Money Is Deeply Spiritual (And the Church Needs to Talk About It)

Why every Christian should care about the basics of monetary policy.

Money is deeply spiritual.

This statement might surprise you. We're conditioned to think of money as worldly, material, maybe even dirty—the opposite of spiritual. But consider: relationships are spiritual, and money is woven through nearly every relationship we have.

Business relationships are defined by money. Family relationships are influenced by money. Even strangers become connected through monetary exchange. Money determines how we fit into society, what choices are available to us, and often how we're perceived by others.

Scripture takes money seriously. There are over 2,000 verses about money in the Bible—more than reference prayer and faith combined. Jesus used monetary metaphors constantly. The very story of salvation is described in the language of money: payment, debt, forgiveness, redemption.

"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil," Paul wrote to Timothy. We've heard this verse countless times. But here's what we rarely discuss: what happens when the money itself is corrupt?

Greed, envy, and lust for power are rightly condemned. But the system that aggravates these sins? That's barely mentioned in most churches.

When we talk about money in church, it's usually about tithing or personal financial stewardship—how to use money. These are important topics. But they assume the money itself is neutral, that all money is the same.

It's not.

There is moral money and immoral money. There is money that rewards work and money that rewards theft. There is money that builds civilization and money that destroys it. The type of money we use shapes our behavior, our communities, and our character in ways we rarely recognize.

Think of it this way: money is to the economy what food is to the body. We spend considerable time discussing healthy eating, warning against processed foods, and understanding how our diet affects our wellbeing. But- how often do we examine the "diet" of money we consume daily?

The monetary system is to money what the food production system is to food. There's much going on behind the scenes that affects the final product. The moral and spiritual implications of how money is created, distributed, and controlled are profound—and almost entirely ignored.

Proverbs tells us that wisdom is better than gold, and insight better than silver. It's time for the Church to gain some insight into the monetary system that shapes so much of modern life. It's time to understand not just how to use money, but what money is—and what it should be.

The pervasive influence of money is consequential to who we are collectively. The fruit of our monetary system reflects our values. And if that system is rotten at its core, we shouldn't be surprised when it produces rotten fruit.