people of any country that has been exploited by US and see what answer they give. Ask Chileans about their 9/11 perpetrated by US under the maniacal doctrines of Milton Friedman and the Chicago "School" of Economics. Yes, when practiced by those with repentant hearts (Waltons, Little House on the Prairie) capitalism can be something benign, even benevolent, instead of malevolent, but humanity already has an Anointed King of kings and Lord of lords, and does not need another "savior" like capitalism is misrepresented to be. Manifest Destiny of A City on a Hill is not the reality of America, especially Post WWII. US military has been and continues to be interventionist on behalf of Corporate America, to open ("free") foreign markets for US corporations and protect US corporate "business" from nationalization by foreign rulers. That m.o. started with S. American banana republics. See Eddie Bernays and Guatemala. The CIA tirelessly works covertly to see that foreign cronies, lapdogs of US foreign policy, are installed in power. See Covert Action Magazine. American "western" capitalism is so far removed from anything godly that it has such a long, long way to go before it can even begin to be defended as something "good". About all it's good at is pumping out a bunch of stuff, most of which ends up in the landfill, Creation destroyed and buried in the bosom of Earth without so much as a cross to mark its grave.

[@kevinmccauley3877]

How much did you sell your airline business over in Newburg for? don't you guys make stuff and sell it to the outside world for a profit. Not saying it is wrong cuz it aint . But you can't have t both ways. You claim to oppose capitalism but you use it to make ends meet.