The Virtue of Wealth

   Recently, I've had been in discussions about wealth. Of course, as a Christian, we can easily be tempted to view it as a vice, or a virtue. Some might say, "Well, someone has to finance the work of God." And, to that, I'd reply, "Yes, and it's God."...silently, or in my mind, I'd end with, "...,half-wit". Still, I see Christians more and more obsessed with becoming wealthy, or just working hard to have nice things. A new car, a new home, nice clothes, and nicely groomed kids to show how sinners could become! Of course, this is because, as Jesus was whipping money changers out of the temple, or not having a place to lay his head, he was offering those downtrodden, abused and hungry to "come, follow me, and I'll make you look like the middle-class, or even an aristocrat!" A strange thing to say coming from a first century peasant, but I'm sure Bill O'reilly could clarify this with his book (which I'll never read).
   For many years, I had thought that my dad was a bit of a loser (of course, I had admired him on so many other levels, but his lack of business sense was a bit embarrassing) when I was younger. He had a decent job, and we lived in a suburb, but we didn't have the extra nice things. My clothes weren't from Macys till my late teen years, and usually from money I earned from my job. I had equated my dad's worth with his income. Ironically, I thought he didn't put enough effort into building wealth. "He must've been lazy!" I thought. Still, he had worked absurd amounts of hours. There were times when he had worked three jobs! It didn't add up. To me, growing up thinking that wealth equated to hard work, I saw a contradiction when I saw my dad. He was hardworking, intelligent, and passionate, but he was also broke. It was until recently that I noticed what was the flaw in my thinking: I had understood wealth to become a means to determine virtue.
    We romanticize it. With our pricey lawyers, we can do no wrong! Of course, this is best displayed with the handsome Mr. Grey. He is wealthy, attractive, and perverse! His two virtues excuse him from his perversion; as a matter of fact, it makes him more desirable. Recently, I've read that there were a lot of purchases for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie in the South, the "Bible belt". Some have speculated that this is a result from the oppressive tendencies of Southern culture, and it could be, but I propose that the behavior of eroticism is excused if that person is covered under the blood of wealth. God's blessings are to those who work hard. I keep on hearing that if one is to work hard, then one will receive wealth. Hard work will translate to large sums of money-it's a fact, Jack! Then, we can see the virtue that the rich have. They are overly wealthy, and that justifies their actions; nay, it romanticizes it. Though it seems as though it's a stretch to connect wealth as a virtue to Fifty Shades' acceptance, I find that this meme is appropriate (probably better than this post):