Wealth and the Religious Right

[Joanne98]

Cultural views regarding the rich have shifted in the nation. This attitude reflects how the nation views taxation, extreme wealth, and economic planning. Observers of the Religious Right have noted the impact such views have had on elections and even church doctrine. Some have suggested that the recent economic set back had some roots in this ideology. A few years ago I had an article published in Christian Ethics Today titled, "Salaries and Santification". I have updated the article, left out endnotes and published it below.


Using the analogy of baseball, I am remotely familiar with the regional major league baseball team. I note with interest the salary increases and the difference between a weak hitter and a high dollar free agent. Great hitters hit in the range from an average of 290 to 300 or up. They bring many bidders for their services when their contacts expire. The weaker hitters hit around 240 to 250. I realize that hitting for an average is not the only credential used in judging baseball players, however the numbers speak for themselves. Hitters with the larger averages are now able to merit multi year contracts guaranteeing them multiple millions of dollars a year. Below average hitters make usually around $500,000 a year. Thus the difference between the hitters on pay scale is that the "better" hitters make around eight to ten times as much as the weaker hitters.

To put the numbers in perspective, this means a hitter who makes ten times what the weaker player makes is actually getting around 4% to 5% more hits per year than his competition. That is what the numbers say. The same is true of pitchers in which a regional multi million dollar star has only won a few more wins than the lesser paid employee.

To make a secular comparison think of a back hoe operator. If his fellow employee, who was a better operator at the end of the week dug a ditch only 5% further with his efforts and was rewarded with ten times the salary there would be a discussion with the company over this issue. If a roofer was able to perform at the rate of laying 4% more shingles a week than his fellow laborer and received ten times the compensation there would be an interesting meeting taking place with the financial secretary.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/12/23/9482/3230/Front_Page/Wealth_and_the_Religious_Right