References to God and debt keep springing up among the evangelical preachers and pamphleteers. Here's a few examples:
While this isn't surprising, sixteen of thirty-eight parables in the New Testament deal either literally with the subject of money or evoke money as a symbol, it seems less apt in today's cultural and economic climate. The street preachers often speak of humankind's debt to Jesus / God for the gift of salvation. The millions of people who have recently lost this homes or jobs and are dealing with real world debt cannot find this message all that attractive. It feeds into the escapism that's inherent in Christian theology. Yes, you're poor and miserable, but that doesn't really matter because someday you'll get to die and than everything will be ever-so-much better.
At least this message is consistent with canonical theology -- as opposed to the prosperity theology put forth by many contemporary televangelists. " I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" would seem to contradict the notion that "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us." If Joel Olsteen ran into Jesus on the street, he'd probably mistake him for a hobo.
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