Recently in a group we asked the question of ourselves, “What difference does christianity make to how I live?”.  For me, this has a lot to do with questioning my values by using the life of Jesus for reflection.

Regarding wealth, the values I am often tempted to identify as being “christian values” are actually societal values that have been cultivated within me.  Because I also strongly identify with being a “christian”, and because my parents and peers who cultivated these values in me are also “christians” , it can often be a natural extension that such values are also “christian”.  But they aren’t.

The strong value placed upon saving money, earning high interest, buying a car, owning a house (the “Australian dream” — a noticeable hint that this is a societal value, not a faith-based one), accumulating “things”, insuring those “things” against theft/damage — these are all societal, not christian, values.

This is not to say that such societal values are incompatible with christianity.  But I must be on-guard and questioning how to invest (“steward”) the time and money that are mine.  Is… doing that / buying this / having those… really what Jesus would do??

Wealth can be a real danger to me as a middle-class, western christian.  And I think the key is to keep questioning and challenging my values and behaviours, to keep them on-track with the Jesus-way I claim to be following.

Yes, I realise Jesus hung out with rich people, and that there were wealthy people in the early church who were instrumental in nurturing christianity.  I am not saying that money is evil.

But maybe the love of money is evil?  When I love money — when it’s all about my money — I start forgetting to love people, and forget that my money and time are not my own, but God’s.

Justifying and rationalising my personal affluence is something I tend to do anyway because I am a human with selfish tendencies.  If I also employ God to authorise it being okay to be wealthy, I am to some extent re-creating God in my own image.

Jesus spoke at length about the poor and about the rich.  On the whole, he spoke about how hard it was to be both rich and follow the way of God, and how the gospel of the kingdom of God was good news to the poor.  I’m not so sure the “good news” is all that good for the rich (especially if I love my money).

Having said this, I do not believe that Jesus was interested in the poor staying poor and downtrodden; but to lump myself into the category of “poor” and use it as justification for being selfish with my wealth is doing Jesus’ gospel of radical discipleship a great disservice.

Again, this is not to say that my societal values are incompatible with following Jesus.

But I need to be wary:
Because my values are so implicit — they are the very air I breathe — that it is easier to see Jesus through the lens of my upbringing and society;
Rather than see my upbringing and society through the lens of Jesus…