Times are tough. Money is tight. Unemployment is high. Consumer debt is high. It’s hard to save and harder to give. Offer our readers some faith-based financial counsel.

What do you tell people about spending and debt and consumerism? What do you tell them about saving and giving? What are some faith-based principles for dealing with money?

Money is important. It’s important if you have it, and it’s especially important if you don’t have it. Since we live in a world in which half the population lives on less than $2 dollars per day and where the citizens of the richest country in the history of the world only give 5/10,000 of their personal income for international aid, it is especially important for us all to reexamine our giving habits. Martin Luther said, “The last thing to be converted in a man is his pocketbook.” Solomon wrote about money management at length in the Proverbs, and in the four gospel accounts, Jesus taught more about money and possessions than anything else. He taught that money management is especially important because it demonstrates where our hearts are. John Wesley put it this way: “Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.”