Money is, oj course, a symbol oj God's created world. In itselt it is neither good nor evil, but laden with a terrific potential jor either. It should be devoted to the purposes that are in the mind o] Christ; not only some o~ it, but all o~ it.

Money for the Church

Church the probF ORlem theof Christian money, its need, and her attitude towards money has been an ever present one from New Testament days forward. Some of our Lord's sternest and sharpest teachings, as for example the incident of the widow's mite, the parable of the talents, the alabaster box, and many others deal with money. In the early Church, the tragedy which overcame Ananias and Sapphira was a money matter and an example of how many who started out to follow Christ fell out over money and its use. The dilemma involved for the Church is easily stated. The Church cannot do without money. This was true from the first, and is increasingly true in our economy which is a "money" economy. Therefore the Church must take to her bosom that which she needs. But money is a rival god to the Christ whom the Church proclaims and who seeks utter and complete devotion and commitment from His followers. History is full of incidents where the Church has so given her heart away to money that she has presented a fake and untrue witness. The practice of simony, of indulgences sold, on down to modern lotteries, bingo, and the many additional

JOHN THOMPSON PETERS Minister o] Collingwood Presbyterian Church Toledo, Ohio practices are eloquent of the incipient danger involved with money and its use. The modern Church, so utterly dependent upon money for the adequate development of her many-faceted and world wide program, gives little evidence that she understands the proper place of money and again and again blows an uncertain trumpet in her responsibility to lead her people to a proper Biblical and theological understanding of money and its use. The so called "Christian" attitude toward money is too often represented as regarding money as "evil" but necessary. The Church apologizes for her need for money and again and again compromises the truth by making ridiculous statements about her need for money under a meretricious spiritual facade. Modern man's most sensitive nerve is his pocketbook and it is quite clear that the Church has failed him in not having given more direct teaching in this area where he lives most of the time. If these things be true the time is overripe for a factual and dynamic 37

overhauling of the Church perspective in money matters. With this in mind here are some of the considerations which are relevant: 1. It is important for the Christian to learn that the Christian lives in two realms: the realm of the Church where, in spite of sinful practices, the lordship of Christ is acknowledged, and the realm of the world where, because of sin and bondage to it, Christ is unacknowledged and yet Lord. God as Creator is soveriegn over the material world and all secular history. In the Bible we have the picture of His redemption of the world in Christ. This is the implication of the Resurrection. In the ascended Lord we see the divine mediator in whom God is bringing together into a unity the world which has been split asunder by sin and bondage. This unity was unquestionably God's original intention. "Christ is the unifying center in whom are integrated all the fragmentary elements of divine meaning which appear in the creative movements of historical existence. He is the One in whose man is redeemed in the social context of his existence. ''~ Thus when we affirm the Lordship of Christ, we affirm that though the Church and the material and secular world are distinct, each in its own way lies under his Lordship, and that the Church has as one of her functions the transformation of the secular and material world with its cultural structures. N a brilliant address relevant to this I subject, Charles Malik recently said, "More depends upon American Christianity today than perhaps upon any other Christianity in history, though certainly not more than upon the Christianity of the Apostles. This is a tre*Quoted from Towards a Theological Un. derstanding o/History by Eric C. Rust. 38

mendous honor that the Christians of America can only accept with humility and gratitude. Everyone, no matter how humble, can make a decisive difference to the course of events, if only he prays enough, and suffers enough, and loves enough, and goes deeply enough into the life of the spirit. May it therefore be God's will that while everything today is in a state of flux, your prayers and your efforts, sincere and genuine and humble as they are, will help in redeeming what is redeemable in this dissolving world, to the end that God the Father shall be glorified, and the name of Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost shall be lifted above every other name." ("The Christian Century," August 23, 1961.) Money is, of course, a symbol of God's created world. In itself it is neither good nor evil, but laden with a terrific potential for either. It should be devoted to the purposes that are in the mind of Christ; not only some of it, but all of it. Scarcely a dollar that is spent can be isolated from the will and purpose of God, either in furthering that will and purpose or opposing it. Only when the Church understands this broad principle, can she begin to see her tremendous role in ministering to our world's great need. When the Church properly under. stands this, she will rise up with boldness to proclaim that she has a word to speak, an important word, about the use to which men devote all their possessions, not only the tenth which may or should be devoted t o the Church's speci.fic program, but the total. For it is all held as a trust from God. This leads into the second basic consideration, namely: 2. The Church must be more dedicated, astute, understanding, and bold in the guidance that she gives to Christians concerning the use that is made of their PASTORALPSYCHOLOGY/MARCH1965

money. This whole matter, of course, is closely related to our first point and grounded in it. If God is really the lord of all life and all man's possessions, then the Church, which should-know something about the will and purpose of God, should have much to say about money and its usage. But unless the Church has a firm hold on and grasp of the first truth, she will scarcely have much to say about the second. Far too often, the Church has allowed herself to be backed away from her responsibility here in the little corner of her "spiritual" province. She has falsely bowed to the idea that in the material realm she has little or nothing to say. And strangely enough, even some of the blazing social prophets of the contemporary world, who argue with relevance about the Church's place in the contemporary scene, are strangely silent when the subject of "the Christian and his money" is under discussion. Actually there is a very strong relationship between a man's true spiritual commitment or lack Of it, and his use of money. While few, if any, studies have been made of it, every pastor knows that the correlation between those who are most deeply committed to Christ and His Church and the liberal supporters of the Church, is high. One of the .prominent and highly respected pastors in the United Presbyterian Church, and a former secretary of evangelism for that Church tells of his early prejudice against knowing what the parishioners contributed. But when he was about to leave a parish he had served for several years, the financial secretary urged him to look at the record on the basis that it could not now prejudice his attitudes. The pastor consented and discovered to his amazement that he had in front of him "all his spiritual problems." When the Church realizes that until she has evangelized men's pocketbooks

she has not penetrated their souls, she will have made a vital discovery.

recent consultation on stewardI Nshipa held at Bossey, Switzerland, under the auspices of the World Council of Churches, Canon H. N. Hodd of the Church of England was reporting on the importance of stewardship in postwar Britain. He described the low ebb of the life of the Church there in terms of attendance at worship, understanding of the Church's mission and life and work. "We tried everything," he said, "to reinvigorate the laity. But we discovered that it was not until we dealt with the man in the pew, at the place where he was spending his money that we really began to communicate." Even so, the Church has been communicating at this point with its people, but mostly negatively. So, the acceptance of the idea that little is required of a Christian disciple has conveyed the conception that little worth is really involved in the Church and her program. It is stilI not unusual for a Christian parent to supervise a twenty~ve cent contribution of the child to the Church on the day after having consented to a one dollar movie plus fifty cents for refreshments. In the learning process the child is likely to pick up ideas about relative values in such a process. Actually, he does. 3. Finally, it is important for the Church to understand that money is an essential factor in her ability to fulfill her mission. In the days when the writer was serving the stewardship portfolio of the United Presbyterian Church a slogan emerged which said a lot. It went like this: Stewardship without mission

is hopeless, mission without stewardship is helpless. While the reference here was not entirely to money, unquestionably money in this context is primary. 39

For it cannot be overlooked that when the importance of devotion to cause, sufficient personnel and dynamic for purposeful action are all present and accounted for, the lack of sufficient funds to implement programs and to project with strategy new programs, is the heartbreaking difference. While the mission situation in the world today has radically changed from that of earlier generations, and doors that were at one time open are now closed, any mission administrator will testify many times over as to the opportunities that are staring the Church in the face on new and revitalized frontiers. MODERN Christian Church is T HEan institution of tremendous dimension and importance. While her institutionalism has been decried right and left by a thousand and one critics in the modern age, and not without some justification, the fact remains that national and world problems against which the Church is matched are of such gigantic proportion that they can scarcely be dealt with by groups that are hopelessly divided and without substantial resources.

It is not often that governments take a chapter from the life of the Church and put it into the forefront of this program, but such is the case with the Peace Corps currently being promoted by the United States government. The opportunity to live and work side by side with nationals of many countries and help them to face the problems of disease, poverty, education and others, has proven so successful that it is probably the most universally popular idea started by the Kennedy administration. It was clearly inspired by such church movements as+ "Cross Roads Africa" led by the Reverend James Robinson and others. But the Peace Corps is continually seeking more personnel and addi40

tional funds to carry on its program. Its opportunities to do good soon outmatch its ability to meet them. A similar situation has long faced the Church, and, long after the Peace Corps has been forgotten, will still face her. Recently when the labor unions indicated that they were going to close ten hospital units in the needy Appalachia region, distress at this prospect seized the people of that area. It was at this moment that the United Presbyterian Church stepped in the breach to prolong the life of their medical units in a dramatic and unanimously applauded action. But to do this required not only dynamic action, faith, and moral courage, but financial resources which the Church rarely has, with which to take such bold action. The only way the Church will command such resources is to step up her determination to dramatize for her people the scope and relevance of her world-wide program, and then to have the courage to encourage her people to render that type of obedience involving prayer and financial gifts which will consistently undergird the program. But the fact is clear that without these resources, the Church cannot successfully fulfill her God-given mission. There is indeed prophetic insight in the Church's ability to understand that when she has the courage to lead her people away from self-centered interest toward God and Church-centered interest, she will have led her people a long step toward their spiritual health and will, at the same time, have provided the means, which is a sine qua non of the Church's mission. "... such generosity will issue in thanksgiving to God, . . . is not only a contribution towards the needs of God's people; more than that, it overflows in a flood of thanksgiving to God." (II Corinthians 9:11, 12, N.E.B.) PASTORALPSYCHOL0CY/MARCH 1965