This is a second edition of a book first published in 1981, if that matters. Johnson teaches New Testament and Christian origins at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and he's written many books.
For those of you not really into theology, forgive me (that's a theological category, by the way). I'll try to be succinct.
Johnson tackles the thorny question of how we connect being a Christian and the way we own and use things. And when he talks about possessions, he doesn't limit this to money or material things. He includes our bodies, which, he writes, "are symbols because they reveal, make manifest, our inner emotional states and attitudes."
What he calls "the real mystery concerning possessions" is "how they relate to our sense of identity and worth as human beings." The problem we face is when we confuse being and having.
In these days of lamenting the huge inequalities in our society (a subject of a future blog), of the 1% and the 99%, it's easy for some to equate wealth with evil or idolatry and poverty with goodness and purity. All of us, no matter our wealth, are subject to the idolatry of equating what we have with who we are or of being selfish.
And Johnson points out how society affects the way possessions are perceived. He offers the example of how taking candy from a baby used to be a symbol of the greatest offense. But "in some sugarphobic circles today it would be regarded as an act of highest virtue."
Certainly in America today, with our general standard of living, we view possessions in a different light from how a person in, say, Somalia, might view them.
The question Johnson asks that I'm interested in is to what extent our possessions possess us. This applies to the material things we "own" (a word that raises all kinds of questions), but it also has to do with things like physical health, education or relationships.
Later, Johnson gets to the subject in the title of his book, sharing possessions. He calls this the mandate and symbol of faith. He notes that how we view God determines our view of other people. In other words, "the way we perceive and respond to the ultimate reality gives shape to the way we perceive and respond to all other reality." The stance of idolatry is, The more I have the more I am. But if we are all equally naked before God at the level of existence, then we are equally loved by God and "equally clothed in the only worth that matters."
Johnson notes that the idolatry of equating ourselves with our possessions often comes out of fear. He points out that just before Jesus in Luke's Gospel says, "Sell your possessions and give alms" (12:33), he says, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (12:32).
If you read the Bible enough you'll see that it says much more about money and wealth than it does about sex or even prayer. And one of the things it says is that our possessions--whether that refers to the material things we own or to our health or education or relationships--is for sharing. In Jewish practice--as well as Muslim and Buddhist and Hindu, among other religions--almsgiving is encouraged.
We can share freely because we receive freely from God's abundant love and because what we own and later share does not determine who we are.
Am I free of being possessed by my possessions? Not at all. Just last month I discovered that a book I'd loaned out never got returned, and I don't remember who I loaned it to. (Memory is becoming a less reliable possession.) That this bothered me shows that I did not share very freely.
I also struggle with the temptation to equate my worth with my income, which is much reduced since I'm only employed half-time now.
My desire is to be possessed by God, not by what I think I own.
No comments:
Post a Comment