You really have to do some next level gymnastics to skate around the many harsh warnings directed at the wealthy throughout the Bible.
The prophet Ezekiel claimed that [the legend of] Sodom’s destruction by God was because of their apathy towards the poor. Not even that they “oppressed” the poor, which other passages also harshly condemn. They knew there was a need, had the means to fill that need, and chose not to which was enough to warrant a firey death.
That’s just one example. The overarching theme is very clear. Having wealth is enabling the suffering of others, which is a one way ticket to the Big Guys bad side.
And it was very clearly understood by the early church. My favorite such example comes from Ambrose of Milan, who was very clear that rich people were incapable of giving gifts to the poor because they could, at most, restore some of the poor person’s rightful property to him, which the rich hold in a static state of perpetual theft.
You really have to do some next level gymnastics to skate around the many harsh warnings directed at the wealthy throughout the Bible.
The prophet Ezekiel claimed that [the legend of] Sodom’s destruction by God was because of their apathy towards the poor. Not even that they “oppressed” the poor, which other passages also harshly condemn. They knew there was a need, had the means to fill that need, and chose not to which was enough to warrant a firey death.
That’s just one example. The overarching theme is very clear. Having wealth is enabling the suffering of others, which is a one way ticket to the Big Guys bad side.
And it was very clearly understood by the early church. My favorite such example comes from Ambrose of Milan, who was very clear that rich people were incapable of giving gifts to the poor because they could, at most, restore some of the poor person’s rightful property to him, which the rich hold in a static state of perpetual theft.