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It should be obvious how that happened: It was preached by rich pastors and televangelists, or ones who'd figured out how to become rich.
The originator of the advice to "sell everything and give to the poor" DID warn about that problem. As a matter of fact, the response to his instruction led to his remark about how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
banana
Good point. The false religious leaders of Christendom today are prophesied in scripture as the "man of lawlessness". They are prefigured by the religious Pharisees and Saducees - false religious leaders - of Jesus' day.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
3 Let no one lead you astray* in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy+ comes first and the man of lawlessness+ gets revealed, the son of destruction.
The "Apostasty" is the falling away from the true Christianity Jesus taught - which Jesus said would happen. The man of lawless are the clergy of Christendom who are like the Pharisees and Saducees of Jesus day. They are responsible for keeping their people in spiritual darkeness and not teaching them the truth of God's word. They also "live in shameless luxury" but God will take care of that in his own time. jw.org
Andrew B
As an athist, I'd love for this to be true, but I think its an over-simplification.
During a debate about whether the Catholic church is a force for good, Stephen Fry (the actor, author, all-round genius) put it beautifully during the Intelligence Squared debate. (Have a look on YouTube for it.) He essentially said that Jesus would feel very ill-at-ease in the modern church - a simple remarkable man looking at the extraordinary wealth and power of the church. Surely it would be put to better use helping people?
Anonymous
Cynical remark. It remains a virtuous Christian practice as well.
The charism of Voluntary Poverty empowers a Christian to be a channel of God's loving presence by living a life of cheerful, voluntary simplicity or poverty in order to identify with Jesus and the poor.
"My personal definition of voluntary poverty is this: the sincere will to do without as much as one can in order to be free to live a full human life." William Gauchat (1907-1975), friend of Dorothy Day
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its not so much as you see it as it is the truth of all it. on the one hand it is said of prophets that they wandered homeless and a few that actually "begged" for their living. as i have seen it, a priest that begs for his living is seen by some as being beneath their calling. so some people combine togethr to give a preacher a church and a living wage. and the preachers do not get all the tithings and oblations that the "church" gets itself. some churches have oversight committees. now jesus said of such pastors: they have their own reward. and he also said: those that give up everything for the sake of the gospel will receive a hundred fold, even wives and houses, in this life. there is more to say.
it is a false prophet that prophecies for money. but it is survival for preachers to be given a wage. it is a thief that accepts tithings in the name of God, but spends the money on himself. it is also stealing and robbery not to give tithings and oblations to the church for the purposes of God and christ and the kingdo of God on earth. in fact God did say to tithe and to build temples. thats another lesson all by itself.