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Would you have any qualms about owning a mansion or driving luxury cars? You decide what qualifies as such.
Why or why not?

Yes, I have enough qualms already driving a 2006 Lexus with 188,000 miles on the clock, simply because it is a stumbling block to someone who might think it is brand new. (It's in good condition.)

I focus on making sure my car and a house are a blessing to lots of other people. Would I let someone else in need drive it, or stay in my house? If the answer is ever "no" I need to figure out why.

Yes. I can see only sinful motivations behind the desire to own a mansion or luxury car. Pride, envy, lust, idolatry, etc.

When my son came back home from his wedding trip to the east coast of Canada, he spoke of the Mennonite mansions at home. I have commented different times on all the glossy black and chrome we see in our meeting house parking lot. Shiny new luxury mini vans for dad, big black and chrome 4X4 Dodge hemi pickup trucks for the boys. We own big barns and manicured lawns and the newest tractors and combines.

RZehr wrote:Would you have any qualms about owning a mansion or driving luxury cars? You decide what qualifies as such.
Why or why not?

Great topic, RZehr.

Just my point of view: for ourselves personally, we go the low budget route. Even our full time motorhome was a used and rehabbed low cost vehicle.

That's just us. I choose to overlook what others buy because I don't know their needs or their situations.

Personally, I do not go for the big, new and shiny, in vehicles or homes and I suppose I am being too critical - there are many other not new vehicles and homes that are less than mansions among our people. It just seems sometimes we are pushing it a little far. We are taught that we are pilgrims and strangers on earth and ambassadors for another kingdom. I think we often fail to live that way' even the teachers teaching this have human values.

Materialism is one of the great themes of the New Testament. We can't love God and Mammon both.

I don't see how luxury vehicles and mansions fit into that. But that's the easy part, since I drive an older stick-shift compact car and live in an older home that is cheaper than most in my area. The harder part for me is wrestling with financial security, wanting access to expensive healthcare, worrying about the future.

And while I might never buy a fancy car ... I have to decide whether to attend this conference or that, related to things I am trying to do, whether to give money to some ministry or buy a fretless banjo (the banjo won that one), etc. Whenever I get my wallet out or receive money, I have to ask how that relates to the Kingdom, and that's ever day. I worry about feeling smug just because my house and car are modest.

What if you needed a house and a car, and found a deal where you could buy a new castle or a new Lamborghini for the same price as an average home and car?

Does that change your decision?

RZehr wrote:What if you needed a house and a car, and found a deal where you could buy a new castle or a new Lamborghini for the same price as an average home and car?

Does that change your decision?

Would we have to paint the Lamborghini black? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Personally I would explore the possibility of "flipping" the castle and Lambo by reselling, then purchasing something more modest and donating the extra profit to a church charity. But then that's just me.

MaxPC wrote:

RZehr wrote:What if you needed a house and a car, and found a deal where you could buy a new castle or a new Lamborghini for the same price as an average home and car?

Does that change your decision?

Would we have to paint the Lamborghini black? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Personally I would explore the possibility of "flipping" the castle and Lambo by reselling, then purchasing something more modest and donating the extra profit to a church charity. But then that's just me.

Let's say the Lamborghini is already black.
Just to ostentatious to keep? Or what is there that makes us feel this way?