Summary of Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance

Overview of Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance

In this Art of Manliness episode, host Brett McKay talks with Tom Levinson — a financial advisor who trained in religion at Harvard Divinity School and authored All That’s Holy — about how money and spiritual life intersect. They examine how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam treat money; why ancient scriptures discuss money so frequently; and how concrete financial practices (budgeting, giving, Sabbath rest, ethical spending) can function as spiritual disciplines that align money with deeper values.

Key takeaways

• Money is never purely practical — it reflects values, priorities, and spiritual orientation.
• Ancient scriptures devote a large portion of their teaching to money because financial life shapes human behavior, relationships, and community.
• Across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam there’s a shared pattern: money is necessary and can be used for good, but must be kept in proper perspective to avoid idolatry, hoarding, or moral erosion.
• Everyday financial practices (budgeting, giving, where you buy, how you rest) can be reframed as spiritual disciplines that cultivate attention, intention, and community.

Guest background and framing

• Tom Levinson: studied religion (Harvard Divinity School), led a prison study group, authored All That’s Holy (a road-trip-based exploration of American spirituality), and now works as a financial advisor.
• He views financial advising as including pastoral care: conversations about money often reveal hopes, fears, and moral commitments, not just asset allocation.

Major topics discussed

Why scriptures talk about money so much

• Religious texts are concerned with how humans live together and how life can be ordered toward flourishing. Money is central to practical life and thus appears frequently in parables, laws, and ethical instruction.
• Example: many of Jesus’ parables relate to money; around 100 of the 613 mitzvot in Torah concern economic life.

Judaism: money as service, justice, and guardrails

• Key ideas:
  • Money (might) is part of how you love God — Rashi interprets “might” as one’s property.
  • Interdependence of material and spiritual: “Without flour there’s no Torah; without Torah there’s no flour” (Pirkei Avot) — meeting baseline needs enables spiritual life; spiritual teachings provide ethical guardrails for wealth.
  • Idolatry/coveting warnings (e.g., coveting in the Ten Commandments) show concern that affluence can displace devotion.
  • Ecclesiastes’ warnings about vanity reflect the emptiness possible in worldly success.
• Practical Jewish practices applicable to all:
  • Tzedakah (charitable giving as justice, not mere almsgiving).
  • Shabbat (regular rest) to reaffirm human worth beyond productivity.

Christianity: relationship and orientation toward money

• Jesus’ teachings vary because they address different spiritual obstacles money creates: greed, fear, misplaced trust, or hard-heartedness.
  • Example interpretations: rich young ruler (attachment to possessions), parable of the talents (fear vs. faithful stewardship), widow’s offering (giving sacrificially from the heart).
• Distinction clarified: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” — money itself is neutral; orientation toward it matters.

Islam: commerce, integrity, communal welfare

• Prophet Muhammad as a merchant models business integrity and reliability.
• Islam affirms living comfortably is permissible, but hoarding is condemned; economic life should aim toward communal well-being.
• Institutional practices: zakat (obligatory charity) and Ramadan fasting build empathy for the poor and normalize generosity.
• Markets are framed as social spaces that foster relationships and peace among groups.

Actionable practices and recommendations (turning principle into habit)

• Treat budgeting as a spiritual discipline:
  • Budgeting = focused attention + intentional allocation of resources (Jesse Mecham / You Need A Budget cited).
  • Track spending to reveal true priorities — “look at someone’s calendar and checkbook” to see values.
• Align spending with values:
  • Favor local businesses when feasible to support community and reflect civic/ethical priorities.
  • Consider ethical/values-based investing where possible.
• Giving as relationship (not just automated transaction):
  • Automate retirement savings (401k auto-contribution) but balance automated giving with intentional, relational generosity.
• Practice regular rest and non-work identity:
  • Sabbath (or a weekly rest) reframes worth beyond production and cultivates family/community time.
• Parenting in a consumer culture:
  • Model Sabbath, generosity, and intentional purchasing to counteract consumerist messages; involve kids in giving and local commerce choices.
• Cultivate humility & trust:
  • Avoid idolizing wealth (coveting) and avoid fear-based money behaviors that prevent stewardship or generosity.

Notable insights and memorable lines

• “Money is neutral; the problem is the love of money.” — clarifies common biblical misquotation.
• Tom Levinson on Buber: spiritual presence often appears in the “in-between” of dialogue — conversation about money can itself be a spiritual encounter.
• “Without flour there’s no Torah, and without Torah there’s no flour” — summarizes the mutual dependence of material wellbeing and spiritual guidance.
• Host Brett McKay: “If you want to see what someone values, look at their calendar and their checkbook.” — a practical heuristic.

Action list (quick-start)

• Start or revisit a budget (treat it as an intentional, values-driven practice). Consider YNAB or other budgeting tools.
• Decide one local merchant or independent category to favor over large online retailers when convenient.
• Commit to a regular rhythm of rest (weekly Sabbath or downtime) and protect that time.
• Choose a giving target and whether to automate vs. make it relational (e.g., volunteer + donate).
• Talk with your partner about values and map financial decisions to those shared priorities.

Resources and where to learn more

• Tom Levinson’s podcast: Money, Meet, Meaning (search any podcast player). Season 2 expected early 2026. Email: info@moneymeetmeaning.com.
• Book by Tom Levinson: All That’s Holy.
• You Need A Budget (YNAB) — budgeting tool and philosophy (Jesse Mecham).
• Art of Manliness show notes: aom.is/meaningandmoney (for links and deeper dives).

This episode connects age‑old spiritual wisdom with practical personal finance: the work isn’t to demonize money but to shape how it’s used so our financial life serves justice, community, rest, and meaning.