Preachers and their $5,000 sneakers

I don't even know what to say about this article. Lord have mercy.

HT: Amy Downey

Paying Taxes in Biblical Times

Livia Gershon talks about the process of paying taxes in biblical times here.

Treasure in Heaven

Peter Leithart has some interesting comments here on the meaning of the phrase "treasure in heaven" (Matt 19:21).

The Bible, Taxes, and Urine?

The Bible contains a number of "tax" related passages including Matthew 22:16-22 in which Jesus referred to a denarius and famously said, "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." One can be thankful that our Lord used a coin and not some other things that have been taxed throughout history, including urine. See this article in National Geographic.

Usury in the Bible

Ian Paul has an interested post here on the biblical teaching concerning usury.

The Growing Seminary Debt Problem

See this article on the growing problem of seminary debt. I am so thankful that I was able to finish seminary without any debt.

HT: Steve Lemke

When Churches Face Foreclosure

This is an interesting article related to the challenges from the lender's side to foreclose on a church.
 

Pastoral Salary Cap?

  
Joe Wooddell has an interesting post on pastoral salaries here. The problem is that  the Bible does not appear to address the issue directly. That being said, I think that it is generally unwise and unhealthy for a pastors to make significantly more than the average member of their church. But I acknowledge that there could be exceptions to this and a variety of factors may need to be taken into consideration.
  

Proverbs on Money and Possessions

  
See this post by Kevin DeYoung.
 

Economic Challenges for Some Churches

  
See this Wallstreet Journal story on the challenges faced by some churches who are struggling to pay their mortgages.
 

Review of The Gospel-Filled Wallet

The Gospel-Filled Wallet by Jeff Weddle is a short, but thought-provoking, examination of materialism in general and money in particular. The strengths of the book include its readability (Jeff knows how to turn a phrase) and its unflinching commitment to having a biblical perspective on the topic at hand. I also appreciated the refreshing perspective provided by The Gospel-Filled Wallet. As Weddle notes, much of what is published at the popular-level concerning Christians and money tends to relate to how you can biblically make money and how to keep more of what you make. Instead, Weddle seeks to point out the inherent dangers of materialism and therefore how to keep less for ourselves and spend/give away more. His section on how to spend money biblically (pp. 56–63) is particularly helpful in this regard.

I think it is also worth pointing out what this book is not. The Gospel-Filled Wallet is not really a developed biblical theology of materialism, finances, or money. Although the book is filled with scriptural references (by the way, a Scripture index would be nice) the exposition of individual passages is relatively brief. This may be due to the nature of the study and to space limitations, or both. There is also some lack of synthesis of the material found in the individual passages. For example, one wonders about the larger debate in Christendom about the issue of tithing or not. I would have also appreciated seeing how the author relates passages in the Proverbs that seem to deal with material wealth and as good and desirable to his thesis. Indeed, there is precious little examination of passages in the Old Testament. This is problematic for at least three reasons. First, the Old Testament is about two thirds of our Bible and contains much in regards to materialism and money. Second, the authors and characters in the New Testament, including Jesus, did not approach materialism or money tabula rasa, but one presumes that their views would have been developed from their Bible, the Old Testament. So to understand more fully their perspective, you would need to understand the Old Testament perspective(s). Third, the lack of Old Testament material undermines the sub-title of the book, that this book is an examination of what the Bible really says about money. You cannot really claim to talk about what the Bible says if you ignore a good portion of what the Bible actually says. In sum, I would have appreciated a bit more of a nuanced discussion of the biblical material and more recognition of the genuine tension of what the Scriptures teach about materialism and money.

But criticisms aside, Weddle is to be commended for taking on a challenging and controversial topic head-on with an approach that many would consider counter-intuitive or dead wrong. The Gospel-Filled Wallet is Weddle’s biblical version of an “inconvenient truth.” If a book worthy of being read is one in which both your head and heart have been challenged, then The Gospel-Filled Wallet is worthy of our prayerful consideration.

Much thanks to Milton Stanley at Transforming Publishing for the review copy.

Jeff Weddle on The Gospel-Filled Wallet

The Gospel-Filled Wallet by Jeff Weddle is the first offering from Transforming Publishing, a brand-new publishing effort started by Milton Stanley, a fellow blogger over at Transforming Sermons. I hope to post a review of The Gospel-Filled Wallet next week, but for now I offer you an interview with the author Jeff Weddle. Jeff describes himself as a husband of one wife, the father of three children, a pastor of Rhinelander Bible Church, a freelance writer, a professional cleaner, and a Bible reader and increasingly also a doer.

Question: How did The Gospel-Filled Wallet come about?

In recent years I have helped many people move and seen several people die. The observations of the accumulation of stuff and the amount of life it wastes began to gnaw at me. As I read the Bible, I saw a consistent message that backed up my observations: stuff does not help; it only hinders. I became fascinated by the Bible's consistent message on the dangers of money and possessions.

Question: Why did you write The Gospel-Filled Wallet?

There is almost a complete lack of attention in the modern church to the Bible's warnings about materialism. I thought I could do my part to warn professed believers about the dangers of worldliness and its inevitable effects on their faith

Question: What is the main thesis of the book?

Money will ruin your faith, so get rid of it biblically and quickly.

Question: Who do you think should read this book?

Anyone who wants to know how the Gospel will influence your monetary habits.

Question: What do you hope to accomplish through this book?

I hope to cause Believers to carefully think about their money, possessions and the Gospel. I hope to convict the reader about how they spend money. I desire to see the Gospel demonstrated more in Believers' spending habits. In the end, this book was written for me, to convict me and get my priorities straight. If it helps anyone else, that is only a bonus of God's grace.

Too Rich for Heaven?

ChristianHistory.net has posted an interesting article by Brian Matz entitled "Can You Be Too Rich for Heaven? How the early Christians explained Mark 10:21."

Witherington on Paul's View of Money, Ministry, and Work

Ben Witherington has a lengthy blog post on Paul's View of Money, Ministry, and Work. See it here.