What is the Christian Response to Sullivan, Fuld, and Other Greedy Corporate Leaders?

God only knows who is responsible for the current financial mess.  And, that’s where this post is going to end up.  But, it doesn’t take an MBA to assign some of the blame.  The greed of corporate leaders makes the rich man of Luke 16 (who only dressed in purple and feasted sumptuously) look positively thrifty.  Consider:

• Despite a failed company, AIG’s Andrew Sullivan still plans on riding his golden parachute of $15 million dollars off into the sunset.  He told congress he will keep the money.
• AIG leaders enjoyed a $440,000 retreat days after the federal government spent $85 billion dollars of taxpayer money to bail the company out.
• Lehman CEO Richard Fuld gave departing executives huge severance packages and said that the company was strong only days before Lehman folded.  Fuld himself received $187 million in pay.
• A USA Today article that you can read here gives a mind boggling summary of exit packages.

Meanwhile, the pain begins.  401k plans are down $2 trillion dollars ($2,000,000,000,000 if I counted zeros right).  People no longer able to work may lose their savings.  How should Christians who lose their homes, jobs or retirements relate to the people partially responsible?

Read Luke 16:19-31 aloud with emphasis and you will be able to form some of your response without reading my summary points at the end.

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’  25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—28 for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

You could no doubt add to, or fine tune, this list.

• Confess the greed and consumption in our own lives.  Perhaps, the difference between most of us and Andrew Sullivan is only a matter of degree or opportunity.
• Pray lead me not into temptation – I wouldn’t trade places with one of those CEO’s for all the world.  But, who among us can assume that we would able to refuse such wealth if given the opportunity?

“Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.(Pr 30:8-9).”

• Love – – We should have great compassion for people who partied for a week or two and, apart from saving faith, face eternal punishment.  Even if you lost everything materially.  Everything.  Say you starved.  Would you wish that those responsible would suffer for a million years and be no closer to the end of their suffering?

Bonhoeffer was right, “. . . it is only when God’s wrath and vengeance are hanging as grim realities over the heads of one’s enemies that something of what it means to love and forgive them can touch our hearts.”

• Share your faith.  To the degree that our economy collapses, to that degree we will have an opportunity to share the wonder that we can store up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).Warn that forgiveness is not automatic.  It is only for those who believe.  (You can read more about this point here).
• Remember, that anything someone may have done to offend us, pales in comparison to what we have done to offend a Holy God.  Those unwilling to graciously offer forgiveness to offenders, would do well to read “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant,” Matthew 18:21-35 again carefully
• Leave judgment to God.  Jesus words are a vivid reminder.  Vengeance belongs to God and he will repay (Romans 12:19).  God only knows who is responsible.