By Andy Hale

Have you ever had a moment where you realize you are at an impasse with Jesus and his teachings?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of us would never publicly acknowledge an agreement with that question. However, internally, many of us have wrestled with some aspects of what Jesus actually said and did,

Typically, this turns into a theological gymnastics meet in which we come to some spiritually justified conclusion that Jesus only really meant what he said to that particular person or those specific people in first-century Palestine.

I’ll go even further in saying that the area we do this with Jesus most is when it comes to his teachings about money and possessions. And he talks about these things more often than we realize. Jesus spoke of money in 16 of his 38 parables. One out of seven verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are about money. This leaves us with Jesus talking about money 25% of the time.

“Look at our houses, cars, closets, our luxuries; if we are not rich, then no one is. If we aren’t swept up in entitlement, indulgences, and extravagance, then Jesus is a fool, and let’s get back to living,” said Jen Hatmaker on the CBF Podcast.

We sat down with The New York Times Best-selling author to discuss her latest book, Simple and Free, and her journey of overindulgence.

Hatmaker wants to challenge Jesus’ followers to turn to simplicity and generosity while changing our relationship with consumerism. “Let’s challenge the laissez-faire response that dismisses our consumerism with a casual shrug. But be prepared for the upstream stream struggle. The keepers of the market want us to spend,” she said.

In addition to her writing, Hatmaker hosts the For the Love podcast. She is the co-founder of Legacy Collective, a grant funding organization for projects of sustainability.

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This podcast episode is brought to you by The Center for Congregational Health, Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, and McAfee School of Theology Doctor of Ministry program.

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Andy Hale is the creator and host of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Podcast. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy