Loren Hague, the youth minister at the Church of the Good Shepherd, pointed out to me this online panel discussion. The discussion is entered as part of the blog, "On Faith," moderated by Washington Post reporter Sally Quinn and Newsweek editor (and esteemed Sewanee graduate!) Jon Meacham. They moderate a panel of renowned religious scholars of all denominations. "On Faith" is a self-proclaimed "worldwide, interactive discussion about religion and its impact on global life."
The current conversation is in response to this question posed by Quinn and Meacham: "Are the economy's recent financial failures also moral failures? Are credit and debt religious issues? Do you have faith in the economy?"
My Panther Prints column this week will talk a little bit about EDS's role in the current financial climate.
You can find the blog, "On Faith," at
but a few tantalizing excerpts are listed below.
Rabbi Irwin Kula – the President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York.
Every religious and spiritual wisdom tradition suggests that great moments of collective trauma or suffering are also invitations - not for flight (turning inwards to simply protect ourselves) or fight (blaming others) - but to honestly self-reflect, introspect, and grow. Obviously, some people are guiltier than others for this economic crisis but in an interdependent reality all are responsible…let's stop having faith in the economy and begin to have faith in each other - trusting that the happiness that comes from greed is transient at best while the happiness that comes from giving, serving and even sacrificing for each other is far more enduring and credit-worthy.
Matt Maher – Roman Catholic Singer, Songwriter, Worship Leader
I think Jesus was pretty clear when He said, "You can't serve God and Money." The problem is, most people end up misunderstanding the phrase, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Most people combine the two, and form a general image that God doesn't really care about money at all, or how we manage the resources entrusted to us. To that, I would say you're missing the point. God cares about people, and how we are being good stewards of what we have. It's about being a responsible citizen. That is why Jesus says you can't serve two masters. Either your love for God (and consequently, your love of neighbor) will fuel your stewardship of money, or love of money will fuel your stewardship of love. Everything starts with stewardship.
Nicholas Thomas Wright – Anglican Bishop of Durham, England
What does 'repent and believe' mean in this situation? I'm not exactly sure; but I do know that it will involve cheerful generosity. Giving money away is the first great step towards dethroning it as an idol. As long as we are a culture of mammon-worshippers we can expect, quite literally, to pay the price that idols always demand.
Every religious and spiritual wisdom tradition suggests that great moments of collective trauma or suffering are also invitations - not for flight (turning inwards to simply protect ourselves) or fight (blaming others) - but to honestly self-reflect, introspect, and grow. Obviously, some people are guiltier than others for this economic crisis but in an interdependent reality all are responsible…let's stop having faith in the economy and begin to have faith in each other - trusting that the happiness that comes from greed is transient at best while the happiness that comes from giving, serving and even sacrificing for each other is far more enduring and credit-worthy.
Matt Maher – Roman Catholic Singer, Songwriter, Worship Leader
I think Jesus was pretty clear when He said, "You can't serve God and Money." The problem is, most people end up misunderstanding the phrase, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Most people combine the two, and form a general image that God doesn't really care about money at all, or how we manage the resources entrusted to us. To that, I would say you're missing the point. God cares about people, and how we are being good stewards of what we have. It's about being a responsible citizen. That is why Jesus says you can't serve two masters. Either your love for God (and consequently, your love of neighbor) will fuel your stewardship of money, or love of money will fuel your stewardship of love. Everything starts with stewardship.
Nicholas Thomas Wright – Anglican Bishop of Durham, England
What does 'repent and believe' mean in this situation? I'm not exactly sure; but I do know that it will involve cheerful generosity. Giving money away is the first great step towards dethroning it as an idol. As long as we are a culture of mammon-worshippers we can expect, quite literally, to pay the price that idols always demand.
Posts
1 comment:
Interesting idea - posting the blog. Well here are some thoughts... Very nice article in today's Panther Prints. As a parent of lower school children, I hope their day at school will be one of learning, fellowship and insulation from events in the financial and political worlds that worry the adults (let's let them be children). Help us teach our children personal responsibility. There's enough political vitriol floating through the airwaves about greed. Personally I feel this is mostly about folks needing to blame someone for a problem. Think about it from a politicians view...do you blame folks for taking out loans they couldn't afford, or is it easier, in an election year, to point the finger of blame at corporations and highly compensated executives (especially the truly outrageously overpaid folks). At any rate, there's little I can do about those folks, but all to soon our children will be heading to college where they will be bombarded with offers for credit cards. Hopefully, if we've prepared and taught them well, they'll be ready to responsibly manage their finances. On your other point, yes, technology advances keep coming faster and faster: however, in a world of emails, text messages, blogs and such, I find less and less actual communication. Folks are sending and receiving these messages but how much actual communication is taking place? And for many of these new forms of communication there is no spell check feature. Help teach our children how to communicate effectively with others - regardless of the medium. Spelling, grammar, reading and articulation are important skills for any profession.
Post a Comment