Relationship between faith and wealth in modern society

• a minority of christians have adopted for themselves the teachings and practices of Jesus and the early christian church, setting up communities that mirror the life of the early Jerusalem community, e.g. the bruderhof
• the bruderhof:

  • set up in the early twentieth century and its communities are now found in a number of countries, including three in the UK
  • members of the bruderhof see materialism as one of the main reasons for the problems facing the world today
  • they live in communities without any personal property
  • they make certain vows, one of which is to live simply
• bruderhof vow: 'we pledge to give up all property and to live simply, in complete freedom from all possessions'
• the other extreme of christian attitudes to materialism is what is known as 'prosperity theology' or the 'prosperity gospel'
• prosperity gospel:

  • developed in the mid-twentieth century in the US within the pentecostal tradition and is now an international movement
  • despite various scandals implicating some of their leaders, many churches have been set up, attracting thousands of adherents
  • it teaches that christian beliefs and practices will be rewarded by god in terms of material prosperity and physical well-being
  • members are expected to give generously to evangelistic work and some churches are also involved in social projects
• prosperity gospel= a form of evangelical christianity that views wealth, power and status as rewards from god for strong faith and good works
• bruderhof= an evangelical christian movement whose members live in communities, having given up all personal property
• mainstream christian denominations denounce prosperity theology but they do not adopt the bruderhof approach to wealth. they think that there is nothing intrinsically wrong in having wealth but possession of it entails great responsibilities for its use. this follows the exam please set by nineteenth century industrialists, such as George and Richard Cadbury, who built good housing for their employees, also paying reasonable wages, running a pension scheme and providing medical care
• mainstream christians are to be responsible stewards of their wealth, sharing it generously and sacrificially with those in need
• many mainstream churches are involved in the running of food banks and encourage their members to become involved in projects that care for the homeless
• some of the voluntary aid agencies working to end global poverty have a christian foundation, e.g. christian aid, tearfund and CAFOD