This is a typewriter. It is how Uncle Luther composes his blog posts.

Occasionally, I’ll have some poor misguided soul come to me for advice or answers to the questions that plague them. Why anyone would want to do such a thing is beyond me, but I figured as long as folks keep coming to me, I might as well blog their concerns and my answer. So, brace yourself folks for the first edition of “Dear Uncle Luther.”

Dear Uncle Luther,

Is being poor a sin? I attend a church that teaches weekly about God’s desire for us to prosper financially, yet I’m not seeing any results. Am I doing something wrong? Is my faith too weak to earn the type of money the other members of the congregation are blessed with?

Thanks for your help,
Bankrupt in Birmingham

Dear Bankrupt,

Let me assure you, being poor is not a sin. Whoever it is that makes you think that has a pitifully small view of God.

God is not an ATM machine. You don’t put your good works in and get financial wealth out. The philosophy being taught at your church is not Biblical— it is called Karma— which is a Hindu concept. It is actually a form of hedonism, where the highest goal is pleasure and happiness.

True Biblical teaching on wealth is as follows:

1. God owns it all.
2. We are given money so that we can be good stewards of that money.
3. Our true riches are found in Heaven.
4. We are to give all we have to the service of God’s Kingdom and to the poor.
5. It is almost impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, Christ taught that it was easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for the wealthy to inherit eternal life.
6. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

If you are in a church that is not teaching these Biblically sound economic principles, please find a new church.

God Bless,
Uncle Luther

photo credit: mpclemens