Posted on October 12, 2016
CCU's Dr. David Kotter's Biblical Op-Ed Published in The Washington Times
Dr. David Kotter, Colorado Christian University's dean of the School of Theology, co-authored an op-ed published in The Washington Times on Thursday, October 6, 2016. "Are Riches and Righteousness Necessarily at Odds?" analyzes the Bible's view on wealth and whether or not having wealth is commended or condemned by God.
In order to establish a researched opinion, Dr. Kotter analyzed "every case in the Bible where an individual was identified as having substantial material possessions and the means of acquiring these goods was disclosed," he said. "We found that in the 21 cases meeting these criteria, the means of acquisition was a reliable indicator of whether a person received approval or disapproval."
Dr. Kotter discussed "zero-sum game" versus "positive-sum games" in this article. Zero-sum is when one person gained riches at the expense of someone else, resulting in the riches being condemned. Positive-sum is when both persons accumulate riches mutually, in which case both were able to keep the riches gained.
After discussing biblical stories, including those of Isaac, Job and the apostle Paul, Dr. Kotter concluded his Op/Ed with three key points. "First, there is no inherent reason to feel uneasy when increasing household wealth through positive-sum games because this is commended throughout the Bible," he said. "Second, accumulating riches through zero-sum games or illegal means is universally condemned in the Bible and should be avoided even today."
Dr. Kotter's final point was this: How one's wealth is acquired is how God will either condemn it or commend it.
Read Dr. David Kotter's full op-ed in The Washington Times.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/6/are-riches-and-righteousness-necessarily-at-odds/