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“Financial Literacy Paper”
William Gaughan
APOL201: Apologetics and Cultural Engagement
November 4, 2022
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One thing Christian and secular humans have in common is the fact that they use money.
Money is very important in America’s culture; it is the way of life. Money, as its own, is not
necessarily evil, but it is the love of money and the exploitation to gain money that causes it to be
an evil and sin in someone’s life. A Christian can also be a bad steward of money, whereas in
contrast a secular person can be a better steward of their money. It all depends on how they use
their money. The Bible gives answers to Christians on how to use their money. It says to set long
term goals for a financial foundation for the future. It says to avoid the use of debt, to spend less
than you earn, to plan for financial margin, and to give generously. I am not saying that someone
who is not a Christian cannot do these things, but the answers are given directly to Christians
through the Bible.
Christians should not view money as the only thing that matters, but as a gift from God.
Christians should have trust and faith in God that he will provide for us, no matter if we have
five dollars in our bank account, or five million dollars in our account. In contrast, those who
hold a secular view of money, often put money above all things and only search for more and
more money. The phrase money buys happiness seems like it may work for the secular view, but
there are multiple accounts where people may hold millions of dollars, but they are still unhappy
with their life, and they cannot find and answer. Also, the Christian view of money shows
Christians being thankful for all they have, and grateful that they even have the money in the first
place. Some people who hold the secular view of money become ungrateful and greedy of their
money and blame others.
To be a good steward of my money, I believe I need to do a better job of using it on
things that I absolutely need. I end up making money from working, then I spend it on games or
small things that do not matter. I have devised a plan, well my dad has, for me to be a better
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steward of my money. Out of the money I make, I want to give 10% of it, save 20% of it, invest
10% of it, and use the other 60% as spending money. The 10% I get from each paycheck will be
used to tithe, and the 30% I save and invest will set me up as for the future. I have tried this
before, when I was working, but I ended up spending most of the money on things that did not
have much value. I feel like this is a really good way to view money, as it follows all the biblical
principles of stewardship of money. It sets a person up for the future, while also giving back and
tithing. Others can even switch up the percentages, where they are saving and giving even more.
I have already shared this with a few of my friends.
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