Why Are There So Many Poor Christians?

By Author: Jim DeSantis
Total Articles: 103
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The opening headline of this article asks a question, a question that arose in a forum. The writer went on to claim that "most Christians are poor". On what is this statement based? Is it true?

Most Christians I know are not poor. Now, I do not attend a well-heeled church and I am not hanging around only with rich Christians. I flatly reject the "poor Christians" statement based upon my training and experience as a Pastoral Counselor. Let's look at society as a whole and see if we can find the truth.

Jesus did say "the poor will be with you always" but he certainly never taught that He wanted Christians to be poor. He, in fact, wore a seamless robe, not a burlap sack with a rope around his waist. That garment was a very expensive garment of the day. It was so valuable that Roman soldiers cast lots (gambled) for it at the base of the Cross. Whether the robe was a gift or He bought it doesn't matter. It was His. He owned it.

His ministry had money too. Judas was the Treasurer.

His exchange with the Rich Man was a teaching about not allowing riches to be the most important thing in our lives. He was ...
... not saying only poor people get into heaven.

Just before He fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes a disciple asked - "Should we go into town and buy food for all these people"? The crowd numbered 5,000 - plus women and children. How much would that have cost His ministry? If He was poor, why would the disciple even ask such a question?

Jesus believed in paying His taxes. When a disciple asked if they should pay the tax, He said: "Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and render unto God what is God's". To top it off, He plucked a gold coin from a fish's mouth to pay the tax. Maybe we can't do such a miracle but we can watch how we spend our money so we never become a poor Christian!

Remember that God created everything. This includes gold, silver, precious gems, and black gold (oil). The Bible says God "owns the cattle on a thousand hills". Christians are adopted into God's family so we are heirs to God's abundance.

The Garden of Eden had tremendous wealth in it for the use of Adam and Eve. They wanted for nothing.

Now, let us take this out of the realm of Christianity and look at the society as a whole. Most people are middle-to-upper class financially in the U.S. This includes Christians among them. How many people who go bankrupt each year do you suppose are Christians? Does anyone know? I doubt it.

The divorce rate is about 50% in the U.S. general population. It is also about 50% among people claiming to be Christians.

No matter what guide you use, Christians are no better off, or worse off, than the general population. The statistics are the same because Christians are just people with all the frailties that go with being a human being. You can throw Jews, Hindu's, Islamists, and atheists into this financial mix as well. A religious label, or lack of one, has nothing to do with rich or poor. Poverty is blind to its victims.

If your guide for being rich is based upon having a lot of money, and you are not in the top 5% of the population in your country, you are poor by that standard. If your guide for being rich is a great quality-of-life, only you know if you are rich or poor.

I must say it drives me a little crazy to see a junker car with a Jesus bumper sticker puffing smoke and it clatters down the street. But, is the driver of that escapee from a junkyard poor or is he happy with his life? Only he knows. Who are we to judge?

This whole issue was raised in a thread on a forum that I participate in. I immediately saw the writer's mind on this. He thinks that Christians should all be rich and none should ever be poor. It was clear he had not studied the Bible. If he had, the thread would never have been started by him.

Yours for Blessings in Life!
Jim DeSantis

P.S. - Please forward this article to someone who may benefit from it.
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Jim DeSantis is a veteran Journalist providing trusted information on Spiritual matters. He has also earned degrees in Pastoral Counseling and Christian Theology. Click here to go to Jim's Blog for lots of free resources and links to gaining a deeper spiritual life.