Churches Debate Over Wealth Analysis

Over the centuries, the Church has developed conflicting views of how wealth relates to Christianity. As such, this paper examines the churches debate over wealth. First, it examines Mathew 19:16-22. Second, it discusses the historical time period and location of the debate. The third section examines the interpretations of the passage. The next sections discuss the cultural, and historical factors that influenced the debate. Fifth, this paper examines how history has shaped the church’s biblical interpretation about wealth. The next section provides reasons for why Christians do not agree on this passage. Lastly, this paper discusses the implications that this debate has on the field of Biblical and Theological Studies.
The Text Mathew
A significant way of dealing with wealth in the early centuries of the church was adopting the monastic lifestyle. Monasticism developed due to the prevalent acetic culture that was already present in the Roman Empire. This came about from the Christian community being impacted by Hellenistic beliefs and practices. Specifically, Gnosticism and Greek philosophy contributed to the cultural emphasis of acetic living.
Another influence was Christianity becoming legalized after Emperor Constantine’s “conversion” to the faith. It served as a catalyst for Monasticism’s rapid growth. This was because Christians were no longer being martyred. Since martyrdom was considered a high mark of holiness, Christians looked to monasticism to be the new standard of holiness. By the end fourth and fifth centuries, the monastic movement was at its height. Thus people gravitated towards monasticism because giving up wealth was a way of expressing outward holiness. From this standpoint, it can be seen that history had an influence on the churches view of
The field of Biblical and Theological studies teaches the importance of reading scripture in its own context so that one can earn the authors intended meaning. If one is not careful, someone can read his/her own context into the passage. The same can said for Anthony’s interpretation of Mathew 19: 16-22. Because he was inundated with acetic Culture, he interpreted Jesus words as a call to monastic living. Though his actions were not wrong he still ignored passages of Scripture that support personal ownership. For example, Phoebe provided financial support to Paul. Also, well off members of the church helped the poor by using their financial resources. Because Anthony was not familiar with the text’s context, he came to a conclusion that was not fully accurate to scripture. This same mistake happens in the modern church. For example, the idea individualism and personal destiny are very popular in western society. Therefore, Christians must be mindful not to marry this idea with the gospel. Viewing scripture through this lens can greatly distort passages of Scripture that deal with God’s love and purpose. Further, this hinders Christians from having a well-rounded view of