Teacher, researcher and consultant to foundations, for the past nine years Lynn has been studying the history of Protestant giving. In the interview that follows he speaks about faith and money, the subject of a forthcoming book. That's a very mysterious business. I'm worried about those who focus on motivation.
Motivations are usually mixed, and self-deception and sin prevail.
None of us want to be accused of being greedy or miserly, but we could be far more imaginative and generous if we tested our giving in conversations with each other. Not just gratitude as thanksgiving for the good things in our lives but gratitude for God's grace in Christ. If we're a part of the circle of grace and recognize God's abundant grace, we give to the church to help pass along that grace to others. We respond to God's grace in joy, and certainly a part Click to enlarge of that response is giving. Second Corinthians 8 is my favorite Biblical chapter on stewardship.