Skeptical About My Skepticism Part Two: Pastors, Money, and Another Option

"Sometimes I can't help but be skeptical when a pastor talks about money," someone admitted to me recently. "Even if I know them, I always feel cynical about it."

I had to admit that I was in the same boat. This is pretty ironic given that I make my living by asking people to support me financially in order for me to be in ministry and on campus full-time.

As we talked through this particular application of the problem of skepticism, we stumbled across yet another way that skepticism is a poor, blunt instrument that falters in leading us to the life well-lived.

It makes sense that we are somewhat dubious about requests or teaching about money from religious types. But in the end all skepticism does is keep us from dealing with the issue.

The real issue is that money holds power over us like almost nothing else does. The real issue is that for many of us money is an idol that is killing our souls, destroying our joy, ruining our lives and our families and our witness and our ability to be in relationship with God.

Money for many of us is toxic. But we don't deal with it because we're stuck in this veneer of skepticism about the person who's calling us to deal with our issues. Again, we see that skepticism is a terribly unhelpful instrument for assessing what is true, good, or right.

This does not mean, of course, that we are to be stupid. But these are not the only options: stupid or skeptical. There is a third way: wisdom.

Wisdom has all the sophistication of skepticism without the arrogant self-reliance and cynicism. Wisdom leads us down paths of saying "yes" and "no" (to money and anything else) in ways that are humble, authentic, good, deep, virtuous. Wisdom invites us to delight in and savor life. It laughs more. It takes the self neither overly-seriously nor overly-lightly. It bears delicious fruits of love, joy, peace.

None of these characteristics mark the path of the skeptic.

I've got a long way to go to be able to shake my inner-skeptic--especially when it comes to certain issues like money. But one thing is for sure: I'm more and more aware of how thin my life is when he's in charge. Holy discontent--at least that's a start.