AMERICANS DON'T CONNECT FAITH, FINANCES

by   Pat Cole                                                                                                                                             Vol. VIII, No. 6, June/July 1995

 Most American Christians fail to connect their faith with their finances, according to Princeton University sociologist Robert Wuthnow. Wuthnow, in an address at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said his recent survey of the American work force found 71 percent agreed "being greedy is a sin against God." Yet the same survey also showed 68 percent believe "money is one thing, morals and values are completely separate."

"What's going on here?" asked Wuthnow during the Norton Lectures at the Louisville, Ky., seminary in November. "Well, partly we are looking at the human capacity to compartmentalize. We are well trained at putting our faith in one mental box and our finances in another." On the positive side, however, the survey showed 89 percent agreed "our society is too materialistic," said Wuthnow, adding the religiously involved were more likely to hold this opinion than those with no religious orientation.

Nevertheless, Wuthnow, director of the Center for the Study of American Religion at Princeton, said his study also found:

– 76 percent said having money gives them a good feeling about themselves.

– 84 percent said they wish they had more money than they do.

– 78 percent said having a beautiful home, a new car, and other nice things are important to them.

– Religiously active people's overall responses were virtually the same as people who have no religious orientation.

The study indicated "quite a number of people" claim the Bible has important teachings about money, Wuthnow said. Many of those same people, he noted, even said they think about the connection between their faith and their finances. "Apparently, though, they aren't thinking about biblical admonitions against greed and materialism," Wuthnow surmised. "In fact, we asked people if they had ever been taught - by anyone - that wanting a lot of money is wrong. Only 12 percent said they had."

People always have been tempted to separate their faith from their finances, Wuthnow said. However, he emphasized these temptations may be more severe in today's world than ever before.

"Economists tell us that rational, efficient choices are all that matters," Wuthnow said. "Advertisers teach us to compare brands, not to think whether we need something in the first place. Clergy instruct us to be thankful and give freely, but consider it dangerous to say much more." Churches, Wuthnow stressed, can still influence how people prioritize their finances. "Many people are going to church, but not many are finding their faith relevant to the ways in which they work or handle their money. he said. "They want help with the anxieties they face. But they also need to be challenged to cut back, to be less materialistic, to be more generous, and to behave ethically." [BP]

[Editorial Comment: What a work for Christ the SBCV and the SBC could do if every church member gave at least a tithe to his local church and if every church gave at least a tithe to the SBCV-SBC. TCP]