By Mitch Holt, Special Contributor

Don’t Believe the Hype

As students and faculty filed into Moody Coliseum on March 15, they expected a normal two-song introduction followed by a routine Chapel speech, a closing prayer and a dismissal. Many students had no idea that they would leave the premises quasi-disgusted.

Damon Parker, the speaker, delivered strong words (some would say uncalled for) expressing his perspective on the state of the church and the rich Christians who are prevalent in church communities.

Parker’s words, at times abrasive and seemingly over-aggressive, focused on the overwhelmingly material world we live in and the rapid emergence of the justification that the extreme wealth of many Christians is OK because it is accepted by society and the church, and thus it is not a condemnable sin.

Because I am a member of the Optimist staff, I have received most of the response e-mails that have surfaced since that fateful day in Moody. Every letter has been different in its own respect, but most of them have ultimately been similar.

Many of these concerned voices expressed the point that there is no way Jesus could have been talking to every last person of wealth in the story of the rich, young ruler; he was simply talking to those who have created a life based around their wealth. These points are undoubtedly legitimate.

Many of the response letters go on to say that being rich isn’t a condemnable sin. True. It probably isn’t.

But when are we going to stop basing our actions and lifestyles around what is condemnable and what isn’t? I’m almost positive that there isn’t just one straight line that separates the acceptable from the unacceptable. Why do we need to toe the line? I believe a barrier of justification has been built by American Christians to blind us from the seriousness of the prevalent idolatry.

I believe the uproar that resulted from Parker’s Chapel talk is a resounding chaos of people defending their wealth. To give away half of your 15 pairs of shoes or settle for an ’82 Volvo wouldn’t be necessary for salvation, so why do it?

I’m not trying to degrade anyone. I simply believe we should sincerely and objectively analyze our attitude about financial matters and make a considerable change based on the results of our analysis.

We are all guilty, myself included, of living luxurious lifestyles that include cars, new homes, overeating and expensive clothing. After all, America is a wealthy country.

One could even use the argument that we live in a free country, in which our money can be spent in any way we choose, but I would hope that Christians wouldn’t base their actions on what is legal or illegal by the standards of the Constitution. I would hope that Christians would look to the life of Jesus as a centerpiece for their financial decisions.