| Surely, Not All Evils!(circa 2000)St.
| |
| | excess of greed can be
|
| Paul wrote a letter to a young Christian,
| |
| | tolerated by any church in the world. As
|
| and said that the
| |
| | long as you don't
|
| root of all evil is the love of money.
| |
| | break a short list of other rules, you
|
| (I Timothy 6:10) This is
| |
| | can swim in all the
|
| an amazing claim.Perhaps too much love
| |
| | diamonds you like, and just between you
|
| for too much money we could go
| |
| | and me, the more
|
| along with, or perhaps we could agree
| |
| | diamonds you have, the more profusely
|
| that it is the cause of
| |
| | they will welcome
|
| some evils... maybe even a lot of evils.
| |
| | you! It is precisely because of this
|
| But to just come right
| |
| | unwillingness to forsake
|
| out and say that all love for any amount
| |
| | wealth and to attack greed, that the
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| of money is the
| |
| | church has been largely
|
| cause of all evils is a bit much for
| |
| | ineffectual in saving the world. Love of
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| most people to take.You only need to
| |
| | money in the world
|
| quote the verse as it is written, to get
| |
| | has caused wars, exploited the poor, led
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| a
| |
| | to drug trafficking,
|
| reaction from the average churchgoer.
| |
| | corrupted politicians, and much more.
|
| Try it, and see if they
| |
| | And love of money in
|
| don't say something like, "It's the love
| |
| | the church has made the church virtually
|
| of money, mind you,
| |
| | useless in
|
| not money itself." They then go on to
| |
| | changing present trends away from God.
|
| tell you how they know
| |
| | Daily, the world
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| of a lot of rich people who have
| |
| | grows richer materially, but it also
|
| accomplished a lot for God.What is
| |
| | grows daily more and
|
| happening when they respond like this?
| |
| | more destitute spiritually.In the middle
|
| Let's
| |
| | of the Sermon on the Mount, and in the
|
| change the issue slightly to make it
| |
| | middle
|
| clearer. Suppose
| |
| | of his discourse on greed, Jesus said,
|
| someone says that drug addiction is
| |
| | "The eyes are like a
|
| ruining Western
| |
| | lamp for the body. If your eyes are
|
| society, and a reaction comes back,
| |
| | clear, your whole body will
|
| stating that it's not the
| |
| | be full of light; but if your eyes are
|
| drugs themselves, but addiction that is
| |
| | bad, your body will be in
|
| the problem.
| |
| | darkness. So if the light in you turns
|
| Suppose they go on to inform you that
| |
| | out to be darkness, how
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| they know of many
| |
| | terribly dark it will be!" (Matthew
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| people who take drugs regularly, but
| |
| | 6:22-23, TEV) In other
|
| that they are confident
| |
| | words, if the church, and individual
|
| that these friends are not addicted, and
| |
| | Christians cannot get it
|
| that taking drugs
| |
| | clear with regard to his teachings on
|
| does not affect their ability to live a
| |
| | money, then Jesus is
|
| happy, normal life. Why
| |
| | saying that they will not only be
|
| do you suppose the person would react in
| |
| | useless, but they will be
|
| such a way?
| |
| | seen as contributors to the "terrible
|
| There is a line from Shakespeare which
| |
| | darkness" that the world
|
| says, "Me thinks
| |
| | is in today.I have found that this
|
| thou dost protest too much." In other
| |
| | teaching on money is the key to
|
| words, when someone
| |
| | understanding all of life. It is in this
|
| feels heavily convicted by the truth in
| |
| | same chapter that Jesus
|
| a statement, they tend
| |
| | makes reference to King Solomon, who was
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| to overreact, and this overreaction (or
| |
| | believed to
|
| "protesting" too much)
| |
| | have been the wisest person on earth
|
| actually gives away their guilt.Modern
| |
| | when he was alive.Jesus says that
|
| Bible translators have had a problem with
| |
| | Solomon, with all his riches, was not
|
| this
| |
| | clothed as beautifully as God has
|
| verse, because they know it is offensive
| |
| | clothed the flowers of the
|
| to most church
| |
| | fields.In another place (Matthew 12:42)
|
| people. The King James Version
| |
| | he refers to a story that is
|
| faithfully expresses the
| |
| | recorded in the tenth chapter of I
|
| thought of the passage. The original
| |
| | Kings, when he says that
|
| Greek does say that
| |
| | the Queen of Sheba travelled halfway
|
| greed is the source of all evils. So how
| |
| | around the world to
|
| could the translators
| |
| | hear the wisdom of Solomon, and yet "one
|
| soften it and still avoid being accused
| |
| | greater than
|
| of distorting the
| |
| | Solomon is here". There is, in accepting
|
| original message? The Bible Society came
| |
| | this teaching of
|
| up with an
| |
| | Jesus about money, the key to
|
| ingenious solution for the Today's
| |
| | discovering wisdom that
|
| English Version. They
| |
| | Solomon barely scratched the surface
|
| wrote: "The love of money is a source of
| |
| | of.The final book of the Bible continues
|
| all kinds of evil."
| |
| | with the theme of good
|
| Apart from the dishonest use of the word
| |
| | and evil. It describes evil as a
|
| "a", they have
| |
| | Prostitute (Revelation 17:5)
|
| technically used the word "all". The
| |
| | and good as a Bride (Revelation 19:7).
|
| problem is that they have
| |
| | Both women give
|
| used it in a phrase which has an
| |
| | what our modern society has come to call
|
| idiomatic meaning that is
| |
| | "love", but one
|
| rarely taken literally. "All kinds of"
| |
| | does it freely, while the other does it
|
| just means "lots". It does
| |
| | for money.Artists commonly refer to
|
| not mean "all" at all.Surely, if greed
| |
| | "prostituting" themselves if they let
|
| is the root cause of all other evils,
| |
| | greed influence their work. And each of
|
| then it
| |
| | us does the same
|
| should be the fundamental target of any
| |
| | thing when we use the life and gifts
|
| campaign to bring
| |
| | that God has given us,
|
| righteousness to the world. It stands to
| |
| | to make money rather than using it to
|
| reason that if we
| |
| | freely share him and
|
| could rid the world of the root of all
| |
| | his message of faith and love with the
|
| evil, then the eventual
| |
| | rest of the world.The Prostitute is given
|
| consequence would be a world without any
| |
| | a name. She is called "Babylon". The
|
| evil in it at all.
| |
| | name symbolises all of the worldly
|
| But where is the church, denomination,
| |
| | empires of human
|
| or religion that is
| |
| | history. Babylon in particular is most
|
| waging such a campaign against greed?
| |
| | famous for having
|
| The truth is that
| |
| | invented money. They did not invent
|
| the entire topic of greed, and
| |
| | greed, because greed
|
| especially greedy people
| |
| | existed even in the days of bartering,
|
| (presumably the rich) get very light
| |
| | but they did invent a
|
| treatment from religions
| |
| | much more efficient way for people to
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| everywhere.But let us start by taking
| |
| | satisfy their greed.Gold coins were the
|
| the more popular approach to this
| |
| | first form of money, but it has evolved
|
| passage, which is that for one reason or
| |
| | through various forms over the
|
| another, Paul
| |
| | centuries, as the rich have
|
| never intended to say what he is
| |
| | become more and more rich.The Revelation
|
| recorded as having said in
| |
| | also compares God to a "Lamb" that loses
|
| I Timothy 6:10. Let us assume that the
| |
| | its life to save the world (Revelation
|
| love of money (while
| |
| | 5:6). The antithesis of
|
| harmful if overdone) isn't all that bad,
| |
| | this poor slain lamb is a warring
|
| and certainly is not the
| |
| | "Beast". The Beast is
|
| cause of all the problems in the world.
| |
| | represented by a "Mark", which will
|
| Let us assume that
| |
| | eventually be placed on
|
| the I Timothy 6:10 passage slipped into
| |
| | the back of everyone's hand or on their
|
| the Bible by
| |
| | forehead, and
|
| mistake, or that it was placed there by
| |
| | without which they will not be able to
|
| an overzealous monk
| |
| | buy or sell (Revelation
|
| in the very early days of the church.If
| |
| | 13:16-18). This is the ultimate step in
|
| that is so, then we would expect the
| |
| | the evolution of
|
| subject to be dropped.
| |
| | money, and it was prophesied in the
|
| We should not be bothered by other
| |
| | Bible almost 2,000
|
| passages promoting
| |
| | years ago!It is gradually becoming
|
| such an extreme teaching. We would
| |
| | common knowledge that the world
|
| certainly not find
| |
| | is just about at that point in history
|
| Jesus or the apostles teaching such
| |
| | when the prophesied
|
| nonsense. The battle
| |
| | Mark will be put into worldwide
|
| between good and evil for them would be
| |
| | circulation, in the form of a
|
| more of one
| |
| | microchip implant on the back of the
|
| between God and the devil, perhaps with
| |
| | hand (or on the
|
| something like
| |
| | forehead if your hand has been
|
| pride or a lust for power (and not
| |
| | amputated). People will be
|
| greed) being the real
| |
| | able to wave their hand in front of a
|
| source of evil in the world.In the
| |
| | scanner to electronically
|
| gospels, Jesus tells us that we have a
| |
| | transfer funds from one account to
|
| choice
| |
| | another in the fast
|
| between good and evil, and we cannot
| |
| | approaching "cashless society". This is
|
| "serve" both
| |
| | not fanatical raving.
|
| "masters". The picture is that of an
| |
| | It is all coming together right now. You
|
| employee, or servant,
| |
| | can read about it
|
| trying to work for two employers or
| |
| | almost anywhere in the secular Press.The
|
| bosses at the same time.Presumably one
| |
| | Bible says that anyone who accepts that
|
| employer would be God, and the other
| |
| | Mark will be
|
| would be the Devil. Right? But no, that
| |
| | eternally damned. (Revelation 14:9-10)So
|
| is not how Jesus
| |
| | is the church concerned about it? Are
|
| describes them. He does say that one
| |
| | meetings being
|
| employer is God, but
| |
| | held to adjust their financial structure
|
| he says that the other employer is (wait
| |
| | in order to survive
|
| for it) money, or
| |
| | without taking it? Of course not. In
|
| "mammon" (mammon is a term for money
| |
| | fact, if the subject comes
|
| which also
| |
| | up at all, it is quickly followed by
|
| includes the material things that money
| |
| | arguments in favour of the
|
| can buy). Jesus
| |
| | Mark, and against those who see it as
|
| says that we cannot work for God and
| |
| | evil. The root of all
|
| work for money at the
| |
| | evil is leading the institutional church
|
| same time. (Matthew 6:24, and Luke
| |
| | straight into the hands
|
| 16:13) How amazing!
| |
| | of the Prince of Darkness himself, and
|
| He goes on to say that we are going to
| |
| | all it took was the
|
| end up despising or
| |
| | love of money to do it.There is an
|
| hating one employer or the other.
| |
| | interesting little note in the passage
|
| Between this approach
| |
| | from The
|
| and the one taken by Paul, there is no
| |
| | Revelation about the Mark of the Beast.
|
| room left for a person
| |
| | It says, "Here is
|
| to be neutral, either with regard to God
| |
| | wisdom. Let him that hath understanding
|
| or with regard to
| |
| | count the number
|
| money. We are going to end up loving one
| |
| | of the Beast, for it is the number of a
|
| and hating the
| |
| | man, and his number
|
| other. It's not a matter of loving one
| |
| | is 666." (Revelation 13:18)Here is
|
| just a little bit more than
| |
| | wisdom. Wisdom has gradually become the
|
| the other, but rather a matter of
| |
| | all-consuming goal of my life, from the
|
| putting them on opposite
| |
| | time that I first heard
|
| ends of the spectrum.One is going to be
| |
| | about King Solomon being given one
|
| our god, and the other is going to be our
| |
| | request, and how he
|
|
| |
| | asked for wisdom. I want to know the
|
| worst enemy. We must choose.It is
| |
| | truth. I want to have a
|
| consistent with the picture of one
| |
| | sincere heart. I want to hunger and
|
| employee trying to
| |
| | thirst after
|
| work for two employers at the same time.
| |
| | righteousness. I want wisdom. And so
|
| The employee is
| |
| | this passage tells
|
| obviously going to have to cheat one
| |
| | me that I should seek to understand the
|
| employer in order to
| |
| | meaning of the
|
| turn up at work for the other. His or
| |
| | number 666 if I wish to have it.I
|
| her "hate" for the cheated
| |
| | decided to get a huge Bible concordance
|
| employer will take the form of trying to
| |
| | and see if the
|
| rip off wages for
| |
| | number 666 appears anywhere else in the
|
| something that he or she is not entitled
| |
| | Bible. I found
|
| to.Could it be that many religious people
| |
| | that it does. The number 666 appears in
|
| are trying to rip off, or
| |
| | only one other
|
| claim something from God (eternal life)
| |
| | place, and that, strangely enough, is
|
| when they are not
| |
| | the very same chapter
|
| really entitled to it? The immediate
| |
| | that Jesus was referring to when he
|
| argument that we face
| |
| | talked about having
|
| with regard to such a question is the
| |
| | greater wisdom than Solomon. It is in I
|
| widespread belief
| |
| | Kings 10:14.This is the chapter that
|
| amongst professing Christians that we do
| |
| | tells us that the Queen of Sheba
|
| not have to do
| |
| | brought many gifts to Solomon, in
|
| anything to be entitled to eternal life.
| |
| | exchange for hearing his
|
| Salvation, they say, is
| |
| | wisdom. Others also came bearing gifts.
|
| our "right"; we're entitled to it,
| |
| | And in one year,
|
| whether or not we ever turn up
| |
| | Solomon received 666 talents of gold as
|
| for work.But this is totally false. When
| |
| | payment for
|
| questioned more closely, they
| |
| | hearing his wisdom. See, Solomon had a
|
| will all admit that salvation only comes
| |
| | wisdom of sorts,
|
| through faith. And
| |
| | but then he used it to make money. Jesus
|
| almost all of them will say that this
| |
| | had greater
|
| faith must be placed in
| |
| | wisdom, which saw through the money
|
| Jesus Christ. So how much faith do they
| |
| | myth. He saw that
|
| have in what Jesus
| |
| | love for money was the root of all
|
| has said about working for God in
| |
| | evil.My search for wisdom had started
|
| preference to working for
| |
| | with Solomon; but it had
|
| money? For that matter, how much faith
| |
| | taken me full circle back to Solomon.
|
| do they have in
| |
| | And the paradox is
|
| anything that Jesus instructed his
| |
| | that, on returning to Solomon, I
|
| followers to do?Jesus said that unless we
| |
| | discovered that he was the
|
| stop working for mammon, or
| |
| | counterfeit of the real thing. There is
|
| material wealth (John 6:27) and start
| |
| | something better than
|
| working for him
| |
| | Solomon, and it is the teachings of
|
| (Matthew 11:29) we will be regarded as
| |
| | Jesus. The teachings of
|
| an employee who
| |
| | Jesus tell me that 666 talents of gold
|
| has tried to rip off the most powerful
| |
| | is worthless (whether
|
| Employer in the
| |
| | it is in goods, gold ingots, cash,
|
| Universe. He said to stop worrying about
| |
| | cheques, stocks, or
|
| food and clothes,
| |
| | e-money), that faith in God and a
|
| and how we are going to get them
| |
| | handful of wild flowers is
|
| (Matthew 6:25-33), and
| |
| | worth more than all of this. The
|
| seek first to build God's multinational
| |
| | teachings of Jesus tell me
|
| kingdom of love
| |
| | that I could have all the wealth of the
|
| instead. He said that, if we will do
| |
| | world, be a powerful
|
| that, God himself will take
| |
| | king, have women circling the globe to
|
| care of our material needs. He said that
| |
| | listen to me, and still
|
| we should forsake
| |
| | I would have nothing if I would not
|
| all of our material wealth if we want to
| |
| | follow God. The teachings
|
| be one of his
| |
| | of Jesus tell me that the relatively
|
| disciples. (Luke 14:33)So what has the
| |
| | short history of the human
|
| church done with these and other specific
| |
| | race has been little more than an
|
|
| |
| | experiment, to see
|
| instructions about challenging the root
| |
| | whether we would spend our lives working
|
| of all evil? They have
| |
| | for the source of
|
| told us that all of these teachings of
| |
| | all goodness or whether we would spend
|
| Jesus and Paul mean
| |
| | our lives working
|
| little more than that we should try to
| |
| | for the root of all evil. Our eternal
|
| moderate our greed. It's
| |
| | destiny rests on which
|
| okay to spend your life making money if
| |
| | "master" we chose to work for.What I
|
| you are doing it for
| |
| | have covered in this article has been the
|
| your family, and if you don't engage in
| |
| | root of all
|
| anything immoral or
| |
| | evil, and the "key" to destroying it.
|
| illegal to do so, and if you make a
| |
| | There is so much more
|
| point of giving a
| |
| | that could be said. But none of it will
|
| percentage of it to the church.
| |
| | do us any good unless
|
| "Forsaking" wealth, they say,
| |
| | we are prepared to act on the truth of
|
| just means sharing a bit of it with the
| |
| | what Jesus has said.
|
| right people from time
| |
| | Our talk about faith and love and
|
| to time.There is a kind of mythical
| |
| | sincerity all crumbles into
|
| image in the churches of an
| |
| | meaningless babble unless we are
|
| incredibly greedy person who swims in
| |
| | prepared, in obedience
|
| pools full of
| |
| | to the Creator of the Universe, to turn
|
| diamonds and rubs money all over himself
| |
| | loose of our wealth
|
| or herself as an
| |
| | and dedicate our lives to helping others
|
| act of worship. Church people know that
| |
| | and obeying God...
|
| they should not
| |
| | without thought for food or
|
| want to be like that person.On the other
| |
| | clothing.Dave McKay and his wife Cherry
|
| hand, is there a record anywhere in the
| |
| | are co-founders of the
|
| history
| |
| | Jesus Christian communities, with bases
|
| of the entire institutional church (of
| |
| | in Australia,
|
| all denominations) of
| |
| | England, Kenya, and the U.S. The
|
| anyone ever being excommunicated because
| |
| | community aims to take
|
| of being too
| |
| | the teachings literally in the modern
|
| greedy?The truth is that absolutely any
| |
| | world.
|
