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):

The Lost Gospel Review

I haven't read the book, and I don't believe I ever will. Not because I refuse to look at an opposing view, but because it seems like a waste of time. As a working-student, I can't afford the time to devote my self to works like this. If I am to read a work, it's to be for my intellectual development, or because I will be genuinely entertained; this book seems to offer neither of those. Hence, I refuse to read it; however, I don't mind reading great reviews of the book! So, here's one from Anthony LeDonne, originally via the Jesus Blog.

"THE LOST GOSPEL is not the worst book ever written. I once attended a party where I was subjected to an excerpt of dinosaur erotica. It was a lovely gathering otherwise, but my ears were assaulted by pages from Taken by the T-Rex. I will say no more for fear that I will corrupt you, gentle reader. The silver lining of my turpid tale is that I now have a new barometer for beastly books. While The Lost Gospel is no match for dinosaur erotica, it is equally daring. ...." 
Here's the link for the rest of it! http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/gronking-jesus/

Violence and the Western Taste

I can't help but be annoyed at our American worship of sports. It's a shame that we, as Americans, celebrate violence, in the name of entertainment, e.g., full contact sports like boxing, or mma. I wonder if we'd consider violence romantic if we lived in Syria, or other countries were violence isn't a spectacle, but a reality. I can see that the spectacle of people beating each other for money could be exciting, but so are so many wrongs. The sadist finds thrills in perversion, and that doesn't justify his actions. Sometimes, I feel that our fascination with violence is part of our gluttonous tendencies. Could a people who have been beaten, raped, harmed or have lost their children to an oppressive hand, find entertainment in the submission of competitors by affliction of pain? I suspect that they won't. I believe that our disassociation with the real cruelties that happen in the world leave us unrealistically hungry to see someone in pain. This, I suspect, is a result of the superfluities of our modern western securities.
-Steven C.