Material gains and theology have been in contention for a long time. If you’ve been in church long enough, you would have heard the challenge: ‘If you have Netflix, then you can afford to give to *Insert Christian cause/charity/initiative*’ Or one of my personal favourites, someone from the stage saying that they used to have Netflix, but now they gave it up to support something more worthwhile.
Neither of these things are inherently wrong, BUT the message that they convey can be harmful. The message is you should give up watching Netflix and use that money for something else.
On one hand that doesn’t sound too unreasonable for a Christian, does it? For instance, our minds might be taken to James 1:27 (NIV) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.“
OR….
Mark 10:21 (NIV) “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
OUCH – are you feeling the conviction? Who’s opened a new browser tab and are headed to Netflix?*
*Netflix is an example FYI, it could be anything that you spend money on for your own enjoyment/fulfillment.
How could this message of giving away material gains be wrong?
The problem comes when this kind of message is communicated as an absolute, as in saying that this is right and that everyone should do it. Christianity is a faith that lives with tensions and rarely does one message apply to every person listening to it. For some of us, it might be right to refocus our financial planning to drop something wasteful or unhelpful, and invest that resource into a worthwhile cause or into a different area of life.
BUT, what about the person who, for instance, has Netflix and it brings them joy and relaxation of an evening?
Why do we, as Christians, try to steal peoples joy or make people feel bad about the small things in life that bring them fulfillment and happiness?
Now, you could argue that material things shouldn’t be the things that bring joy and happiness to our lives. But Christianity is a faith where joy is valued and encouraged (Isaiah 9:3, Proverbs 10:28, Ecclesiastes 9:7, 1 Peter 1:8-9, Romans 15:13 etc.).
In light of 1 Timothy 6:17-19...
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.“
A couple of observations that are helpful when looking at this topic…
- This isn’t saying that people shouldn’t be rich (or have an abundance).
- Being ‘rich’ is an opportunity to do good deeds and be generous.
- Being generous and rich in good deeds is part of the coming Kingdom.
I also want to point out that this scripture isn’t saying that they should give all they have to the poor and leave nothing of abundance for themselves. An important element of good theological reflection is knowing the context for verses in the Bible and where I quoted above from Mark 10:21, when Jesus tells the man to go and sell everything he has – he’s telling the one person he’s talking to, it would be poor theology to then say; that’s a good rule for everyone, or even for people living with Netflix!
How should you know if God is telling you to give up Netflix?
I hope that I’ve outlined a few points to ponder if you’re considering this issue of material gains and theology. I also hope that you’ve picked up on the fact that there are contentions around this topic, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to whether you should give up Netflix, and maybe more importantly, theological reflection helps us to understand and enlighten our personal decisions.
So, here’s a few final points to help when wrestling with the topic of material wealth and giving money away to help the vulnerable and needy.
- Wealth is a tool to do good and reveal the Kingdom. In 1 Timothy 6 we see that rich people should be doing good, be rich in good deeds and generous to share. In James 1:27 we’re given examples of what that might look like – helping the vulnerable and the downcast.
- Don’t be ashamed of what brings you joy. This can be interpreted in many ways, but in 1 Timothy 6:17 we see that God has richly provided to us everything for our enjoyment. (Yes – He has even provided Netflix!).
- Listen to the Holy Spirit. The ‘Helper’ (John 14:15-18) is here to guide us in knowing whether to go one way or another. This isn’t as simple as I’m putting it, but if you’re unsure as to whether to give up Netflix and support a good cause, the best thing you can do is to pray to God and listen to the Holy Spirit to guide you in your specific circumstances. Know that some things are right for you and not right for others – we are all on different journeys, with God at the center.
