Money, Sex, and Power

In 1985 Richard Foster wrote a book titled Money, Sex and Power: the Challenge of the Disciplined Life. He explored how these three things – individually or in combination – are common traps for people in leadership and those who seek to cultivate their spiritual lives. He also observed how, from the earliest days of Christian monasticism, the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience formed as specific antidotes to these threats. Taking it out of a strictly monastic context for those who aspire to be Jesus’ disciples today, I would suggest stewardship, fidelity, and accountability.

 I am convinced that money, sex, and power are an intricately intertwined web of ruinous enticements. All three often entangle those whose leadership and spiritual intentions collapse in disaster. This entanglement seems to lure its victims into a hubris that either blinds them to their danger or convinces them that they are not subject to the limits of ordinary people.

The line from Donald Trump’s 2005 video that recently caused so much stir seems to corroborate my observation. He said that when you are a star, women let you do it. Trump and his supporters have recited Bill Clinton’s infidelities as though that excuses or at least ameliorates his. I would suggest that they are both entangled in this web in which money, sex, and power feed on each other destructively, to which I suspect many in positions of prominence are vulnerable. Allegations of sexual impropriety have been made about five of the thirteen US Presidents of my generation. The careers any number of recent public office holders of both parties have come crashing down in scandals involving some impropriety of the mix of money, sex, and power.

The adultery of King David (2 Samuel 11-12) has been applied in a variety of ways to the indiscretions of political leaders in our time. I would say that the prophet Nathan’s confrontation, David’s repentance, and the tragic consequences of his sin are all applicable in some fashion. However, I also find King Ahab’s treacherous seizure of Naboth’s vineyard to be powerfully instructive. (1 Kings 21) Ahab lusted for Naboth’s vineyard and was depressed when Naboth refused to sell it. Naboth understood that the land was not personal property but belonged to God and was not to be sold in perpetuity but passed generation to generation for the benefit of the whole community. (Leviticus 25:23) And at some level, Ahab understood that Hebrew kings did not have absolute power but were to be servants of the community. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) But his pagan wife Jezebel thought that as king Ahab had absolute despotic authority and could take whatever he wanted. She mocked him, “Do you now govern Israel?” (1 Kings 21:7), and she set in motion a scheme to confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. While the US Constitution has built in checks and balances, people in all sorts of positions of power easily start to presume they can make their own decisions. Some of those are shady financial dealings. Some are abuses of power from racial profiling to deleting government records. Some are sexual predation. Often, all are tangled together.

Athletes, entertainers, and all manner of celebrities are similarly susceptible. Rampant domestic abuse among some athletes is almost certainly part of this phenomenon. With their fame and excessive money at a young age can also come plenty of attention from admirers of the opposite sex. When they run into rejection, they are prone to lash out. Not all are entrapped, to be sure, but the pattern seems all too common.

Recognizing this destructive pattern in those who are distant from me is all too easy, and makes me susceptible to deceptive self-righteousness. As a retired pastor I am painfully aware that we in ministry are also vulnerable. This is not limited to the mega-church pastors who preside over huge ecclesiastical empires. Even pastors of small congregations are often the recipients of admiration and generosity and trusted with very personal aspects of people’s lives. The combination of strength and tenderness can be sexually powerful. We can start to believe we are special and are accorded privileges in our relationships that others do not have. Rationalizing that we are doing something in the name of God for the good of someone else is very dangerous. When a prominent pastor falls, the public knows, and all too often injured and disillusioned people are turned away from the church if not God. However, too often I have seen this pattern play out painfully among my own clergy colleagues and friends. A reduction of scale in no way restricts the damage. I can allow myself no room to be smug. By God’s grace I have served with both clergy and lay people who have held me accountable in healthy ways, and my wife has had good spiritual radar to alert me to threats before I was aware of them.

I recommend Richard Foster’s book Money, Sex, and Power as a great practical resource and will not attempt to delve into the practical details as he did so well. But I will reaffirm stewardship, fidelity, and accountability as essential protections from the lure of the destructive web. Stewardship is putting into practice the reality that I own nothing and have not earned what I have. (Deuteronomy 8:17; Psalm 44:3; 1 Corinthians 4:7) Rather these are gifts that belong to God that I am entrusted to use in the name of Jesus for the benefit of others. Fidelity is far more than restricting my sexual expressions to my wife. It means finding great joy in devoting myself to nurture her and to receive her nurture in the same way Christ nurtures the Church. I am learning this in new depth since she was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Of course, it is challenging, but it is also deeply satisfying as we approach our 48^th wedding anniversary. Accountability to a few people who trust me enough to be honest with me when they observe spiritual danger in me. I have been blessed with several clergy colleagues and staff members who have done this for me. I have also had spiritual directors and spiritual companions for this purpose.

At seventy years old, I am still learning and growing and aware that I am vulnerable to both known and hidden faults (Psalm 19:12). I do not offer this essay as any kind of expertise, but more as a personal spiritual examen. I also offer it as an invitation for all who are wrestling with the issues that the current presidential campaign has exposed to explore how God might lead you to protect yourself from the trap of money, sex, and power.