Consuming Faith

Consuming Faith: I wonder whether some of my readers wonder where my concern about economic things like the last post comes from. Is this just political activism or is it really something to do with faith? Well, my perspective is fairly close to that in the referenced article written by Tom Beaudoin. So this is my pause for thought by way of comment on what I posted only a few minutes ago.

"when I turned back to scripture to see how Jesus of Nazareth dealt with economics, I was shocked at what I found. Jesus very seldom talks about God's final judgment, about 'heaven' and 'hell,' but when he does, as his way of talking about what is most important in a life of spiritual maturity before God, he does something interesting. He almost always talks about intimacy with God in the next life as bound up with one's economic relationships in this life. He speaks of a wealthy man who ignores a poor man at his gate finding himself later in hell, crying out to the poor man for help. He talks about those who use their resources of time and money to visit prisoners and clothe the naked as going on to a final happiness with God, and those who do not as having failed to love God and live a truly human life. Jesus was not focused on whom one is sleeping with, whether one has properly obeyed religious authorities, or how religious institutions can preserve themselves. He saw economic relationships as ultimate expressions of one's true faith"