Ellul Jacques. Money and Power

InterVarsity Press, 1984. — 173 p.Tracing attitudes toward wealth from the Old Testament to the New Testament, Jacques Ellul discusses both societal and individual responsibilities related to the use of money and power.
Ellul takes Jesus at his word that Money is a spiritual power that Christians must contend with intentionally. "Jesus is not describing a relationship between us and an object, but between us and an active agent. He is not suggesting that we use money wisely or earn it honestly. He is speaking of a power which tries to be like God, which makes itself our master and which has specific goals. Thus when we claim to use money, we make a gross error. We can, if we must, use money, but it is really money that uses us and makes us servants by bringing us under its law and subordinating us to its aims."
The best that can be said is that God directs our lives in spite of our precautions and savings accounts. Of course God uses human instruments, but that is no reason for us to accumulate instruments which have no meaning other than distrust of God."), and maybe most importantly must profane money by giving it away. "Money in the Christian life is made in order to be given away." "If we really worked to give away the money we earned, that would undoubtedly set limits to the thirst for money which can possess us!" "Giving to God introduces the useless into the world of efficiency, and this is essential to faith in today's world (Jn 12: 1-8)."