Peter tells us that ministers ought not to be motivated by aischrokerdos, by filthy lucre (1 Pet. 5:2). A related term (aischrokerdes) is proscribed for ministers in 1 Tim. 3:3,8 and Titus 1:7 (cf. Tit. 1:11). It is one word, which, if we did it this way, would come out like dirtymoney. Now what is that supposed to mean?
All three times the New Testament mentions this problem, it is talking to or about men in the ministry. And fine, Ron Sider and Jim Wallis don’t know anything about economic reality, and they really don’t. So we may go to sleep tonight in the deep confidence that these warnings don’t mean what evangelical socialists say they mean. Great. What do they mean?