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Matters of Stewardship and Prosperity
As economists often disagree on policy matters, so
should Christians be tolerant on matters of opinion,
while remaining firm on doctrinal issues. Who knows?
The result might be that each would be a little less
confused than he was before. In the end, there will
certainly be those who might conjecture that this
monograph could have used more (or less) of either
scripture or economic jargon.
Again, this is not a monograph on
''How to Get Rich.
"
Neither is it a treatise on God's plan of salvation.
Rather, it examines possible areas of compatibility that
could create a healthy, reinforcing balance between the
two. Accordingly, it comes with a warning about
balance and attitude, that
''No man can serve two
masters...
"(Matthew 6:24).
"Christian Economics,"
however, can be sound when
it fulfills three criteria:
(1)
when it's founded on Biblical
principles;
(2)
when scholars agree upon it; and
(3)
when it makes common sense. Of course, if the first
criterion is not satisfied, the other two don't matter, do
they? For the Christian, the prime directive is always
to seek first the kingdom; the rest will follow (Matt.
6:19-33).
It
has been facetiously said that
"When it comes to
money, people seem to be of the same religion.
"
Is it
really that simple? If you were a student in my
economics class, I would candidly tell you that money
should not be in first place in our lives. Instead it
should be in fifth place -- behind God, integrity,·family,
and country.
If
money is in first place in our lives, then
we should have pronounced upon us that old Middle
Eastern curse:
''May you make a million dollars
--
may
you spend it all on doctors.
"
so