Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO’s, athletes, and other individuals have been wealthy, but it’s times like this that the conversation tends to turn against those who are very wealthy. On the other hand, when the government steps in to help those who are suffering financially, the conversation can turn against those who are poor. So, what should our response, as Christians, be? In this episode, Gary & Christy talk about the wealth gap, if it’s wrong to be rich, if it’s wrong to be poor, and some thoughts around this topic found in the Bible.

Episode Resources

• https://www.mlb.com/news/highest-paid-baseball-players-in-2020
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/08/21/nfl-qbs-top-list-highest-paid-players-based-annual-salary/2069973001/
• https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/22/highest-paid-players-in-the-nba-right-now.html
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-the-rent-is-due-for-rich-people-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-120823686.html
  • “Don’t be a tightwad. If you’ve got something, give back. Pay a little bit of rent for being on this planet Earth and all the good fortune that God sent your way because you have extra money.” — billionaire John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of Paul Mitchell Products and Patrón Spirits
• https://smartasset.com/retirement/congress-retirement-plans
  • Most senators and representatives make an annual salary of $174,000. Those in leadership make a bit more.
• https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp
  • A $32,400 annual income will easily place American school teachers, registered nurses, and other modestly-salaried individuals, among the global 1% of earners.
  • Contrarily, the top 1% of wage earners strictly in the United States must pull in at least $421,926 to make the cut.
• https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-a-list-of-ce-os-taking-pay-cuts-amidst-the-coronavirus-crisis-171206258.html
• Annual executive pay:
  • https://www1.salary.com/MCDONALDS-CORP-Executive-Salaries.html
  • https://www1.salary.com/STARBUCKS-CORP-Executive-Salaries.html
  • https://www1.salary.com/TARGET-CORP-Executive-Salaries.html
  • https://www1.salary.com/DARDEN-RESTAURANTS-INC-Executive-Salaries.html
  • https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/24/success/ceo-pay-packages/index.html