James Hudnut-Beumler, In Pursuit of The Almighty's Dollar. A History of Money and American Protestantism. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007.
I can't say this was a well-written or edited book, but it was a very interesting read. I haven't seen any books that discuss an historical perspective of how Protestants handle money. Sometimes I have seen books and articles that deal with current issues like the "Prosperity Gospel," but these do not give an analysis of how this all evolved. Hudnut-Beumler's book focuses more on the mainline denominations, although in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the term "mainline" really was not used. Someone looking for information on denominations other than the larger Presbyterian and Methodist denominations will be disappointed, but the author believes this is not an important issue because all Protestants tend to act alike when it comes to raising money. But the key point is that he studies the "materialization of religion," specifically American Protestantism. However, I am not sure "materialization is inevitable," although looking at how some churches conduct giving campaigns, he might be right. Also he really doesn't get into issues since the 1960s in as extensive detail.
Ideas:
1. Church funding as it is now was not an issue when you go back to as late as the early 19th century when local governments supported churches or people paid for pews to sit in. With separation of church and state, churches had to develop private systems of funding. Churches were not longer seen as a public good, but now were supported for private or personal reasons.
2. Getting rid of the "pew system" democratized the church, but it also led to the need to raise money to pay for the church. This led to an increase in books and sermons on tithing and other reasons why a person should contribute to the local church.
3. Ministers were the most educated individuals in a community before the WWII period and were seen (or saw themselves) as "public officers" and "intellectual elites." As I look at this issue today, with the prevelance of higher education, ministers may be some of the least educated in many communities.
4. The theological views and interpretations on tithing presented in many churches today really has its foundation in the interpretation of various biblical tithing passages in the last half of the 19th century.
5. The structure, design, and organization of a church has changed over the last two hundred years to reflect how we see ourselves or God. What has evolved is a flexible, entertainment-oriented design. As I thought about this, I do believe that God's pulpit or altar has become a stage for music, drama, etc. The focus has moved from the Word to experience and visual effects.
6. He argues that the tithe was "reinvented" in the 19th century, but it could be argued that it was rediscovered biblical teaching. To me the tithing sermons of the late 1800s are quite similar to tithing sermons in the 2000s, although the process of implementing tithing has certainly changed. I don't recall any church having a "Loyalty Sunday" in which church members came together to pledge their tithe for the year (of course it could be happening in churches I am less familiar with).
7. Salaries of leading clergymen in a community may have been larger when one considers the standard of living than what I think many clergy are paid today.
8. He had a chapter on ministers' wives and how they had to budget and live with community expectations.
No comments:
Post a Comment