The rich really do steal candy from babies (and other illustrations from the web)

Here are four interesting reads from the last week.

1. Apparently the old saying is true, the rich really are more likely to steal candy from babies. The Huffington Post reports on a study published by the National Academy of Sciences that shows the wealthy are more likely to engage in unethical behavior than the poor including, yes, taking candy from babies.
2. It's an undeniable truth that many college students leave the faith during their early twenties. Is higher education the cause? Experts weigh in a USA Today article. The resounding answer is that the true problem is to be found in a "lack of 'a robust faith,' strongly committed parents and an essential church connection." 
3. What do high profile apologies have to teach us about our own acts of contrition? Chuck Warnock explores the possibilities in his blogpost "Why Rush Limbaugh's apology fails" over at Confessions of a Small Church Pastor
4. Many preachers also serve as supervisors of employees. A tongue-in-cheek article from the WashingtonPost explores the best ways for a supervisor to "completely, utterly destroy an employee's work life."

Preaching on Money

Money is a hot topic in the news these days (when is it not?!). People constantly want to know who has it, who doesn't, who's doing what with it. You've got the Tea Partiers arguing the government has too much.  The Occupy Wallstreeters claim corporations and the ultra rich have too much. Very few people claim they themselves have too much.  Most people have know idea how their wealth or income actually compares to others.
   


Here are two websites that can help a person (and a preacher) to be better informed about the distribution of wealth in the world.  

1. The Global Rich List - this site is simple enough.  Enter how much you make (be sure to change the currency from pounds to dollars) and then click "Show me the money."  You'll then be told where your income ranks globally.  Puts things in perspective pretty quickly.  Hint: Almost all of us in America are the 1%.
2. Visualizing Economics - this site puts difficult to comprehend economic statistics in easy to understand graphics.

Here was my latest effort at preaching a difficult text on money.


Setting the Record Straight, a sermon from Luke 16:19-31.  Who are the rich?  What is their responsibility to the poor?  Politicians have their answers.  Protesters have theirs.  Jesus has his.

or to download the mp3 file right click here and select "save link as" or "save target as" depending on your browser.  Use iTunes? Click here to subscribe to our Podcast.

Illustration-a-day: How much money does it take to be rich?

According to a Reuters article by Helen Kearney, Fidelity Investments recently surveyed over one thousand millionaires and asked them, "How much money do you need to have to be truly rich?" The millionaires, whose average investments hover at around $3.5 million, answered that they would need at least $7.5 million to actually be rich. The main issues concerning one's perception of how rich you are involve your peer group (how rich am I compared to my friends) and whether or not your money can support your lifestyle until you die. If you read the article, be sure to pay attention to the percentage of the millionaires who do not consider themselves wealthy.

You can read the Reuter's article here.

Illustration a day: What makes rich people sad?

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/concerns-super-rich-wealth-bring-happiness/story?id=13167578

A great article on the limits of wealth to make a person happy. The article is well balanced. It recognizes the misery of poverty. On most days, it is better than to have some money over having none. But there are limits to how much happiness can come from having lots and lots of money. Having lots of money can cause as many problems as it solves. The quotes from the super wealthy are great. One section in the article rich (no pun intended!) for application is the section that talks about how spending one's money can shape one's happiness. Spending one's money on others does seem to improve one's happiness.

This article lends itself to several different possibilities for sermon use.