Christian Teaching on Wealth and Poverty

2085 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What do christians teach on wealth

Coursework

(a) (i) Outline Christian teaching on wealth and poverty.

Christians do not think money is a bad thing. However, they believe the way money is earned and used is the issue. Most Christians believe that wealth is a gift from God to benefit others. Christians believe that all money belongs to God and he gives them stewardship of his money to use wisely. The Bible teaches, “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24). For Christians this means that they must be careful not to replace their love for God with the love of money.

Christian teaching on wealth and possessions varies slightly regarding the amount of money and possessions that should be given to the poor. Some Christians follow the teaching in (Mark 10:21). This passage states that you should sell all your possessions and give them to the poor. The Methodist Church also follows this idea. Their founder John Wesley said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” On the other hand, most Christians believe that they should use some of their wealth to help the poor, but leave enough to support themselves and their family. Their reasoning is that there is no advantage in giving up everything they have; becoming poor themselves, and becoming dependent on someone else, and a burden to society. All Christians, however, believe that it is a matter of justice that everyone should receive the basic necessities in life. Therefore, many Christians frequently donate money to charities. This is also known as almsgiving. Also, a few Christians give ten percent of their income to the church, (tithing).

Jesus taught his followers that they should show ...

... middle of paper ...

...rson in need of food or clothing , they should not just wish them well, but take action and help them.”

Considering both points of view, I believe that rich people play an important role in helping people in need and that God has no Quarrel with the rich who use their money wisely and with justice and compassion. Therefore I disagree with the statement, “There should be no rich people as long as there is poverty in the world.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/aboutus/who/history/index.aspx

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/aboutus/who/aims/our_aims.aspx

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/zimbabwe-crisis/index.aspx

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/zimbabwe-crisis/zimbabwe-cholera.aspx

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/OCHA-64C8RC?OpenDocument

Show More
Related

  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...e rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17)

    Read More

  • Corruption In The Gilded Age Essay

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    For instance, Leviticus 25:35 states, “’if your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you” (ESV). As a Christian, a person is called to help those who are struggling, and speaks of giving everything a person has to help those around him or her. According to the Jacob Riis film, citizens turned a blind eye to all those suffering, without a home or food. It also states in Proverbs 22:2, “…the rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all” (ESV). God created everyone on the Earth, and did not create one group to feel superior over another. The last passage that represents the other half is Proverbs 28:6, “ Better is poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways” (ESV). A man can be as poor as can be, but wealth does not make you better in the eyes of God.

    Read More

  • The Piety Myth

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article “God’s Heart for the Poor,” Dr. Jay W. Richards, a famous author, claims that Christians should have both heart and mind in order to help the poor and become a true, good neighbor. He uses some Bible verses to teach the readers about the importance of being a good neighbor and uses The Piety Myth to explain how Christians should “exercise prudence” and connects this concept to the economics.

    Read More

  • The Bible: The Role Of Government In The Bible

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Bible clearly explains the role of government in society and the framers of our nation built America on Biblical principles. Since economics is the science that deals with production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, Christian economics entails how men use God-given resources, ideas, and energy to meet their human needs and to glorify the Lord. Christianity produces internal liberty in man, which is the foundation for a Christian economy. The internal change of heart that Christ brings produces Christian character and self-government which is necessary for an economy to be prosperous. Christian character and self-government produce people who do not steal, who have a strong work ethic, and who save and invest to

    Read More

  • Wealth and Poverty in Context to Hinduism

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    nothing, I feel that the world is alright the way that it is and that

    Read More

  • Beggars, Homeless and the Professional Panhandling Plague

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people feel that they should help the needy in some way or another. The problem is how to help them. This problem generally arises when there is a person sitting on the side of the road in battered clothes with a cardboard sign asking for some form of help, almost always in the form of money. Yet something makes the giver uneasy. What will they do with this money? Do they need this money? Will it really help them? The truth of the matter is, it won't. However, there are things that can be done to help the needy. Giving money to a reliable foundation will help the helpless, something that transferring money from a pocket to a man's tin can will never do.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Karl Marx And Kuyper

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    The stronger will do anything in their power to make a profit, leaving the weak with nothing. Kuyper says, “…the more powerful exploited the weaker by means of a weapon against which there was no defense” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 26). Additionally, he states that “…the idolization of money killed the nobility in the human heart” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 31). Kuyper talks about how Jesus felt bad for the rich and sided with the poor (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 32). Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Earthly materials mean nothing because the real treasure awaits in

    Read More

  • The Distribution of Wealth

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone has his or her own ideas of how wealth should be distributed properly. Some people believe wealth should be left to family, left for public services, or become the property of others. Others believe that people should not have excess wealth, resulting in non-existent class distinctions. An alternative view is that wealth is not distributed; instead, the wealthy continue to grow wealthier while those in poverty can not escape it and fall further into a life of poverty. The beliefs discussed above come from three different writers. Those writers include Andrew Carnegie, Karl Marx, and Robert B. Reich. These writers all have different opinions on how wealth should be distributed properly.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Stone Soup And Nail Soup

    220 Words  | 1 Pages

    When people are in need you want to help them but you don’t know how. If you see a homeless person asking for money and food, buy the something to eat and when you give the the food give them some money while you're at it.

    Read More

  • Compare Andrew Carnegie And The Gospel Of Wealth

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wealth is something that all mankind wish to obtain in great amounts. Wealth has been aspired since the Gilded Age and has not yet failed to continue being the number one concept on an individual's minds. Not all, in fact very few reach the ladders of wealth in which one can live in ultimate comfort. Many are left to live in ghastly situations and life styles of living. Is it more beneficial to live in a world of two classes the rich and the poor or in a world where the wealth is spread amongst mankind? A man named Andrew Carnegie, which of whom had great wealth and power, explains his idea of the gospel of wealth as it pertains to the system of competition and survival of the fittest and its advantages and disadvantages towards this country.

    Read More

  • Reflections on Social Work: My Professional Journey

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    I would want to acknowledge their vulnerability and strength in being able to recognize when they may be in need of assistance.

    Read More

  • Wealth Vs Wealth

    1512 Words  | 4 Pages

    Who does not wish to be rich? The first thing that might come to mind when thinking about having a lot of money is owning luxurious cars, living in a prodigious residency, having expensive items to wear, or anything of that nature. A rich person has the ability to buy anything to please his or her desires, and he or she can visit any place at any time without having to think about it twice. Many people perceive that happiness comes within how much money they have. People confuse being wealthy with being happy. Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness; however, it is obvious that it can help to bring happiness for some and sorrow for others.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Serving Others

    1183 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we sacrifice our time to help someone in need, whether it is a great or small need, we become a part of their life and can help alleviate heavy burdens. We feel good for looking outside ourselves and contributin...

    Read More

  • Moral obligation to help

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    Peter Singer said; “If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it” (Famine, Affluence, and Morality). As human beings, we have a moral compulsion to help other people, despite the verity that they may be strangers, especially when whatever type of aid we may render can in no approach have a more significant consequence on our own life.

    Read More

  • Christianity and Wealth

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christianity and Wealth 'Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell all that you have and

    Read More

More about Christian Teaching on Wealth and Poverty

Open Document