The Bible takes it as a given that people wish to be wealthy and that there is nothing wrong with this. While there are certainly dangers inherent in the wish, the wish itself is never rebuked, except insofar as illicit means are used to fulfill it. Many people think that it is unspiritual to talk about money. But one of the things that I love about the Bible and have come to appreciate more and more over the years is that it is very down to earth. It’s very worldly, in the sense that it teaches us how to live in this world. And this is a good thing because this is where we live. We need to know the way to heaven, to be sure. But we also need to know how to live in this world while we’re here. And a very large part of living in this world has to do with money. Money is not regarded in Scripture as an intrinsic evil, as some people suppose. Someone will ask, “But doesn’t the Bible say, ‘Money is the root of all evil?’” Well, no it doesn’t, actually. It says, “The love of money is a...