Conservative Mega Churches Embrace Income Inequality

 


We all know Jesus was supposed to have said it is easier to put a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven (Matt 18:24). Today, that passage is null and void. It's now OK to be rich.

A study of sermons in mega churches, mostly in one but the pattern seems broader, found many that approved of being rich. Even though the congregation of the studied church was not wealthy, preachers wanted to be sure the wealthy would pass through the eye of the needle.

I've read that money, especially being rich, is discussed in the Bible for than any other topic. While no doubt there are conflicting messages about wealth, the over-riding lesson is that money plays with the heads of people and the kindest of all people are those that give it away. When it comes to "obeying what's in the Bible" or "basing our denomination or church on the Bible" it is never about money. Readers know about the many denominations that have seen a group break away over homosexuality, not money. 

The link mentions messages about the poor. For some mega churches the poor are an unfortunate lot but really not the fault of Christians.

Of course, no church that advocated what Jesus demanded, that the rich give away their money, could survive. Those in the pews do not intend to give away all their money and do not want to hear sermons telling them to do this. 




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