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by
Doug Ward |
Since the Bible has much to say about money and wealth, sermons are often given
on these topics. Seldom, though, are such sermons given by professional
economists. Could there be some "value added" if a sermon on wealth
were delivered by an economist?
On
April 13, 2025, those in attendance at Oxford Bible Fellowship in Oxford, Ohio,
learned an answer to this question when they were privileged to hear a
distinguished economist give a sermon on Christian stewardship. The speaker was
Kenneth Elzinga, the Robert C. Taylor Chair of Economics at the University of
Virginia. Elzinga is a legendary lecturer whose economics classes always draw
large enrollments. His remarkable academic career has spanned nearly six
decades.
Dr.
Elzinga shared some unique insights in his message. For example, he commented
that the familiar parable of the good Samaritan (Lk 10) might also be called
the parable of the well-to-do Samaritan. For the Samaritan to be able to take
care of the injured man in the parable, he needed to possess sufficient wealth.
Elzinga
used the parable to motivate the equation
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If
one has compassion but lacks the means to give, he will be frustrated. If, on
the other hand, one has the capacity to give but lacks compassion, then he is
like the rich young ruler of Mark 10:17-22, who was saddened when Jesus
instructed him to give away his wealth. The Samaritan, who had both compassion
and capacity, combined these qualities to demonstrate love.
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The
Nature of Stewardship |
Dr. Elzinga observed that "stewardship" has become a buzzword in
Christian circles that is often misused. Discussions of the topic tend to
revolve around the question of deciding what percentage we should donate of a
body of wealth that we own and control. Instead, he said, a steward is one who
manages the resources of another, and is accountable to the owner for how well
the resources are managed. We should remember that all of our wealth is a gift
from God.
Elzinga
recalled a student who had an exemplary attitude toward giving. Tim, an
undergraduate at the University of Virginia, was poorer than most students. In
fact, Tim could not afford to go home for spring break. When the Elzingas heard
at one point that Tim's car had died, they anonymously donated some money for
him to replace the car. When Tim managed to learn the source of the donation,
he wanted to return the money. Elzinga asked Tim what he would have done with
the money if it were not possible for him to return it. Tim replied that he
wished he had some money to donate to Christian missions.
Elzinga
added that we tend to think of making donations as a vertical relationship,
with the giver standing above the recipient. In this model the recipient is
beholden to the giver and may feel under pressure to justify how the donation
is used.
Instead,
he said, we should think of the relationship between a donor and a recipient as
horizontal, in that each needs the other. Donors need recipients in order to
thwart the sin of acquisitiveness and remember how generous God is. Recipients
help donors to use their money well. In this connection he cited John MacArthur
to the effect that giving is not a way of raising money, but of raising
children.
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Becoming
Cheerful Givers |
Dr. Elzinga argued that management of finances is an important part of
Christian discipleship. Here he cited Martin Luther, who said that a Christian should
experience three conversions--of the heart, the mind, and the pocketbook. He
also quoted Tom Skinner, who stated, "If I want to know whether someone is
serious about following Jesus, show me his checkbook and his pocket
calendar." A person's use of money, said Richard C. Halverson, is an index
to that person's true character.
Elzinga
recommended that one begin by learning to contribute a tenth of one's gross
income. He was given this advice by a Christian colleague early in his career,
and he had found that it worked well. He cited statistics estimating that
self-described evangelical Christians, on average, only donate four per cent of
their incomes.
He
went on to advise that we take humanity's fallen condition into account when
considering how much to give. All of us, he said, have a tendency toward
stinginess. To offset this tendency, we should estimate our personal "sin
bias coefficients." In computing how much to give, we should then take the
amount we are initially inclined to give and multiply it by that coefficient.
For example, if our coefficient is two and our initial inclination is to donate
fifty dollars, then we should donate a hundred.
People
can have many motives in making donations, Elzinga noted, not all of them good
ones. We may give out of a sense of duty, a desire to obey, sympathy, or
self-righteousness. The biblical ideal, however, is for us to become cheerful
givers (2 Co 9:6-7). He said that he was once asked if he had ever seen a
miracle. He replied that his being transformed into a cheerful giver was the
greatest miracle he had experienced. He closed his inspiring message with the
wish we would all encounter the God who would make us cheerful givers.
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On 03 Jul 2025, 15:09.
