The Truth About Material Wealth: Is It God’s Blessing in Disguise?

About the Book

The text of this book reveals the fact that because of poverty in our world, there’s a desire for every being to accumulate material possessions; therefore, the temptation to pursue this cause of action can never be underestimated regardless of our belief in the Lord God. Regardless of the desire to be wealthy, however, many believers still ascertain the fact that poverty must be encouraged as part of our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. They support the argument from the biblical text thus: “For, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). Conversely, other believers assert that God does not refute richness and therefore also affirms their belief with the biblical verse that says in the Proverbs 22:7 that “the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” In Ecclesiastes 5:19 we hear further thus: “When God gives any man a wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.” Furthermore we hear from 1 Samuel 2:7 that “the Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.” These biblical verses indicate the fact that God raises both the rich and the poor. The Good News Bible (in giant print) expands this verse to mean “the Lord makes some men poor and others rich; He humbles some and makes others great” (1 Sam. 2:7). Deducing from these texts, we can come to some kind of understanding that further reflection on both sides of the arguments is fundamentally in demand for an in-depth illumination of how to live within the grace of the Living God.

About the Author

The Reverend Dr. Gabriel Anan was born and raised in Ghana, where he received his primary and secondary education. He worked for the ministry of interior for five years before leaving for Great Britain to study law, shipping, and transport. His management training earned him the corporate membership of the professional bodies including Chartered Institute of Shipbrokers, Chartered Institute of Transport, and the Institute of Export. He later worked as a manager and director for five years before engaging in academic studies at the Greenwich University for his youth work qualification. He achieved a master of arts in voluntary sector studies before gaining a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in the area of church leadership and management of change at the University of East London. As a Church of England priest, he completed a BA in contextual theology at the Middlesex University. He also studied for a ba evangelical degree at Elim Bible College, now Regents Theological College. He has a vast practical experience in voluntary and charity organisations as he served as a chairman of Canning Town outlook, a board of director for Newham Credit Union, vice chair for Drew Primary School Governors for four years, and youth adviser for London Borough of Newham for over ten years. Currently, he is an associate minister at St. George’s Church of England in East London. He lives in Essex, UK, with his family.