Ep 260: Wealth and the New Testament | A Response to John Barclay

In this episode I respond to John Barclay’s contribution to the book New Testament Ethics (out now on Eerdmans) entitled Wealth: The Deep Challenge of the New Testament. Much of Barclay’s arguments are excellent. He contends that the question of wealth is a major theme in the New Testament which has been overlooked by Western scholars and that the treatment of wealth is a distinctive feature of Christian discipleship. He argues that wealth is inherently dangerous and can compromise Christian faithfulness and result in injustice, and that the writers of the New Testament were operating within an eschatological framework which calls for a radical disinvestment of wealth, using it for the sake of the kingdom, which is a sharing in the grace of God. While I agree wholeheartedly with Barclay’s assessment, he overstates his conclusions. He argues that the only good wealth is given or shared and implies that believers should not be concerned about financial management, passing wealth onto children, investments, or savings. I think he pushes these conclusions too far, and I respond by discussing how capital accumulation is the most effective method for alleviating poverty, the problem of the Jerusalem church in the New Testament, the many characters in the New Testament that do not give all of their wealth, and the responsibility for work and financial stewardship found in passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Thessalonians 3. I suggest that the great churchman John Wesley has a better model for thinking about wealth; while recognizing the dangers of wealth, it is also an effective means of building the kingdom when used for God’s glory. Wesley suggested that believers earn all they can, save all they can, and give all they can, and that Wesley’s approach to wealth corresponds with the Biblical witness and is the proper response to the otherwise excellent scholarship in Barclay’s contribution. 

Media Referenced:

1 Thessalonians 4 episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-186-work-with-your-hands-1-thessalonians-49-12/

2 Thessalonians 3 episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-187-no-work-no-food-2-thessalonians-36-13/

Jesus and Capitalism: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-180-jesus-and-capitalism/

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