The number in your bank account has nothing to do with how much you matter. In Part 4 of our series on money, Will Sopwith explores what the Bible actually says about wealth, poverty, and human worth. Using the contrasting stories of John D. Rockefeller and St. Francis of Assisi, Will unpacks why money has become a false measure of value — and why God sees things very differently. Drawing on research into privilege, cognitive bandwidth, and the empathy-eroding effects of wealth, this talk is both challenging and quietly hopeful.
Timestamps:
Will opens with a tale of two lives. The first boy grew up in a single-parent household, one of six children, largely abandoned by a conman father. His Baptist mother instilled hard work, saving, and generosity. Through relentless application of those lessons, he became the wealthiest man in modern history — John D. Rockefeller. What's less well known is how he used his wealth, giving hundreds of thousands to churches, schools, and missionary projects, founding universities and an international public health foundation.
The second boy was born into wealth, destined for greatness. After being captured in war and falling ill, his old life of comfort started to feel hollow. At 24 he renounced everything publicly — literally stripping off his fine clothes in the town square — and became St. Francis of Assisi, taking a vow of poverty.
Two lives that went in opposite directions financially. Both ended up recognising that wealth for its own sake was never the answer.
"Money is just a thing. It was never meant to define you." — Will Sopwith
Does the Bible favour the rich or the poor? Both camps have their proof texts. Some Christians will tell you wealth is an unambiguous sign of God's blessing. Others argue God is primarily on the side of the poor. Research in America found that 80% of people believe the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is in the Bible (it isn't. It's from an Aesop fable).
But scripture doesn't take either side. Leviticus 19:15 says plainly — do not show favouritism to the poor or the rich, judge on the basis of what is right.
God loves the rich. God loves the poor. God loves those who think they're poor but are actually rich. Where your bank balance sits has zero bearing on God's attention, love, or classification of you.
"Wealth is neither a guaranteed sign of God's blessing, nor is a lack of it a guaranteed sign of God's curse." — Matt Edmundson
Will draws on research by Sendhil Mullainathan which found that poverty produces a genuine lack of mental bandwidth. Worrying about food, rent, and keeping the lights on literally reduces cognitive capacity — IQ scores drop, decision-making deteriorates, and the capacity to learn, network, and invest shrinks. It's not a character flaw. It's what chronic financial stress does to a human brain.
Imagine playing Monopoly where your opponent gets both dice and starts with £2,000 while you get one die and £10. As your opponent starts accumulating properties, they might genuinely believe they're simply a better player. Will reflects honestly on his own salary — built on a stable family, a good postcode, an education, access to healthcare and the rule of law, and a skin tone and accent that weren't disadvantaged at job interviews.
Paul Piff at UC Berkeley found that as people get richer — even in a game of Monopoly where the wealth isn't real — their empathy decreases. Wealthier participants became worse at reading facial expressions, more likely to attribute success to their own skill rather than luck, and less generous even in controlled experiments. In a separate study, Piff tracked which cars stopped at pedestrian crossings. Cars with higher values were far less likely to stop.
"Wealth can act as an anaesthetic. It numbs you to the pain of others." — Will Sopwith
Proverbs 22:2 says, "The rich and the poor have this in common. The Lord is the maker of them all." Both are made by the same maker, both made for relationship with God and each other.
"Net worth doesn't change your worth." — Will Sopwith
1 Timothy 6:17-19 is the instruction, "don't be arrogant, don't put your hope in wealth — but do be generous and willing to share." It's not about the amount. It's about the posture.
"If you feel superior to the poor, you have forgotten your maker. If you feel inferior to the rich, you have forgotten your maker." — Will Sopwith
Crowd Church is a digital-first church based in Liverpool, England, hosted by Matt Edmundson. Each week features a Sunday talk followed by Conversation Street — where the talk ends and the real conversation begins.
This week's talk was delivered by Will Sopwith as Part 4 in our series on Money. Next week, Dave Conolly joins us to talk about Legacy.
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For more info, please visit https://crowd.church/talks/when-your-wealth-defines-your-worth
