I'm a bit confused by the blessings/humility conundrum. Are we supposed to ask for material blessings or suffering and poverty as Christians? I'm just very uncomfortable with the mega-church prosperity doctrine image. All these big churches and BMWs while people are poor and hungry, it seems to be similar to the Catholic Church building St. Peter's Basilica while the people were starving. Mother Theresa and the various Christian ascetics over the years, who gave their lives to live in monasteries and help the poor.... these people command so much more respect than Pastor Kong Hee or Joseph Prince or whoever.
Ok i just think it's fundementally wrong for Christians to be so rich. Or, if we were so rich, Christians should stop wondering why people aren't queueing up to convert ...
The irony is that I'm a rich badass myself. Ok not rich, but comfortable.
Well at least I confess that I'm a badass, I don't try to pretend that I'm doing great as a Christian, and come up with some "Prosperity Doctine" rubbish. Prosperity Doctrine is materialism masked in religious terms.
Anyway, on the topic of work and money, people are often enslaved to their work. Work eats up their lives. We should be looking at full lives, not full employment and high grades in school.
www.whywork.org
3 comments:
well,I think God has to send his workers to ALL social-economic classes,poor AND rich.In Sgp,lotsa VJ kids I know pray to do well,get into Ivy Leagues,some Christians do,others don't.God has His way of distributing people across classes,across the board so hopefully the unsaved both poor and rich,get opportunity to be in contact with Christians.
Speakin from experience,the first Christian who lead me to God, was actually a very very rich friend.She lives in a big house opp holland V with BMWs and convertibles,but she still has the earthiness and the humility of a Christian because she understands she is a steward of all she has.
And God said we are justified by His righteousness through FAITH alone.being any poorer or doing more good deeds doesnt make anyone more righteous than the other.Charity motivated by faith is great,but the constant GREED to be sacrificial is VANITY in disguise.
I don't think it's wrong for Christians to be rich,because many of my Christian relatives are,and when I talk to them I know it's their Christian principles that got them where they are today.
Nice church buildings are in vogue in Singapore nowdays,many can atest to that.But God asks us to love your neighbour as you love youself,not love your neighbour and NOT yourself.
"We should be looking at full lives, not full employment and high grades in school."--Great to form yer opinions on this now.I hope when the real world pressure comes,your beliefs won't crumble under their pressure.
Hope yer have a full life,family friends,academics and God to round'em all up.
-karsh
ok i don't want to be academic here but you sound exactly like Martin Luther.
it's interesting to read other Christian perspectives, like from the Anabaptists and Catholics.
ok what i'm saying is that its a bit scary that Luther's doctrine is being fed endlessly in our protestant churches, and we are carbon-copies of his ideas.
not that we can come up with our own doctrines and everything, but do realise that your ideas (which incidentally, are my ideas too since we hail from the same faith background) are but a small speck in the sea of ideas that is Christianity.
i believe that Christ's mysteries cannot be contained in doctrine.
yurp.that true too!
i totally acknowledge yr opinions.and hope mine added a lil' diversity to the debate."we are carbon-copies of his ideas.":sorry,but i clearly know that i am NOT a carbon copy of anyone's ideas and i AM fundamentally aware of the limitations of perspective.
i live knowing i want to own my Truth and not blindly believe in what others say.
Christianity is very much an intellectual idea that applies to the universal,the communal as it is a personal and intimate walk with God.God to me is more than an idea to rationalise,He is someone I love, someone the only One I can wear my heart on my sleeve to.He is someone to be seeked and known,not put in the box of human intepretations.
Thanks.I felt real defensive when I read your reply.but maybe all this is an exercise in humility for me.I haven't read enough about God,i don't know Him as well as I think I do.
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