SPIRITUALITY AND FINANCES

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?

       – The Gospel of Luke, 16:10–11, NIV.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

       – First Corinthians, 10:31, NIV.

The Unbroken Connection between the Spiritual and Material in the Christian Faith

It is a common notion that Christianity concerns spirituality. Granted, it is true that the many dos and don’ts concern physical matters: allowed food and drink, the timing of the Sabbath, the boundaries of legitimate sexual life, God’s proportion of income, etc.  

Through history, there have been two fundamental mistakes which Christians have made when it comes to the definition of spirituality. The first mistake is to overemphasize the material component of the commandments and to overlook their spiritual essence. E.g., Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being careful about returning tithe of the most insignificant sources of income (such as vegetables grown in their garden) while they at the same time violated the spirit of the law itself by showing neither love to their neighbor nor empathy. 

The second mistake is the belief that since the material aspect of reality is not the core essence of the faith, then physical reality must be viewed as chasm and even an obstacle to spirituality. E.g., it is common knowledge how hermits sought the highest levels of spirituality by eschewing everything connected to the material world, be it work, food, drink, sexual life, or even society with other people. 

Adventists have another perspective when it comes to these matters. We consider that the spiritual is more important than the material. However, we consider the material world to be important too. And we believe that the spiritual cannot exist without the material. God wants us to enjoy existence and we can only do so by being who we are, creatures who are both spiritual and physical. This Adventist perspective is demonstrated in how Adventists view Heaven. Adventists do not believe that Heaven is more “spiritual” or incorporeal than the present earth, or that humans there will be disembodied spirits. To the contrary, we believe that Heaven will be like the original Paradise: a real material place with people who have both a sound body and a good heart. 

The material world is an essential part of existence, part of being a human, and part of being a Christian. It is impossible to exist or to love, to do good to others, to be a Christian, outside of the material world. The physical is only unspiritual if its spiritual context is ignored, e.g., by eating and drinking and living only for oneself and one’s own enjoyment as the supreme goal without any consideration of God or others. 

It is here that the concept stewardship enters the picture. God has given us everything we own and are and it is his intention that we use it prudently. Stewardship means to show personal responsibility in handling God’s gifts, whether it is our own body, finances, time, privileges, opportunities, talents, things, or possessions. God expects us to take good care of all things—and this good care is part of the spiritual life. Christianity includes not only praying, witnessing, and smiling, but also the good treatment of all things.

The EXCOM’s Portrayal of the Mining Case as a Materialist Discussion

The EXCOM has described the mining case as a materialist discussion that absorbs the IC’s energy in arguing about finances and that diverts church members’s attention from spiritual matters. Following are just a few examples:

In March 2022, the EXCOM distributed an open letter to the church boards. The EXCOM concluded it by seeking to direct the reader’s attention from the mining case to something more important—the return of Jesus Christ:

Ellen White emphasises the importance of focusing on fighting our supernatural enemy together rather than fighting each other. . . . We are the family of God, and we are preparing ourselves and others for the soon return of Jesus. And as we see in the events unfolding around us, it may be much sooner than we think.[1]

At the GCAS-meeting in May 2022, President Gavin Anthony described church members’s concerns about the mining case as financial concerns which had wasted much of the EXCOM’s time. At a critical moment as the present, on the verge of the last days, it would be better if church members would stop thinking about money matters and would turn their fullest attention to evangelism:

Almost all of the correspondence that we [the EXCOM] have received on this issue is related to money, particularly when the Church has gone through covid and is struggling. We have tremendous events happening in the world. And for the Executive Committee, we have spent hour upon hour upon hour looking at these things. . . . think. But the question for everyone of us here is the next step. What is in the best interest of the Church and for mission, for God’s work?  . . . I am very saddened that we are having to spend so much time talking about money.[2]

In the EXCOM’s mining report which was included in the meeting documents for Session 22–25 September 2022, the EXCOM states that “what is at stake is more important than money”[3] because the discussion about the mining case is damaging to the IC and hinders it from focusing its energies on evangelism: 

It must be specifically stated that during last year, much has been said and written, causing great personal pain to many and rupturing relationships and trust between church members. Though some think this is a matter of great importance and that justice is at stake, the fact is that this discussion—within the churches and within the EXCOM—has turned the attention from evangelism and care for one another. It has resulted in many distancing themselves from our Church. Such pain, the termination of lifelong relationships and the desire to not be connected to the Church any longer, is a cost that no additional money can compensate for. We do not believe that our Church can continue in this direction. It is therefore the intention of this report to close this case in order for us to be able to return to our raison d’être as a denomination—to lead people to a relationship with Jesus in the light of his imminent return.[4] 

The EXCOM’s portrayal is misleading. How the EXCOM handles the most valuable estate of the IC is not some type of a monetary side issue, with no relation to the spiritual life of the Church. How we manage the mines is an integral part of our stewardship as a denomination. If unjust administration, financial or legal misconduct or fraud, or even financial greed, is taking place in the EXCOM, then it is obviously not something that can be ignored because Jesus is returning to the earth or because we must think about evangelism or focus on loving each other. On the contrary, such spiritual concerns demand a reformation in the administrative conduct of the EXCOM.

We who have criticized the EXCOM for their stewardship of the mines have not set forth such criticism because we are obsessed with financial (and unspiritual) fringe issues. We care for the spiritual health of the IC and because of this we also care about the stewardship of the IC’s material resources. We believe that when the EXCOM—who are leaders both in spiritual and material matters—does not handle the “worldly” matters of the IC well, that it cannot but considered as a very serious issue. 

Therefore, the question is not whether the mining case is unspiritual or not. The mining case is inseparably connected to the spiritual life of our community as a denomination. Rather, the question is whether the EXCOM has managed the mining operation prudently or not. Those church members raising questions and criticism maintain the EXCOM has demonstrated good stewardship and that it has refused to provide church members with information about the case. Again, it is a misguided theology that portrays the concerns of church members as their obsession with material matters and their neglect of spiritual interests. It is precisely because of their interest in the welfare of the IC that they want to see responsible stewardship and good administration.

[1] The EXCOM, open letter to the church boards, 16 March 2022, p. 8.

[2] Gavin Anthony, GCAS meeting, 24 May 2022, introductory speech and concluding remarks, typed up by the author.

[3] The EXCOM, “Skýrsla um námuna” (Report concerning the mine), p. 84, translated by the author.

[4] The EXCOM, “Skýrsla um námuna” (Report concerning the mine), p. 81, translated by the author.