By Emily Judd ‘19 M.A.R.
In the new episode of the Yale Divinity School “Quadcast,” Bob Massie ’82 M.Div. discusses the faith and money relationship, his experience as a Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor, and why politicians must address sustainability.
Author of A Handbook on Faith and Money, Massie said money can be used for good, but he warns about its unique spiritual danger.
“If you have a purpose, you can bring money in and use it as a tool. But if you don’t have a purpose, money will provide that purpose for you,” said Massie, who last summer taught a YDS Summer Study course titled “Living Faithfully in a World Dominated by Money.”A common test seen throughout the Bible is how one responds to the gifts and money one may have, according to Massie—a test still relevant today.
***
***
“A lot of people fall into the trap of using money to define who they are,” Massie says. “That’s exactly the opposite of what Jesus invites us to.”
Massie received his Master of Divinity degree from Yale in 1982 and earned a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard in 1989. An Episcopal priest, Massie entered the political arena in 1994, winning the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.
He also was a Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor in 2018. He decided to run, he says, because the state government was failing to address sustainability.
“The term sustainability does not come up (in state government),” he said. “The governor does not understand it. There are concepts that are pushing the world forward to meet the ecological challenges, but are those being seriously discussed by the people who run the Legislature and the administration of Massachusetts? They are not.”
An activist and environmentalist, Massie said the concept of sustainability goes beyond environmental issues to include human needs. “Issues of injustice and inequality merge with environmental concerns.”
Massie called climate change “the single largest issue humanity has ever faced.” Despite his frustration with the lack of political progress in addressing climate change, he said he is encouraged by the elections of Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others who embrace the issue.
February 17, 2020