Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Use of God's money Message-ID: Date: 23 Apr 91 07:19:18 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article credmond@watmath.waterloo.edu (Chris Redmond) writes: >I conclude that the proper chief use of God's money is in doing the latter. >Of course the support of the local church is important, but as a means to >one of two ends: feeding the hungry and bringing our souls closer to God. >As gifts to God -- well, the very idea of a gift to God is absurd. >There is nothing that God needs from us. Indeed... Mark 7:6-13 (See also Matthew 15:3-9) 6 Jesus answered them, "How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: `These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. 7 It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach man-made rules as though they were my laws. 8 "You put aside God's command and obey the teachings of men." 9 And Jesus continued, "You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching. 10 For Moses commanded, `Respect your father and your mother,' and, `Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.' 11 But you teach that if a person has something he could use to help his father or mother, but says, `This is Corban' (which means, it belongs to God), 12 he is excused from helping his father or mother. 13 In this way the teaching you pass on to others cancels out the word of God. And there are many other things like this that you do. (TEV) I would say that if God leads you to give your money to a soup kitchen rather than to the instalation of chimes, give your money to the soup kitchen. Or better yet, since the church wants to install chimes to the glory of God, suggest that the church *start* a soup kitchen. (In the church building!) How much more glory will be given to God through the good works of that congregation then by the melodious sound of bells? Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton