To whet your $$ thinking...

Here's a blurb from an upcoming article about our "financial philosophy" in the SCC:

"Money is so often divisive. Most of us can remember parents or grand-parents soberly abjuring us from discussing money, religion, or politics, in or out of our households. For disciples, two of these three are still sensitive topics, and none more so than cold, hard cash. Money can bless the church or divide the church. Since disciples tenaciously strive for the “complete unity” that Jesus prayed for, coming to a consensus about money in the church is a serious and essential step in “contending as one man” for the gospel in Seattle. What can God’s word tell us about such sensitive waters?

Among other things, we know from scripture that the love of money is the “root of all kinds of evil.” And we know the longing to get rich pierces the seeker with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:10). And yet we also know, when we stop to think about it, that money is an abstraction that (usually) represents some tangible thing that is valued and usually something that has been made or produced. This produce, whether from the land, the craftsman, the factory, or the computer, is something that according to scripture God historically brings as He sees fit—His blessing to His people (Deut 8:6-20). The blessing of prosperity—and the money that represents it—is always from God, but in our world often replaces God. Prosperity itself is not a curse, but loving and enthroning it is.

How, then, do we graciously accept God’s prosperity while abhorring financial idolatry? In particular, how should we view “sacrificial living” as a feature of Christian life—what exactly does it mean?—and how should we view the support of ministers and missionaries in our congregations and abroad? Times and topics that engender confusion always beg for clarity, and though we long, perhaps, even more for simplicity, often clarity and simplicity are not the same thing."

More to come...