Building the world we want

I’ve been thinking a lot about money lately.

Progressive Christian teachings about money were actually what first drew me to the faith.

I recently had an opportunity to share with you all a bit about my faith story, including one of the questions that challenges me most: 

How does the way I spend my money communicate my values?

If I died tomorrow, and you printed off my bank statement, what would you learn about me? What would you say is important to me?

These are the questions Rev. Debra McKnight asks herself in Generosity of More than Spirit, a sermon I revisit several times a year.

Budgets are moral documents. We vote with every dollar, and those votes say a lot about us. Do we value the convenience of online shopping more than our local small businesses? Do we believe in paying artists for their work? Are we looking toward the future, sharing our hard-earned dollars with the people and organizations who are building a better world for us all?

I’d like to invite you to do what I’ve been challenging myself to do this year: Take a look at your bank statement, from the last month, or even from the last week. What does it tell you? How does the way that you spend money communicate what’s important to you?

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that Tri-Faith is something that matters to you. We’re doing great things, but we can’t do them alone.

I’m proud to be a Bridge Builder, because I believe that healthy interfaith relations are essential to creating the world of which we all dream: One that values, includes, and protects all our neighbors.

If this work matters to you – if you, too, want to cultivate trust and understanding among people of different faiths while celebrating religious differences, I’d like to also invite you to make a meaningful gift to Tri-Faith Initiative.

Only your generosity – your naming that Tri-Faith is important to you, and for our future – will help us build the world we want.