Why do rich people give money away? No, they don’t all do that. But some do. And they get cheered for it. But do you ever wonder, why do they give it away? And should we be cheering?
I write the original version of this more than ten years ago. It was on a different site, with a different audience.
It’s time for an update. And a slightly different focus since it’s over here on God versus religion now.
The adjacent image shows a view that some people have of those mega-rich people who very publicly give away billions of dollars. One such mechanism to do this is something called The Giving Pledge. On the flip side of that view, some also wonder why more rich people don’t join the pledge.
Many wonder why more billionaires have not joined the pledge or many any public commitment to giving away their wealth. Some critics of the initiative say there is a lack of accountability built into the pledge. Others wonder if pledgers are more focused on gaining publicity than supporting environmental and social causes. On the other hand, others believe billionaires have no moral obligation to give away their hard-earned wealth. 1
Summary
In the realm of philanthropy, the ultra-wealthy often make headlines with their grand gestures of generosity. However, this article invites readers to delve deeper into the motives and impacts of such acts, particularly from a Christian perspective. It challenges us to question the morality of accumulating wealth at the expense of others and the true effectiveness of philanthropy by the ultra-rich.
The Giving Pledge: Discusses the Giving Pledge, a commitment by wealthy individuals to give away a majority of their wealth, and the public’s mixed views on this.
Christian Perspective: Explores why rich people should give away money from a Christian viewpoint, emphasizing the importance of the motives behind giving.
Scriptural References: References biblical figures like Zacchaeus the Tax Collector to illustrate the concept of restitution and generosity in Christianity.
Wealth and Morality: Questions the morality of amassing wealth at the expense of others and the true impact of philanthropy by the ultra-rich.
The page encourages a critical examination of the motives and effects of wealthy individuals’ philanthropy, especially in the context of Christian values.
Why should rich people give money away? (from a Christian point of view)
There are. of course, lots of reasons why people give money to various causes. However, since I’m going for a specifically Christian viewpoint here, I’m asking why should they give, with a very narrow view of should.
You probably expect to see something on the Rich Young Man that Jesus spoke with. And we will get there. But for now, I just want to point out that money isn’t the only possible issue when we look at the topic of giving things away. Even with money, it’s not the wealth itself that is the problem. It’s the love of that wealth. To that, I also add the things we did in order to gain that wealth. For instance:
God and me - this life and the next 
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