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The WSJ yesterday published an article entitled, Mortgage Woes Take Toll On Lender With Roots in Faith. The article describes HomeBank Corp., a mortgage company that frequently opened meetings with prayer and every branch kept a chaplain on call. Training classes were required of all new employees, who had to promise the company they would repay the $60,000 cost if they didn’t stay at the company for at least 3 years. This “faith-based” company demanded 80-hour work weeks and some say valued allegiance and devoutness over productivity. The company is now in bankruptcy. Its former CEO, Patrick S. Flood, left the company in January with a smile, that is to say, a $5 million severance package. He plans to start another faith-based mortgage company, saying that “When Jesus got on the cross, people at the time thought that he failed because he died and the ministry ended. But people around him have cascaded it into the greatest movement in history. The company being a financial failure doesn’t mean that the work has ended.”

Let’s be clear here. Companies like HomeBank are about making money, not faith. Whatever one’s religious views, to manipulate other’s faith to make a buck on the backs of hard-working people is certainly not what Christianity is about. Which is to say, perhaps Mr. Flood should stop comparing himself and his companies to Jesus.

As always, not a sermon, just a blog.

I love the story of Job. The book of Job in the Bible is considered by many to be the oldest book in the Bible. It is the story of a man who lost his family, his health, and his wealth, but not his faith. It is the story of man who had wealth, but managed to avoid the love of wealth. But it also is the story of a man who, though righteous in all his ways, did have one Achilles’ heal: fear. Perhaps the most significant passage in the books is found at Job 3:25:

For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.

What do you fear? Having grown up in a home that was in continual financial crisis, I have many fears about money and security. I even have fear about my fears! Here are some suggestions to help you deal with fear when it comes to personal finance:

• Identify your fear: Sometimes we are troubled by something, but we can’t put our finger on exactly what it is. I find it helpful to think about fear so that I can identify its source. Whether you fear bankruptcy, foreclosure, loss of a job, or something else, you can’t attack it until you identify it.
• Recognize that fear can attract trouble: I’m convinced that, like Job, our fears can actually attract the very thing we fear. I can’t prove this scientifically, of course, but our fears cause us to act and react in such a way that can bring about the trouble we hope to avoid.
• Understand that fear can be useful: Just like fear of real danger can help us avoid it, fear of financial ruin can be our best friend. If you are about to make a silly and dangerous financial move, you should be afraid. That’s your opportunity to reconsider the decision. The trick, of course, is knowing when your fear is warning you of real trouble and when it’s not, which comes from experience. If you lack experience, seek the advice of somebody you trust.
• Describe the worst-case situation: Whenever I have a fear, I imagine the worst-case. It goes like this–”I lose my job and can’t pay the mortgage. My savings will last x number of months, and then I’ll have to sell my home. My family and I will either rent or move in with family until we get back on our feet.” Now, that would not be a happy time. But let’s keep it in perspective; it would not be the end of the world, so I shouldn’t waste my energy fearing this possibility.
• Talk about your fears: Keeping your fears bottled-up can, over time, cause the fear to take control of your life. Discuss your money-fears with your spouse, parent, friend or somebody else that you trust. It can help keep your fears in perspective.

Not a sermon, just a blog.

Does God want you to be rich? Before reading any further, post a comment to this article answering that question. I’ll wait . . . . Ok. I imagine the answers to this question will range from “Yes, He does” to “No, She doesn’t” to “God? There is no God.” Some will take this question very seriously, while others will view it as downright silly. Yet this question is asked (and answered) in churches throughout the U.S.

T.V. evangelists discuss this topic and authors publish books about it. In a Sunday School class at my church a couple of months ago, the teacher asked the class this question. His answer: Yes (it’s silly to think that God doesn’t want us to be rich, right?). And furthermore, the Sunday School teacher added that one will prosper by tithing to the church and then giving even more (the even more is called an offering). Now, my church doesn’t teach this. This was the Sunday School teacher’s view. Fine. But here’s what really bothers me about this question–it’s so American. Only in the U.S. do we have the time and affluence to sit around asking such shallow questions.

Last Sunday, I wrote about mega-churches in the U.S., comparing one such church to a mega-church in Nigeria. And I wonder, does the congregation in this Nigerian church ask whether God wants them to be rich? Given the starvation and civil unrest in Nigeria, I’m guessing they’re more likely to ask, “Does God want us to survive, today?” And even if they did contemplate whether God wanted them to be rich, their idea of wealth would probably look far different than our idea of wealth here in America.

I recognize that some verses can be plucked from the Bible to support the prosperity doctrine, as it is called. But when it comes to money, isn’t the message of the Bible to avoid the trappings of wealth (note, the trappings, not wealth itself), and to be content with what we have?

Not a sermon, just a blog.