First I would ask them to substantiate the assertion. Then I would ask them to take a look around at the state of modern Protestant Christianity, especially in the United States, and explain to me how it is that Protestant Christianity is not business-minded. As one example, one need only look at the phenomenon of the Christian publishing world, which markets such fads as the “Prayer of Jabez,” the “Purpose-Driven Life,” and the “Left Behind” series.
Also, it sounds to me that those who justify their decision to leave the Church for such a flimsy reason are likely to be hiding deeper motives. Archbishop Fulton Sheen once told the story of being approached by a young priest who demanded to know why the Church was so rich. Archbishop Sheen gave him the standard answer to this common question but the priest wasn’t satisfied. He kept pounding on the question until finally Sheen took him aside and asked him bluntly, “Father, how much have you stolen from the collection plate?” Sheen’s guess was on-target: The young priest was skimming from the parish funds and rationalizing his behavior by convincing himself that the Church was too rich anyway.
Your friends may have other issues with the Church – perhaps they don’t like the Church’s stand on birth control, divorce and remarriage, or some other moral or doctrinal issue – but it is very likely that something else is bothering them. Until you find out what that deeper issue is, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to satisfy their discontent with the Church.
DISCLAIMER: Catholic Answers has turned over the archive to Catholic-Questions.org and no longer owns, manages, or moderates the forums. For additional apologetics resources please visit www.catholic.com.
