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COVID-19 Relief for Haitian Partners

In solidarity with our friends in Haiti, Faith and Money Network is reallocating the Bonjou Haiti Fund, more than $14,000, to help offset COVID and political forces that have created dire shortages. The Bonjou Haiti Fund was established in honor of FMN founder Don McClanen to offer Haiti trip scholarships to seminary students and church leaders and has helped several people go to Haiti with FMN   [Read More …]

Pandemic Prayers – Part 2

When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray . . . Yesterday I started crying for no apparent reason and losing control like that really got to me.  Given how much the virus has disrupted our lives, none of us should be surprised when that happens now and then  Calm me down when I’m feeling anxious, Lord, and Remind me that tears bring physiological relief to hurting hearts and   [Read More …]

A Pandemic Prayer

When I am feeling overwhelmed, Lord, I will pray  . . . At a Faith and Money workshop years ago I learned the importance of praying the newspaper.  That idea resonated with me, and as I followed that practice over the years I found that it helped me cope with those things beyond my control and calmed my fears. As the virus swirls around us, I am praying . . . This pandemic is   [Read More …]

Scripture, Our Declaration of Independence, and Inequality

 “You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.” from The Message, Proverbs 14:31   The July 6 / July 13 issue of TIME magazine included an article titled, “12 Ways Trump Has Deepened Inequality.”   All can be devastating to the people they impact and all are mean spirited, but three in particular hit families   [Read More …]

Have your spending habits changed? Five questions to ask about money, values and the pandemic

I went to the local drugstore this week to get some supplies – I know crazy, right? Doing something normal like going to the CVS now feels like participating in an X Games extreme sports event, at least if you are following the advice of the medical experts. I went in the very early morning, had my mask on the whole time, used the wipes available by the door, and tried to touch as little as   [Read More …]

What Do You Think About Money?

Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think.” Romans 12:2, The Poverty and Justice Bible Whether for good or bad, one thing is certain about pandemic financial decisions: we aren’t spending our money the way we used to.  It isn’t coming in the way it used to be either.  That makes this a perfect time for each of us to take a good, hard look at the role   [Read More …]

Inequality through the Eyes of Patriotic Millionaires

 “We will not make an endorsement in the presidential primary election, but will happily endorse almost any general election candidate running against Donald Trump.”       That blunt statement is from a 2019 summary of the Patriotic Millionaires, “a group of high-net worth Americans who share a profound concern about the destabilizing level of inequality in   [Read More …]

New seminary class equips pastors to teach and preach on money and faith

It started with an idea.  Create a class for seminary students about money. Not just a course on stewardship as a church campaign, but a conversation about stewardship as a way of life. A place where seminarians could examine their own relationship with money — without guilt, shame or inadequacy. A curriculum that could help them preach it to their congregants.  This spring, “Faith   [Read More …]

Change Is Blowing In the Wind

“Change the wind, transform the debate, recast the discussion, alter the context in which political decisions are being made, and you will change the outcomes.”   Jim Wallis, God’s Politics In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stopped by the White House for a meeting with President Lyndon Johnson.  King had just been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership role in   [Read More …]

It’s Time to Push the Reset Button

“So those who really know the Bible wonder, how did the faith of Jesus come to be known as pro-rich, pro-war, and only pro-American?”    Jim Wallis, God’s Politics Let’s be honest.  For years, inequality has been a growing problem that has been easy to ignore for anyone whose life wasn’t impacted by it, but it can’t be ignored anymore.  Our soaring unemployment rate and miles-long   [Read More …]