How does Upside Living differ from books by financial advisors like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman?
Their books are valuable and have great principles, but I wanted to also speak from a Wesleyan perspective. As United Methodists we’re committed not only to a personal relationship with God, but also to living that relationship with a sense of social responsibility. It’s not just about our own financial wellness, but how to create that wellness beyond us and in our children. My son, for instance, recently paid cash for a two-year-old used car after driving a 1995 model for several years. My wife and I have taught him to do what we’ve done: to not put too much money into cars because they depreciate and to drive them for a long time. We’ve tried to teach our children not to consume all that God blesses us with, to literally become part of God’s solution for the health of the world. Financial analysts call this downturn an economic correction, but you say it’s more like a spiritual correction. Why? We’re in this situation because of years of materialism and greed, and Christians were cau
