So tonight at HBS we touched on the subject of the Christian relationship with wealth. Discussion was dominated, as usual, by Dr. Klein and Mr. Russell (and a couple of others who randomly piped up a couple times). I think Dr. Klein's concerns are well-founded (students trekking to a Christian college to position themselves to make more money?).

I don't know about Dr. Joe Pryor or Dr. Benson, two people who were pointed to as examples; I never met either man. The fundamental question of the evening stands on its own, though: whom or what is my master? Whom or what do I serve? Where is your treasure?

A slave serves his master whether he loves that master or not. He or she may love freedom more than master. One can always serve that for which one professes no love. We can only be bound to Christ by love, for it is only love that surrenders freedom for the sake of Master. Some masters Master can free us from, and some masters Master calls us to be freed from; but for such freedom he binds us to himself. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me."

But turn the tables. Perhaps one pictures one's relationship to money from the other side; perhaps one thinks oneself the master, and the money is the servant. This is the approach advocated by the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series: let money work for you. So perhaps money can be our servant? It seems an admirable idea; one is assumed to be no longer "serving mammon." "But let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." One who has such a servant may be even more dependent upon it for his well-being than the slave is upon his master. The reality is that you can't be master; you will find yourself in servitude to and dependent upon that which you thought was your servant. When the "servant" deserts you, you may realize just how much faith you placed in it. Your treasure gone, you will be completely poverty-stricken. If such poverty strikes you before you die, it may turn you to God. But "today if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart": where is your treasure?