The question of Christianity and its relationship to wealth is a simple one. When I say it is a simple one, I mean insomuch as the answer seems fairly obvious. Based on Scripture and the teachings of the Church, there is a consensus that the Christian is not called to pursue wealth. However, there isn’t strictly a consensus, nor is it explicitly condemned, that the Christian should not participate in actions that create such wealth. Yet this is where the waters began to become murky. Considering we are not all called to Franciscan-like poverty, how do we reconcile the practicalities of our economic lives with the Christian ideal?
Before I go any further, a disclaimer—I realize that there is the very practical aspect of money: everyone needs money to have a roof over their head; a father and mother need money to feed their family; one needs money to function as a human being living in a society. It is for such things that money serves a good and healthy purpose. In other words, no, money is not the root of all evil. Nor am I saying having too much money is something I am concerned with at the moment (my Venmo is…). Nevertheless, it is a great source of temptation, and one which merits our conscientious consideration.
After disclaimers, Scripture is always a good place to start. There are several passages I could use as reference, but I will focus on one of the most pertinent ones to our inquiry. In Matthew 19:16, Jesus is approached by the rich young man. When asked what he must do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus responds “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me,” after which the young rich man goes away sad, for he had many possessions. That the man had many possessions was not the sin so much as it was his possessiveness over them (they, on the contrary, possessed him), since his possessions took primacy over Jesus. In the words of the Church Father, Clement of Alexandria, “The Word does not command us to renounce property but to manage property without inordinate affection.”[i] Specifically in reference to Matthew 19:16, Clement was providing guidance to Christians who interpreted the passage of the young, rich man too literally.
We might think, according to Scripture and the early Christian thinkers, that money is ultimately meant to be given to the poor. As seen in the passage above, Jesus desires that the rich man give his money to those in need. In the early Church, there was a concept known as philanthropia, which, as you guessed, is where we derive the term “philanthropy.” Somehow lost in the fairly easy translation is the concept of philanthropia as a marketplace. Early Christian social thinkers saw philanthropy as a market of services, whereby the rich gave to the poor, and, in return, the poor prayed for the rich, thus granting them riches in heaven. Certainly, there are those that give today in such a spirit, but philanthropy has also been highjacked as a means of self-glorification and tax evasion. True giving should be in accordance with Matthew 6:3, “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” While there is great merit in almsgiving, to think that it is the ultimate reason for money itself is a narrow notion. My understanding, influenced by Clement of Alexandria, is that passages such as the young rich man do not condemn ownership of property but only our inordinate desires to cling to property.
The concept of the universal destination of goods helps elucidate our predicament. In short, the universal destination of goods is a teaching of the Catholic Church which holds that creation is from God, and that all of creation shall return to God. While acknowledging the necessity of private property (what we might call the means by which we create wealth), the universal destination of goods forms a framework whereby we become stewards of that property. As stated in paragraph 2404 of the Catechism: “The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others, first of all his family.” The deep-rooted notion that one has absolute ownership of things becomes moot. In this regard, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). And yes, while almsgiving is a critical component of this requirement, philanthropy should not be seen so much as a quota to be reached, but as a generous outpouring of the heart.
As is the case with many things, there is no formula on how each Christian should deal with and think about their wealth. Yet, through Scripture, thinkers like Clement of Alexandria, and the Catechism, we are provided a guideline; one in which the earnest Christian must always be discerning his level of attachment to his possessions. A person’s amount of wealth, or lack thereof, does not necessarily determine their attachment to it. The process of giving, whether that be through supporting our families, almsgiving, or building something beautiful, allows there to be a paradigm shift from money being a source of temptation, to being a means of growing in magnanimity.
"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” - Amy Carmichael
[i] Clement of Alexandria, The Discourse Concerning the Salvation of Rich Men