Holy Hustle — The High Cost of Blind Faith

This piece is not a gentle Sunday sermon. It’s a reckoning. Far too many Black Christians are financially bleeding themselves dry in the name of religious obligation, pouring billions of dollars into churches that often give little to nothing back in terms of economic empowerment, political leverage, or community infrastructure. Conditioned through centuries of spiritual manipulation, many remain unable...or unwilling...to see the forest for the trees. It's time we ask: What are we truly investing in, and why?

Blind Giving, Brutal Math

Let’s look at the hard data:

• The U.S. population in 2019 was estimated at 328 million.
• African Americans made up about 13.4%, or approximately 43.9 million people.
• 79% of African Americans identify as Christian, meaning roughly 34.7 million Black Christians in the U.S.

Now let’s do the math.

• The average Black household income is about $58,985 annually, or $4,915 per month.
• Even if we assume just 5% of income is donated in tithes and offerings—a conservative figure—that’s $245 per month, per family.

Multiply that by the number of Black Christians:

• $245 x 34.7 million = $8.5 billion.
• Every. Single. Month. Let that sink in.

Insanity in the Name of the Lord

Albert Einstein once said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So what do you call it when a people hand over $102 billion every year, generation after generation, to an institution that doesn't return their investment in tangible, transformative ways?

Despite centuries of giving, Black communities continue to struggle with underfunded schools, unsafe neighborhoods, food deserts, and a lack of accessible healthcare and housing. Where’s the ROI?

The Vatican Connection and Global Silence

Much of that church money doesn’t stay local...it filters up. A portion goes to the very institutions that have remained complicit or silent during humanity’s darkest hours. The Vatican, one of the wealthiest entities on Earth, was mute during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, World Wars, and systemic oppression across the globe. Popes...so-called “Vicars of Christ”...rarely intervene unless politics or prestige are involved. The Church has been long on prayers but short on justice.

If divinity is love, light, and liberation, how do these men of God remain silent as billions suffer?

God Doesn’t Want Your Money—The Church Does

Let’s be clear: God doesn’t need your money. Energy doesn’t run on dollars. Spirit doesn’t spend cash. As Felix Martin wrote in Money: The Unauthorized Biography, “Money is not really a thing at all but a social technology...a system of credit accounts.”

You're not making a spiritual deposit—you’re making a financial one. But who’s cashing out? And more importantly, who's reinvesting in you?

Conclusion: Time to Wake Up and Build

Black Christians, it’s time to reclaim your wealth, your power, and your purpose. Your faith is not the problem—your financial servitude is. We must stop enriching institutions that neither liberate nor uplift us, and start investing in schools, businesses, land, and political influence. Stop mistaking ritual for righteousness, and tradition for truth.

Our Creator doesn't need a collection plate—our community does.