Is It a Sin to Be a Billionaire? | Chad Ragsdale

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/is-it-a-sin-to-be-a-billionaire/  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ In this post, I’m going to do something very unpopular. I’m going to defend billionaires. Kind of. First, a little context. Recently, I’ve seen people—some who are Christians and some who are not—claim that it is inherently wrong or sinful for a person to be a billionaire. Some of these statements have been stirred by the election success of the totally-not-a-communist candidate for mayor of New York City who believes that billionaires shouldn’t exist (unless of course they are funding his or his friends’ politics). This is a statement that goes far beyond the typical political position that says billionaires need to pay “their fair share,” whatever that sentiment means in the moment. No, this isn’t an economic statement. He is assigning a moral judgment to the status of billionaire. He is implying that it is wrong to be a billionaire, which invites the question—is that correct? There are certain ideas in Scripture that are clear enough that everyone should be able to eagerly agree upon them. The idea that wealth presents a unique moral temptation is one of those ideas. It is true that Jesus has some harsh and radical things to say about wealth and the wealthy. We see some of these same themes carried over into the writings of Paul, James, and the author of Hebrews (Apollos). We see the language of judgment being applied to the wealthy throughout the New Testament in places like the Gospels and Revelation.  Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Get our Premium podcast feed featuring all the breakout sessions from the RENEW gathering early.  https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW