Is wealth inherently good? Is it inherently evil? How much is morally acceptable to enjoy? Should all excess be given away? Do we feel ashamed of having wealth? Do we feel “blessed” by it? How much of our wealth is due to our own hard work and smart decisions, and how much is due to social injustices?
Answers to such questions are not clear. As a result, many Christians are confused, divided, and uneasy about these topics, and choose to keep faith, personal finance, and social justice compartmentalized. Faith is relegated to a social activity on Sundays, personal finance is a household chore, and social justice is only a cause to be advocated for with social media posts and voting choices. While this is certainly the easy route, it is an unsatisfying way of life which damages progress towards true human unity.
In Essays on Wealth, Generosity, and Legacy, Travis C. Mallett invites fellow Progressive Christians to struggle with these ancient questions together. Each essay brings the topics of faith, personal finance, and social justice into uncomfortably close proximity with each other. Tensions are acknowledged and harmonies are highlighted. This book discusses diverse topics, such as the relationship between personal finance and social justice, the moral status of wealth, biblical interpretation, evolutionary wisdom, investing, minimalism as the modern face of contentment, wealth as a spiritual motivator, legacy and the afterlife, and unity.
This book does not promise answers to our questions. Instead, it calls us to engage with our sacred responsibility to struggle with them and have the courage to live in their tension.
