{"id":4136,"date":"2018-01-16T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T00:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=4136"},"modified":"2021-10-20T10:27:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T02:27:21","slug":"175-is-wealth-intrinsically-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=4136","title":{"rendered":"192. Is wealth intrinsically evil?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.<\/span><\/strong> [<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Ps. 113.2<\/span>,<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em> NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008080;\"> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/The-Death-of-Ananias-Raphael-1515.2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4141\" title=\"The Death of Ananias, Raphael (1515).2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/The-Death-of-Ananias-Raphael-1515.2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"827\" height=\"508\" \/><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Death of Ananias, Raphael (1515).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A few people have asked over a cup of coffee whether the New Testament condemns wealth as being \u201cintrinsically evil\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The short answer is, neither the New Testament nor the writings of early Christians support the idea that material wealth is intrinsically evil. There is a vast difference between warning of a moral danger when one possesses great personal wealth and condemning wealth as an intrinsic evil.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Luke is the Gospel with the harshest words for the rich and yet, in the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), not only did Jesus not condemn his wealth, but actually said to him after he had pledged to give half his wealth to the poor and restore fourfold anyone he had defrauded: \u201cToday salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is erroneous to take the episode of the rich young man\u2019s encounter with Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23) as a proof text for the position that Jesus dismisses wealth as evil. Riches that are honestly procured are essentially benign and, when well-used, especially in aid of the Poor, are positively good. What Jesus is fundamentally teaching in this encounter is the right attitude towards riches. When wealth is hoarded and kept exclusively for oneself, it tends to act as the layer of silver in a mirror, allowing one to see oneself, but preventing one from seeing the needs of others. One cannot possibly expect such an attitude to qualify one for happiness and eternal life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Similar caution must be taken when reading passages in the New Testament where attitudes are condemned and not the wealth itself. Take, for example,\u00a0 the troubling story of Ananias and Sapphira in which the couple were seemingly struck down dead for \u201clying to God\u201d after making a\u00a0 false report on the proceeds from the sale of a piece of property and kept back some. The proper reading of the passage ought to be that the couple met with their premature and terrible end not because they had kept something for themselves, which was their right, but because they falsely claimed they had given everything. This reading resonates with what Peter said to Ananias:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cAnanias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.\u201d (Acts 5:3-4)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Apostle Paul was equally clear on this. Though he claimed preachers of the Good News have a right to be financially supported, he worked as a tentmaker and told his new converts in Corinth, \u201cI do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings\u201d (1 Corinthians 9:23). And to the Thessalonians he famously said, \u201cIf anyone will not work, let him not eat\u201d (2 Thessalonians 3:10).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is entirely wrong to suggest that St James was condemning riches when he wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is it not the rich who oppress you, is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the honorable name which was invoked over you? [James 2:6-7].<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">What St James was hitting at was the oppressive attitude of those among the rich who cared naught for their neighbours. In like manner, he took to task those employers who \u201claid up treasures\u201d, fraudulently keeping back the wages of labourers whose cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts [James 5:4].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Amongst the early Christian writings, the first century <em>Didache<\/em>,\u00a0also known as\u00a0<em>The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,<\/em> exhorted believers to share their possessions and not to turn away anyone who was in want. It did not by any means condemn possessions; rather, it presumed that Christians would have wealth from which they could give generously and provide for others who were in need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Around the third century, the\u00a0Desert Fathers\u00a0lived mainly in the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Scetes\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Scetes\">Scetes<\/a> desert of Egypt. They were early Christians (<a style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Hermit\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hermit\">hermits<\/a>,\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Ascetics\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ascetics\">ascetics<\/a>, and\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"Monk\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Monk\">monks<\/a>)\u00a0amongst whom were Abba Theodore whose teaching, as <a style=\"color: #000000;\" title=\"recorded in the Conferences of St. John Cassian\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ccel.org\/ccel\/cassian\/conferences.ii.vii.iii.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recorded in the <em>Conferences <\/em>of St. John Cassian<\/a>, had this to say: \u201cAltogether there are three kinds of things in the world; viz., good, bad, and indifferent.\u201d Virtue was for him the only true good, whereas sin was the only true evil. \u201cBut those things are indifferent,\u201d he taught, \u201cwhich can be appropriated to either side according to the fancy or wish of their owner, as for instance riches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today, the <em>Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em> acknowledges the original gift of the earth to the whole of humankind, teaching that the \u201cgoods of creation are destined for the whole human race\u201d. This teaching balances two objectives in the 7<sup>th<\/sup> Commandment. For the sake of the common good, the Commandment \u201crequires respect for the universal destination of goods\u201d on the one hand, and \u201crespect for the right to private property\u201d on the other. \u201cChristian life strives to order this world&#8217;s goods to God and to fraternal charity\u201d [CCC, 2402-2403]. The commandment, it insists, \u201cenjoins the practice of justice and charity in the administration of earthly goods and the fruits of men&#8217;s labor\u201d [CCC, 2451].<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Copyright \u00a9 Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh, January\u00a02018. All rights reserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You are most welcome to respond to this post. Email your comments to <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"mailto:jeffangiegoh@gmail.com\">jeffangiegoh@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong> You can also be dialogue partners in this <em>Ephphatha Coffee-Corner Ministry<\/em> by sending us questions for discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. [Ps. 113.2, NRSV] The Death of Ananias, Raphael (1515). A few people have asked over a cup of coffee whether the New Testament condemns wealth as being \u201cintrinsically evil\u201d. The short answer is, neither the New Testament nor the writings of early Christians <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=4136\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Dr. Jeffrey &amp; Angie Goh","author_link":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?author=1"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">From Our Perspective<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. [Ps. 113.2, NRSV] The Death of Ananias, Raphael (1515). A few people have asked over a cup of coffee whether the New Testament condemns wealth as being \u201cintrinsically evil\u201d. The short answer is, neither the New Testament nor the writings of early Christians&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4136"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6752,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4136\/revisions\/6752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}