How Much Is Enough?: Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture

""Why is it that in the face of unprecedented prosperity, so many of us feel discontented?"" asks Simon, founder and past president of Bread for the World. In this hard-hitting and well-written book, Simon encourages North American Christians to examine how their materialistic culture has stunted their compassion and driven a wedge between themselves and God. Drawing on writers such as Richard Foster, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Johann Christoph Arnold, Simon speaks compellingly of ""the poverty of riches"" and ""the weakness of power."" This book does not make simplistic arguments about money being evil, but instead cautions about what money can do to corrupt people if they are not vigilant and rooted in God's kingdom. One especially insightful chapter explores the titular question of how much is enough, arguing that while there are no easy formulas, there are strong reasons for Christians to ""stay behind the Joneses."" This book stands with others by Tom Sine, Ronald Sider and Tony Campolo in arguing that social responsibility is just as important a value for Christians as personal holiness.