Earthly Pursuits: Are They All Sinful?

“The church shouldn’t be expected to lead masses in the successful pursuit of earthly goals in accordance with their ideological, philosophical and lifestyle mindsets. The church is called to lead masses, its own people to salvation in strict accordance with how badly the people itself wishes to be saved.” The statement made by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church made me wonder if it is true: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnY3k26tC08

What is “earthly” anyway? Webster’s dictionary defines it as “having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven <a sermon against our obsession with earthly pursuits>”.

So are Christians supposed to get involved in the pursuit of the material needs, satisfy the wants of the body? Obviously. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Does it mean that he needs no bread and no money to buy bread? Material possessions are necessary to keep the body, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), in good condition. It is addiction to earthly pleasures is something that Christians should be concerned about.

The US Declaration of Independence reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Does happiness have anything to do with bodily wants? I sure think so. It’s hard to be happy when you are homeless and starving. And yes, of course, Jesus IS the Provider, but He is also the Leader. He sets the rules for everything, including how to satisfy our earthly needs. I don’t understand why patriarch Kirill deprives the church of this leadership mission. It can’t possibly be explained by his own unwillingness to comply with the rules, right? If our earthly pursuits become obsessions with castles, flashing light on cars, ridiculously expensive watches, etc that is a problem.

And finally, there are so many people who need help to satisfy their basic needs. In my opinion the church can and should try to encourage people to make a difference here.