SALVIFIC GIVING
Ministry-Centric vs. Soul-Centric Giving
Ministry-Centric vs. Soul-Centric Giving
Bishops and priests generally dislike talking about money. Indeed, they often view it as an "unspiritual" topic. Our rare financial discussions generally occur in the context of gently asking the faithful to prayerfully consider giving in support of various extremely worthy causes, such as the church budget, a capital campaign, or helping poor people. Since the purpose of such discussions is to raise money for ministry this is "ministry-centric" fundraising. Strikingly, Jesus taught far more about money than we do. Indeed, He taught more about money than such "spiritual" topics as love, forgiveness, prayer, and fasting. But He never talked about giving money for the sake of ministry, including helping the poor. Instead, the entire focus of every financial discussion He ever had was the decisive importance of rightly using money for the sake of our salvation. Thus, His financial discussions were "soul-centric." Such teaching is prefigured in the Old Testament by the frequent occurrence of apparently "wasteful" whole burnt offerings, epitomized by Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:7). Since Abraham's sacrifice is the clearest Old Testament type of the offering of Jesus on the Cross, it suggests that the death of the Lamb of God at Golgotha was itself a kind of whole burnt offering. In a great mystery, this apparently wasteful offering helped facilitate our salvation and the restoration of the universe. Emulating Jesus' own wasteful sacrificial giving enables each of us to more deeply experience the mystery of God's salvation and the depth of His love.
Dr. Andy Geleris is a member of St. Raphael of Brooklyn Antiochian Orthodox Church in Palm Desert. He is the author of Money and Salvation: An invitation to the Good Way.
"Learning about many godly acts of astonishing sacrificial giving by family and friends has given me some insight into the powerful relationship between Money and Salvation. I hope that sharing what I have learned will help others grow in their personal relationship with God and that it will bring great benefit to their families. I also hope that it will help parishes, seminaries, and other Orthodox organizations experience the financial peace that God intends for them." |
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