C.S. Lewis on Giving
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditures exclude them.”
–C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
Does this step on anyone else’s toes a bit? I am convinced that the greatest sin of American Christianity is the way we spend our money.
4 comments:
"The greatest sin of American Christianity" is an interesting topic for thought, but you certainly might be right. It's very easy to give too little to church, charities, and people in need without realizing it. We might donate a large amount, but it comes from a large excess. Plus, we compare our giving with what we perceive as average. Challenging and insightful quote from Lewis.
ouch... that one hurt
Steven,
Thanks for the comment!
“The greatest sin of American Christianity” would be a topic for a lot of discussion, because American Christianity has plenty of sins vying for that title!
Giving out of our excess vs. sacrificial giving is definitely something a struggle with.
Justin,
For me too!
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