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Prosperity is Toxic for Christianity
| Mat 13:22 He
also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the
word, and he becometh unfruitful.
Most are familiar with the corrosive and destructive forces that
operate in the realm of Hollywood celebrity and rock music prominence.
Most of us simply dismiss those who succumb to excesses as just weak or
of fragile character. We often think this would never happen to us even
while we are so consumed with chasing after the things of this life, we
can fall into the same snares.
Perhaps it is the theory of evolution that has caused many to think of
humanity as on the leading edge of an immanent utopia. Thinking of
ourselves as just a few steps away from perfection is certainly an
appealing delusion. As recently as the 1950s and early 1960s the life
of debauchery described in the Roman book Satyicon would have been
thought a work of depraved fiction. However, today one can see that
most everything described is generally considered acceptable.
The world promotes the idea that pleasure and feeling good is our
highest and best aspiration. It is common to ask if there is a God, why
he would allow suffering. He not only allows it but caused some of it.
The curse he put on the ground after Adam and Eve sinned was
insufficient to prevent humans from having every imagination of their
heart only evil continuously (Gen 6:5). With the flood he made a sort
of reset making our lives shorter, susceptible to disease and genetic
limitations, as well as environmental changes such as winter and
drought. As a result humans would discover that they needed to suppress
enough of our natural selfishness so that we could care for each other
and even be interested in God. Without difficulty it is our nature to
destroy ourselves and others
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, life has gotten increasingly
easier and more comfortable. This has allowed historically
unprecedented levels of indulgence, perversion, and dissipation. In the
past it was usually only kings and aristocracy that could indulge such
delusions. Their foolish delusions often lead to neglect of the states
they were to administer then invasions and poverty usually brought and
end to their foolishness.
Most who claim to be Christian have inherited a particular Christian
tradition and may not even know that to be a Christian is to trust in
the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to pay for our sins.
However, while trusting in Jesus does give us eternal life, by itself
it does not overcome our natural selfish self-destructiveness. Many
called Christian struggle with the same delusions of those in the world
because of their lack of maturity. As a result, they struggle with the
same consequences. Seeking after the same wealth, fame, and popularity
as those who do not know Christ poisons a life and if successful,
similarly ruins one.
What makes Christianity unique it that one has the possibility to
escape the destructive grip the world can have on our natural self
through a transformation. This transformation is accomplished as we
choose to stop living for ourselves and start living the selfless love
of Christ. This choice is aided by the work of the Holy Spirit. We have
access to truth, wisdom, and love. There are few who can escape the
damage caused by prosperity. Sadly, many fail to recognize that we are
already “prosperous”. |
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