i am very very hesitant for anyone to say “do this with your money” unless there is an explicitly biblical reason for doing so. for example, piper states that there is no reason a person who makes $200,000 should live any differently than someone who makes $80,000. i think that’s untrue: there may be (and probably are) many people who are living more extravagantly than they should be, but at the same time i think that there are justifiable reasons that lifestyles should vary. God calls different people to use their gifts in different ways. money is a gift. just because i am gifted as a teacher does not mean i must teach theology at a seminary, but some people should. God places His people in all sorts of situations with all sorts of opportunities for a reason. i know piper is combatting the rampant materialism of american society, and i respect that. he is right to push us in this way. but i think this essay is too legalistic. both the bane and the boon of the way God works with gifts is that no one can tell us how to use them.
that said, we are absolutely to use them for the kingdom. that is a common thread i think we can all agree on. the issue of what that looks like for each individual or family, however, is (intentionally) much more slippery.
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Laur // Feb 19, 2007 at 5:13 pm
i love that you said that. however, i’m not entirely sure i agree with you.
2 Aron // Feb 24, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Fair enough - why is that? Too harsh? Not harsh enough? Just plain wrong?
3 Laur // Feb 27, 2007 at 1:13 am
i am very very hesitant for anyone to say “do this with your money” unless there is an explicitly biblical reason for doing so. for example, piper states that there is no reason a person who makes $200,000 should live any differently than someone who makes $80,000. i think that’s untrue: there may be (and probably are) many people who are living more extravagantly than they should be, but at the same time i think that there are justifiable reasons that lifestyles should vary. God calls different people to use their gifts in different ways. money is a gift. just because i am gifted as a teacher does not mean i must teach theology at a seminary, but some people should. God places His people in all sorts of situations with all sorts of opportunities for a reason. i know piper is combatting the rampant materialism of american society, and i respect that. he is right to push us in this way. but i think this essay is too legalistic. both the bane and the boon of the way God works with gifts is that no one can tell us how to use them.
that said, we are absolutely to use them for the kingdom. that is a common thread i think we can all agree on. the issue of what that looks like for each individual or family, however, is (intentionally) much more slippery.
4 Aron // Feb 27, 2007 at 2:05 am
Well said; I agree.
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