More Money Doesn't Solve All Problems

I listened to a talk on the importance of giving yesterday. The speaker- a top leader in evangelical Christian circles- was imploring his audience to be generous with financial giving. This is a good thing- I am thinking to myself. But then he made a statement that I have problems with. He said something to the effect that God only blesses the money that we give and not the money we save or spend on ourselves.

I hope the speaker said that without thinking through the implications of what he was saying. Biblical stewardship is all encompassing. God cares about and will bless equally money that is saved, spent or given if it is done for His glory. Money is not to be hoarded. But God is most concerned with transforming our hearts not making us better givers. Generous giving is a result of heart transformation, but it is just one aspect of stewardship.

The comment by the speaker is indicative of a mindset that separates the sacred from the secular. Instead, Christians should view all of life as sacred. Paul tells us, "whatever you do, do all for the glory of God"- 1 Corinthians 10:32. The key is to reform what is ugly, wasteful and unproductive and make it beautiful, useful and productive.

Unfortunately, I believe this is a common mindset in churches and society in general. The mindset is that problems will be solved by more money. There are plenty of examples of how this is not true in our world.

Exhibit #1: Homelessness in San Francisco.

No city is more "compassionate" towards the homeless than San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle estimated that $24,000 per year is spent per homeless person. Cash is handed out no questions asked. What has been the result of this? More homelessness. More crime. The homeless that are out of work but motivated to work usually get back on their feet for less than $3000. The percentage that are mentally ill pose a problem that requires longer-term strategy and solutions. But the vast majority of homeless according to the San Francisco Chronicle are drug and alcohol addicts. More money for them has not helped them or the homeless problem in San Francisco. More money in the hands of poor stewards leads to more problems.

Exhibit #2: Education in America.

John Stossel has done some excellent pieces on 20/20 exposing the problems in the US public school system due to a lack of healthy competition. Money per student has doubled since 1971 and the quality of education is declining. Ben Chavis used to be a public school principal and now runs a charter school in Oakland, California. This charter school has gone from one of the worst to the best in the city in test scores, student discipline and other measurable methods. This has been done despite spending thousands less per student than the public schools. Chavis laughs when the public schools complain about funding. "That is the biggest lie in America. They waste money," he says. Chavis has his students do the janitorial work to save money so that money can be spent on hiring good teachers. Money in the hands of good stewards can stretch a long ways. More money in the hands of poor stewards leads to more problems.

Exhibit #3: Health care.

A Boston University 2005 research report estimates that 50% of the money spent on health care in America is wasted- through bureaucratic administrative costs, unnecessary spending, theft and fraud. Around $2 trillion is spent on health care in America annually. About 70% of this is spent on chronic care mostly related to cancers and heart problems. Some cancers and heart problems are unavoidable. But many are the result of preventable behaviors- drug, alcohol and tobacco use; poor dietary habits and a lack of exercise. More money in the hands of poor stewards of these health care issues leads to more problems.

The church is no different. Leaders often plead for more money. I don't mean to imply that all this money is wasted. But a lot of it is. Stewardship and reform is what is truly needed in society including the church.

All Christians should have a plan for giving. Giving should be prayerful and increasingly generous. But it should also be thoughtful and productive. We should strive to get the maximum amount of resources in the hands of the best stewards. If you are giving to large organizations, there is a useful resource at http://ministrywatch.com.

If you are concentrating giving on smaller organizations or local churches, wise discernment is needed. At a minimum, the organization should be transparent with the use of funds. Where there is a lack of transparency, there is corruption nearly every time.

But keep in mind decisions to pay off debt, save, spend on lifestyle and give are all spiritual decisions. All of these decisions should be approached with prayer. And a mindset of seeking to become more frugal towards self and generous towards others so that God can be most glorified.

I remember reading a comment by a missionary in E.M. Bound's Complete Works of Prayer. The missionary said that what was needed first was workers. Second, committed daily prayer for the work of the gospel across the world. Third, money. We often confuse the priorities and place our faith in finances versus the Spirit of God to work.

For the Glory of Christ,

Ashley Hodge