McClatchy Newspapers

McClatchy Newspapers

Voices of faith: In light of the current financial situation, how should we view money?

The Rev. Duke Tufty, Unity Temple on the Plaza, Kansas City, Mo.: I believe money should be viewed the same whether we are in the midst of a financial recession or not. I believe money should be viewed the same whether one has a great deal or very little, whether one has inherited money, won money or worked hard for money.

The primary object of money is to provide goods for yourself, the people you care for and not-for-profit institutions that provide a beneficial service to the world. In order to maximize the good money can provide, it should be respected, utilized for its highest value and not squandered, hoarded or wasted.

The three greatest actions for financial security are: Realize that your happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment aren’t dependent on money.

Second, every time new money comes into your hands, such as a paycheck, retirement check, cash or dividend, put 5 percent in a savings account for yourself. The very idea that you have savings creates a feeling of being prosperous.

Lastly, after you have made your home payment and allotted money for food, utilities and basic clothing, give 5 percent of the remainder to a charitable organization that you feel is doing good work.

The key is to take charge of your finances. Instead of money being master over you, you are the master over money.

The Rev. Pat Rush, pastor, Visitation Catholic Church, Kansas City: In the current economic downturn, many have suffered financial setbacks. Some have lost jobs, and others have seen their wealth seriously reduced. Christians are called to active membership in a community of faith where we bear one another’s burdens. That calling applies to how we view and use our wealth.

Since biblical times, we have been invited to enter into a new relationship with our financial resources and our expenditures by tithing 10 percent of our income to charity in both good times and bad.

Becoming a tithing person or family guides us to the realization that our financial resources and, indeed, everything in our life are gifts from God and should be used not in a spirit of personal ownership but in a spirit of gratitude and generosity. Tithing forces us to reconsider our priorities. It forces us to change the spiritual relationship we have with the money coming in and the things we spend it on. That holds both when the market is up and when the market is down.

In making tithing a priority of our financial life, we shift our values and come to see the purpose of our resources and the importance of our wants and needs in the way that God sees them. That’s how we should always view money, not just in the current financial situation.