A Travel Free Learning Article
By Ruben Swint, Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership
Voice: 404.314.7273, E-mail: RSwint@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org
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For about 14 months a global conversation has focused on the effectiveness of current economic policies and political structures in creating societies of well-being for the most number of people. From the Arab Spring through the European riots and Chinese protests to the Wall Street “occupiers”, an American version of the conversation has become passionate and somewhat controversial. A common slogan of the American version is “We are the 99 percent.”
If they (we) are the 99 percent then who are the one percent? The one percent is defined as citizens who have made it into the Top 1% of American taxpayers. In 2009, it took $343,927 in adjusted gross income (without dividends and capital gains) to be in that group, according to statistics released by the Internal Revenue Service. The amount may be larger now.
Occupy Wall Street protesters have been railing against the top one percent, trying to raise anger and awareness of a growing economic gap between the rich and everybody else in America. Even when the one percenters earned nearly 17% of the nation's income, they did pay roughly 37% of its income tax.
Where is the church in this conversation? How are Christian clergy using their voices to teach and proclaim? How comfortable are clergy and laity in contributing a Christian viewpoint to a conversation about income and wealth and money! Does Jesus’ vision of God’s realm inform, empower and prepare us to talk about well-being and money, especially with those who have a lot of it?
One way to answer these questions is to imagine where Jesus would be in the conversation. What would Jesus say to a one percenter?
1. Let’s Do Lunch. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus traveled through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, which his followers would eventually “occupy” in a demonstration involving palm branches. In Jericho, Jesus encounters a local entrepreneur named Zacchaeus. We’ll call him Z. He had acquired the local tax gathering franchise from the Roman Empire and had done very well for himself. Z was a one percenter.
But rather than rail against Z or shun him as did the local citizens, Jesus invited himself to Z’s home where he probably had a very nice meal. Going to the home of a person whose wealth was probably unfairly gained was not a popular thing to do. Better to have asked Z to produce his personal tax records for the last 10 years.
But, Z changes! After the visit, Z swings his support to Jesus, the Kingdom candidate. He pledges to give half his wealth to the poor and pay restitution of twice the normal penalty for his questionable business tactics. He did this because Jesus saw the person and his potential. Jesus went to Z and established a relationship. Z experienced Jesus and learned of a different path to success.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “Let’s do lunch.”
2. It’s a Gift. Jesus told a parable about a business man planning a trip. He called in his executive team and gave each of them a portion of the business to run while he would be away. The two senior executives received 62% and 25% of the value of the business and the junior executive received 13%.
While the CEO was away the two senior execs got busy. They eventually doubled the value of the business they controlled. The junior exec did very little. He acted cautiously and put his value of the business under tight risk controls. It is important to know that the business man had allocated the three parts of his business to his executive team “each according to his ability.”
When the business man returned, each exec gave an accounting and the two seniors were praised for earning more money and the junior was criticized (and worse) for earning nothing, not even 1% in a CD. Clearly, the junior did not have the confidence, the skills, the experience or the ambition to grow the business. He didn’t have the gift.
Building a business and making money is a gift. And when those so gifted increase the value of a business then usually people are employed and savers and pensioners are rewarded. Making money is not a sin, it is a gift. And the gift is from God.
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth,” Deuteronomy 8:17-18.
I imagine that Jesus would say to a one percenter, your success is the result of God’s gift to you. Use your gift. Grow your business or your practice. Employ people. Increase share value and dividends. What you can do is a gift of God, so do it legally and morally. And give as well as you get.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “It’s a gift.”
3. Check the Title. Possession is not the same as ownership. Possession is “nine-tenths of the law,” as some people say. But the name on the title of ownership is the one who actually owns the stuff. There are times when it is good to check the title.
King David prepared for years for a gigantic construction project that would be totally paid for when it was completed. When Solomon became king, the temple project would be shovel ready. There is an accounting of the financing for the project in I Chronicles, chapter 29. David declared, “But who am I, and who are my people that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand and all of it belongs to you.”
Psalm 50 was written by Asaph, not David. But David would have agreed with the following verses, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”
The church teaches or encourages Christians to give 10% of their income to God. The correct goal is to faithfully manage 100% of God’s income and assets so that we will live and God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “Check the title.”
4. Call Security. Sometimes financial success is simply the result of being in the right place at the right time with the right product. Jesus told a parable about an owner of an agribusiness. His farming activities produced an unexpected windfall. “The ground yielded an abundant harvest.” (Luke 12:16) It was as if the owner had won a lottery like income for life.
And like many lottery winners, the farm owner immediately put at risk the real wealth he had. The owner became financially richer in a short period of time. He did not even understand that the harvest had little to do with his effort or skill, since it was totally unexpected. The land (God) had produced the abundance.
Freed from struggle, the owner saw only a life of ease for himself ahead. He failed to consider the needs of others or the purposes of God. He did not understand what true wealth is: spiritual vitality, family, friends, good deeds and a life purpose. He should have called security to lock down his out of control wants for pleasure. The conditions against which the occupy movement protests in many ways resulted from an out of control system of borrowing for pleasure that has gone on for decades.
The one percenters, just like us, have to guard against overindulgent lifestyles regardless of where the money comes from, earning power or borrowing power. They and we must guard our souls from possessions and pleasure.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “Call security.”
5. Tear Down This Wall. In his 1987 speech in Berlin, President Ronald Reagan challenged soviet leader Gorbachev to tear down the wall barring East from West Berlin. In 1989 the wall came down. Centuries earlier Jesus told a parable about another barrier, a great ditch.
A rich man dressed well, lived in luxury and feasted extravagantly every day. Outside the door to his house a poor, sick and homeless man lay dying. And every day the rich man ignored him. When both had died, they each arrived at different locales and separating the place of suffering from the place of comfort was a great, wide ditch, an insurmountable barrier.
The time to prevent the ditch was when both were alive. The rich person could have paid attention to and provided aid and comfort to the sick one, as if he were one of his own. But instead he treated him as an unseen other, not like me or us.
The blog http://westandwiththe99percent.tumblr.com/ contains testimonials from people who have benefited from a lifestyle afforded by the one percent and yet still want to acknowledge the needs and dreams of the 99 percent. They are consciously seeking to tear down the walls of class, wealth, and color. They are recognizing that “the other” is us and we are “the other”.
Walls, ditches, or barriers of any kind are in direct opposition to Jesus’ vision of the parenthood of God and the sisterhood and brotherhood of humanity.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “Tear down this wall.”
6. I Want You. He didn’t stop in at a recruiting office. He didn’t respond to an email solicitation. He just asked Jesus a question, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” This encounter is found in Matthew, Luke and John. All three say the man was rich.
Jesus asked the rich young ruler to abandon trust in riches and place his trust in Him. Jesus asked him to walk away from one life to find the life that would truly be eternal. Jesus did not want the money; the young man was asked to give it away. Jesus wanted the young man. In the end, the young man walked away from Jesus, sad.
Judaism had two views of wealth: 1) wealth was a sign of piety and God’s favor and 2) wealth was a sign of wickedness. (Not necessarily a sign of hard work!) In this encounter, Jesus was firstly concerned for what money does to the one who has it and secondly for what one does with the money.
Jesus is recruiting every day for those who will sign up for the Kingdom movement. One can have a lot of wealth or can covet a lot of wealth, either one can be a serious impediment to eternal life.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “I want you.”
7. Carpe Bonum. The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Command those who are 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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” In other words, tell the one percenters to “seize the good.”
How does that conversation go in your church? What do you command the one percenters to do? First of all, you probably don’t command anyone. Even if you did, would they do it? How do you follow Paul’s mentoring advice?
Why not ask them this question, “Why do suppose it is that God has gifted you with the ability to gain wealth? Is it simply so that you and your family can have a good life? Or, is there more to it than that? Is it because you can be trusted to make very good decisions that will make life better for others?
One CEO of a major financial institution always has a blank check in his billfold. He is ready at any time to help any person or cause for nearly any amount. He can be trusted.
Why should one percenters seize the good? Again, from Paul, “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Eternal life flows to them from the good they do.
Jesus would say to a one percenter what he would say to you and me, “Carpe Bonum.”
When you define one percenters based on income levels in America, that leaves out a lot of us. Yet throughout the article you and I are addressed along with the one percenters. Why? If you base one percenters on income levels in the world, then the income threshold to be a one percenter is $47,500 per year.
Most of us reading this article are one percenters in the world, and even if not, we probably give money too much influence in our lives. One percenters can be just as godly as anyone and those who in the 99% can be just as materialistic as anyone. What Jesus would say to one of us, he would say to all of us.
Now, what will you do with these seven sayings? Does your church have a voice in the current conversation about money and well-being? Do your members need to transform their relationship with money, wealth and especially with those who have it? Where can you begin?
Important Things to Know
Ruben Swint is a Ministry Colleague with The Columbia Partnership. He leads the Funding Ministry Team whose web site is www.FundingMinistry.org. In this role he focuses on capital campaigns, planned giving, and annual giving for congregations, denominations, and parachurch organizations. E-mail Ruben for a free subscription to The Generosity Letter monthly e-zine at RSwint@TheColumbiaPartnership.org. You can check in on Ruben’s Facebook page, Ruben Swint Generosity Guy as well as sign up to follow Ruben on Twitter @generosityguy.
The Columbia Partnership is a non-profit Christian ministry organization focused on transforming the capacity of the North American Church to pursue and sustain vital Christ-centered ministry. Our vision is to engage 2100 congregations in transformation annually by the end of 2017. Travel Free Learning is a Sharing Knowledge emphasis. For more information about products and services check out the web site at www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org, send an e-mail to Client.Care@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, or call 803.622.0923.
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