The Credit Card

A daily task awaited me--sorting through the mail. Because I work from home, and am on numerous mailing lists, I generally find a heavily stuffed mailbox. Like many other people in this fast-moving economy, I also receive numerous offers for new credit cards. And most of them land in the trash immediately.

But one caught my eye. It stated that it was a "Christian" credit card and that it used a symbol on it that would immediately identify me to merchants as a Christian and thus serve as a testimony to them. With more than usual distaste, I tossed this one, but found myself troubled by it later.

How would the use of this credit card be a Christian witness? Could it invite others into the Kingdom of God? What if I presented it with a snarl or some other ungracious attitude? What if I had been in some way unkind or uncharitable to the salesperson or clerk before using it?

I remembered some discomfort years ago when I first heard of a "Christian Yellow Pages." Supposedly by using this directory, I would be able to do business with only Christian merchants. Yet I knew from personal experience that many of those who called themselves "Christian" engaged in shoddy business practices. They might have some sort of symbol on their advertisements that looked "christian," but their actions seemed to represent something entirely different.

If I really want my business and financial transactions to spread Christian witness, what must they look like?

I dipped into the Scriptures for an answer to this question. There are lots of passages that speak to the way we are to view our financial lives, but a verse not specifically related to that caught my eye:

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.

Phil. 2:14-15, NRSV

To be a blameless and innocent child of God--now that would be a testimony.

Think about it: how often do we blame parents when children misbehave? And how often do we give parents credit when we see their children living out of a sweet innocence, not arguing or complaining? I think it is a fairly common practice. Like it or not, the activities of our children reflects the kind of parenting they have received.

So if I live without arguing or murmuring, i.e., without inciting quarrels and splits and divisions and backstabbings, I have made great progress toward being a blameless child of God. And in that progress, then perhaps I do give a Christian testimony, not only to clerks and merchants, but to all others with whom I am privileged to come in contact.

This sounds a lot more effective to me than some symbol on a credit card. And it didn't even have a particularly attractive interest rate!

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Beware of making Absolute Pronouncements
The Bond and Bind of Love
We may as well shoot them
The Apology
The Credit Card
Slobs Rejoice!
Getting Our Hands Dirty
Hear or Listen
If You Really Loved Me . . .
Just Imagine
Love is Patient
Perfect Love
Test Anxiety

How would the use of this credit card be a Christian witness? Could it invite others into the Kingdom of God? What if I presented it with a snarl or some other ungracious attitude?