Wednesday, July 23, 2003

In the Rev. Hatcher's admirable column on July 9, he lamented two trends in Christianity: the gospel of wealth and false piety. I would add ... a critique of the Prayer of Jabez. Bruce Wilkinson's publishing phenomenon advises Christians of the benefits of praying for an increase in personal wealth.

As the Rev. Hatcher rightly points out, while wealth itself is not evil, being wealthy can be a great hindrance for the Christian life. Nowhere does the Bible exhort the Jews or the disciples of Christ to seek wealth. Rather, it is very clear that God only wishes us to seek Him. If in doing so, we become wealthy through honest work and industry, that is fine. But we must be sure to remember from where that wealth comes, and to whom it all ultimately belongs.

The Rev. Hatcher's second admonition pertains to the "pious spirit." While I get what he was saying, I think his use of the word "pious" was incorrect. One definition of pious is as follows: "Having or exhibiting religious reverence; earnestly compliant in the observance of religion; devout."

Someone who exhibits these qualities is not an affront to Christianity. Where the problem lies is with "false piety" and those who don't practice what they preach. As such, perhaps words such as "sanctimonious," "hypocritical," or "self-righteous" would work better?

It is a minor point, but in this age where religious language is so often abused and misapplied, I wanted to defend the term "pious" as an essentially good quality and one to which Christians ought to strive.

Trey Hoffman

Peachtree City, Ga.