Christians can’t be removed from economics

Jesus, the prophet and teacher from Nazareth, was killed by a group of Jerusalem elites who collaborated with the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate. Jesus was an irritant to every person who had a privileged position in the political, religious, social and financial system. His reputation as a critic of the dominant officials of his day was well-earned. He leveled his criticism of the wealthy and the powerful in almost every teaching session he led.

“Jesus died for our sins” might be an acceptable theological statement, but it is fraud as a statement about how and why he was martyred. The rich and powerful of Jerusalem had heard about this rabble rouser from the north before he came to Jerusalem for the last time. The last straw was when he went to the Temple and created a public disturbance of monumental proportions. Jesus was horrified with what was going on in the Temple. His creation of chaos in the courtyard is a classic example of street theater. In a society in which protest was not allowed, the fate of Jesus was sealed. They killed him.

My father-in-law was a great, one-of-a-kind man. He was a highly principled man. He was one of the most generous men I have ever known. His confession of faith was simple. “My maker and I are on good terms.” Even though he gave generously to the church, as an adult he never attended public worship. He could not tolerate the community elites who served as church officers and to whom the churches catered.

Christian churches have made friends with all the wrong people. As a result, our Christian pulpits are silent about almost every critical social issue and especially about money, wealth and the dangers of being selfishly rich.

Money and wealth were central to several of the parables that were told by Jesus. We read the parables and usually miss the point. We do not understand or relate to the economic system of first century Palestine. One parable is less difficult to understand. It is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Lazarus was a miserable beggar who sat at the gate of a very rich man. The rich man lived the good life. He ignored the needs of Lazarus. Lazarus died and went to be with Father Abraham. He was content at last. The rich man died and went to hell. He was in torment. He called out to Abraham for help. Abraham told him it was too late.

Every time I read the story of Lazarus and the rich man I ask myself, “What is so difficult to understand?”

Rich people who fail in matters of generosity are going to hell. That is what Jesus taught. As I understand his style of ministry, Jesus told this story over and over again. He probably repeated it a few times in Jerusalem before he went to the Temple and created chaos.

As I understand the teachings of Jesus, he believed that none of us own anything. Everything belongs to God. The wealth we privately hold is held in trust. We are expected to use wealth wisely and generously. In his parable of the talents, people were given wealth in varying amounts, but everyone was held accountable.

America is not a Christian nation. America was never intended to be a Christian nation. However, religious people are American citizens. We religious folk have a responsibility to speak about the moral and ethical standards of our faiths. It is appropriate to bring our moral and ethical understandings into the public square and join the debate about how we as a nation will behave both nationally and internationally.

The United States and the world are headed into financial crisis. Is this a time for Christians to bring the values of Jesus to the discussion table? Yes. Here is the message.

Americans have made a lot of people rich. In our recent history, we have made it easier for people to become rich. They have become rich at the expense of the poor.

The United States has recreated the story of Lazarus and the rich man.

The year 1980 was critical. At that time nations such as Sweden and Japan began asking questions about economic inequities. Ratios between the wages of workers and executives were considered. In Sweden the ratio settled in at 8-1. In Japan, where worker/shareholders are common, the ratio became 16-1. In the United States the right to attain unlimited wealth triumphed. The top federal income tax was lowered from 70 percent to 28 percent. The ratio between earnings of workers and executives quickly rose to 145-1. That ratio is modest compared to 2008. By 1990 the top one-fifth of the American population was receiving more than 50 percent of the nation’s income and held more than three-quarters of the nation’s wealth. In the past eight years, all of the economic growth in the United States has ended up on the balance sheets of the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans.

Our churches are an embarrassment to Jesus. On issues of economics and wealth, our pulpits are and will remain silent. The rich and powerful assassinated Jesus for speaking out. Just now it is not easy for preachers to tell their wealthiest members that they are going to hell.

The Rev. Howard Bess is pastor emeritus of Church of the Covenant, an American Baptist church in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.