9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
A lot of folks will want to declare this a turkey in the Epistle of Straw, for it runs counter to a lot of American thought. While the glorification of riches shows up most prominently in charismatic circles these days, it can trace its roots to the frozen-chosen, notably a Reformation meme that the wealthy churchmen were being blessed by God and that their wealth was a sign of their chosen nature.
James takes issue with that. Jesus noted that the last on earth will be first in God's kingdom, while the folks that are in charge of the building fund will be in Heaven's nosebleed section rather than in the box seats. That helps cushion the blow that came in the next passage that I riffed on yesterday where the doubters will not get much from God; here, the people who don't have much are blessed.
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