Rich and Hellbound

Down and Out: The humiliation of being homeless

Steve Wynn, the billionaire business tycoon who's built several posh Las Vegas casino-hotels, was speaking from the heart recently when he talked about folks who are on the opposite end of the financial spectrum. 

Did Wynn denounce poverty and argue for greater welfare benefits for the poor? Did he decry racism and bigotry as the root causes of the widening disparity between uber-rich people such as himself and those who struggle to keep a roof over their heads?

He did neither. Rather, he said something that was downright insulting and repugnant. But unlike a lot of his wealthy brethren who are complete phonies, he was painfully honest, if not condescending. 

What did Wynn say? He said this: Rich people only like being around rich people. Nobody likes being around poor people, especially poor people. 

Wynn said that in the context of his hotels, which are considered to be some of the most luxurious on the planet. His hotels cater to the wealthiest people in the world who don't want to be in the company of ordinary folks. He elaborated: 

This company caters to the top end of the gaming world. We're sort of Chanel or Louis Vuitton, to use the comparison, the metaphor of the retail business. But unlike Chanel and Louis Vuitton, we are able in our business to cater to all of the market. By making our standards so high...that everybody wants to be in the building. Or to put it in a more colloquial way, rich people only like being around rich people. Nobody likes being around poor people, especially poor people. So we try and make the place feel upscale for everyone. That is to say we cater to people who have discretion and judgment and we give them a choice and we are consistent in that.

Wynn's not necessarily a bad person. He's a job creator who's helped a lot of people earn a good living and live a comfortable life. He may not personally have contempt for poor folks, but he knows that a lot of his rich customers do. And they don't want to be around poor people. Thus, Wynn's hotels are extremely pricey and unaffordable for ordinary folks.

A lot of rich people portray themselves as folks who care deeply about the poor. In fact, they despise the poor and often exploit them for personal and political purposes. 

That's nothing new. Jesus Christ warned His followers not to use the poor to gain glory for themselves: "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full." (Matthew 6:2)

What does the Bible say about vast wealth? Nothing good. Is money bad? Is it a sin to be rich? Absolutely not. Rather, money is an idol that people worship in place of God. The apostle Paul elaborated on that in his first of two letters to fellow apostle Timothy: 

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Christ said that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mark 10:25) Why? Because wealth is the false god of the rich. 

And wealth is a false god that can't save anyone from eternal damnation. Christ said this: "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:13)

Throughout history, material wealth has often been used as a measuring stick for personal character and success. Thus, the more money you possess, the greater the person you're considered to be. Nearly 3,000 years ago, the psalmist wrote that "people praise you when you prosper." (Psalm 49:18) And many look down on you when you fail, and they insult you because of that. 

The psalmist went on to say this: 

"This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning).Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions." (Psalm 49:13-14)

Hell is populated with wealthy people who believed that their money would buy them eternal life and keep them out of the grave. But it didn't. They snubbed their noses at God and chose to receive their rewards on earth rather than wait for a far-greater, eternal reward in heaven. 

And now, they've become like the people they loathed and despised and ridiculed while they lived on earth in opulent luxury. They've become eternally destitute. 

Though while they lived they counted themselves blessed—and people praise you when you prosper—they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life. People who have wealth without understanding are like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:18-20)