The God-Almighty Dollar

I promised I would never say it.  But, I'm saying it:  "...the older I get..."  And so, I've rephrased that sentiment:  "...increasingly, it keeps occurring to me..."   

And so, for this blog entry:  "...increasingly, it keeps occurring to me -- that money drives everything!" 

In the last ten days, I've heard a variety of sincere, but unsettling assertions.  Here they are, verbatim: 

"...you realize a reason oncologists 'push' chemotherapy is because they're 'in the business' and it's a source of income..."  

"...I'm convinced the reason he reversed himself on his stand on same-sex marriage is because his agent said his speaking engagements would plummet (thus his income) if he didn't stay 'conservative' on the issue..."

"...I can't believe it.  I've contacted multiple book editors about submitting a book proposal and the first question they ask is:  prove to us that you can sell 5,000 copies.  Not a question about my subject matter; just a guarantee they'll not lose money..."

Please note:  I am not vouching for the accuracy of any of these assertions.  But I am convinced, that increasingly, money does drive a lot, if not, everything.

Money has done so for a long time.  That's why the Bible has been speaking about money for a long time.  A sampling:

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money."  (Matthew 6:24)

"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor will he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity."  (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you."  (Hebrews 13:5)  

Such counsel is critical, for dominant culture does love money -- craves money -- doing anything and everything -- to get more and more and more money.  This largely stems from the domination of corporations in the U.S. economy.  As Jimmy Holovat noted in a 2006 paper for Baruch College, entitled:  'Profit Over People" --

"...although the corporate form is the minority form of business in this country, it enjoys a majority of economic power.  This narrow focus of power is the reason why corporations are so pervasive and invasive in our everyday lives.  Joel Bakan insists, "Today corporations govern our lives.  They determine what we eat, what we watch, what we wear, where we work, and what we do.  We are inescapably surrounded by their culture, iconography and ideology"... Several disturbing economic trends may partly due to the increase in the power and scope of the corporate form of business over the last three decades.  One such trend is the ever-widening gap wage gap.  Deborah Solomon argues, "The U.S. economy is growing, but the poor and especially the middle class are not benefiting..." https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/facultyhandbook/documents/Briloff_Grad_06.doc 

The gap between rich and poor warrants a separate blog post, but for now, let Holovat's quote from Bakan, 'mess with you':  "...corporations govern our lives.  They determine what we eat, what we watch, what we wear, where we work, and what we do...We are surrounded..."

In my estimation, that's why the dollar has become the 'God-Almighty Dollar.'  Or, in the words of Holovat, why profit now usurps people.  For our lives have become governed by a consumeristic, corporation saturated culture, that surrounds us,  containing and restraining us.

But Christ is also available to contain and restrain and govern.

To be specific:  Christ governs through His contentment (if we let Him), overriding consumeristic, corporate tendencies, as Christ offers to dominate and control, instead.  Thus, Paul encourages us to -- 

"Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise].  To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers].  And be thankful [to God always].  (Colossians 3:15, The Amplified Bible)

The result:  as contentment controls, not consumerism -- we want less, need less -- and money slowly loses its grip, as Christ gains a new grip, lessening greed, and enlarging generosity.

It's important we note the role of generosity in defining the earliest expressions of Christianity and the early church.  Why the early Believers were so generous, Christianity's competitors tried to 'best' them in giving, as a prime way of defeating them.

A key competitor was Julian The Apostate, who relentlessly tried to defeat early Christ-followers, reversing the bent of Constantine, who favored followers of The Way.  In a letter to Arsacisus, High Priest of Galatia, Julian details his desire to 'best' Christian generosity, as a way of defeating Christianity.

"...The religion of the Greeks does not yet prosper as I would wish...Why then do we think that this is sufficient and do not observe [what] the kindness of Christians to strangers, their care for the burial of the dead, and the sobriety of their lifestyle has done...to advance their cause?  Each of these things, I think, ought really to be practiced by us...Erect many hostels, one in each city, in order that strangers may enjoy my kindness...[And give to] whoever is in want of money...For it is disgraceful when no Jew is a beggar and the impious Galileans [the name give by Julian to Christians] support our poor in addition to their own...We ought to share our goods with all men, but most of all with...the helpless, and the poor, so that they have at least the essentials of life..."  http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/Julian.html

May we also strive to 'best' the early church in generosity and giving.  For there is no future in being gripped by the 'God-Almighty Dollar' -- but only -- in being gripped by God -- convinced that God's currency gives the greatest 'return on investment' -- in a world increasingly -- obviously -- going bankrupt.