Would Jesus Have a Crypto Wallet?
Call me crazy, but I think He would.
Did you like the image? Made me feel a little uncomfortable, being honest.
And I know, I know. I hear you saying it — Jesus wasn’t “white.” I get it. He likely had darker, olive skin. Tell that to MidJourney. I even prompted it for a darker-skinned Jesus, and it still gave me that image. Anyway. What were we talking about?
Oh yeah, Christ and crypto.
I was saying how I think Jesus would have a cryptocurrency wallet. Own some Ethereum. Maybe even some Bitcoin. Possibly some XRP, but I’m more skeptical on that one. For sure some Cosmos, though, since He made it and all. :)
“What’s your point?” Good question. Here it is:
Followers of Jesus need to wake up and realize the opportunities cryptocurrency and blockchain technology afford.
At the very least, churches and nonprofits could be sending money internationally using crypto. It would be faster, cheaper, more secure, and protect identities better than any other option. More than that, though, the possibilities for empowering people are unprecedented.
More than any other tool in history, blockchain tech, the technology that powers cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi), could empower opportunities for:
- lifting families from poverty to participate in global commerce
- inspiring young entrepreneurs toward innovation
- offering stable currency payments for small business owners and contract workers
- stimulating local economies
- tokenizing popular concepts, brands, and even causes
- and so much more.
Okay. So, how do I get some?
Well, companies like Coinbase and Uphold have made it pretty simple.
Coinbase, for example, offers an “exchange” and a “digital wallet.” You can set up an account then exchange US dollars for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), TRON (TRX), or a stablecoin like USDC. It is then stored in your digital wallet.
Think of it like traveling to Tokyo, Japan and stopping at the monetary exchange booth before exiting the airport to exchange some US dollars (USD) for the Japanese yen (JPY). With crypto, you are exchanging national currency for currency that you can use in online communities as well as for normal everyday commerce.
More and more, whether in face-to-face commerce at a local coffee shop or in online shopping at popular e-commerce sites, cryptocurrency is being accepted for payment.
Seriously, though, as a follower of Jesus, why would I want to use it?
There are a lot of myths floating around about Crypto. Chainalysis, one of the most respected data and security crypto companies, used by investors and governments all over the world, recently released “The Chainalysis Crypto Myth Busting Report.” It’s only a nine-minute read and worth it.
I would suggest two main reasons a lot of people in America, including a large number of Christians, don’t understand crypto yet or have been resistant to getting involved with it.
1 _ People dismiss it as a scam.
The first reason people don’t understand crypto or resist getting involved with it is because they dismiss cryptocurrency as a fad or a scam.
It is not a fad.
According to The Crypto Basic, Ethereum moved more money than Visa in 2021. “Ethereum processed approximately $11.6 trillion in transactions, which is more than Visa’s $10.4 trillion. Ethereum also processed 4.5 times more transactions than Visa.
According to Forbes, the U.S. government owns more Bitcoin than any other country in the world. stand digital currencies. “The Treasury is sitting on a stash of 207,189 bitcoin, worth $5 billion, by far the largest such state-owned hoard.”
Also, while there have been a number of scams publicized in the news, and while the US Securities and Exchange Commission has yet to provide clear talking points and regulation on crypto, crypto is proving itself to be much more safe and secure than the government currencies in the current global financial system. When stolen, it is able to be tracked down more easily. And if desired, people who hold crypto can hold it in what’s called a “cold wallet,” which isn’t “hot” or connected to the internet. Why does this matter? Because the cryptocurrency is actually on the storage device (the cold wallet).
That’s more than can be said of all of our money in the bank. If even a sizeable portion of the population decided to show up at the bank branch and ask for their money, the “run on the bank” scene from Mary Poppins would become reality.
2 _ Americans don’t need it.
The second reason a lot of Americans, including a large number of Chrsitians, don’t understand crypto or resist getting involved with it is because they don’t need it.
In the US, everyone has access to bank accounts. In the US, almost everyone has access to credit. Remember how many credit card offers you got in the mail in college? Unlike the US, there are many other countries whose citizens don’t have access to banks, credit, or what most would call a stable currency.
In those countries, cryptocurrency is not an investment, it is a necessity.
It’s why Bitcoin was invented in the first place — to have an exchangeable currency for every human on the planet, so that anyone and everyone could have the chance to engage in commerce and community.
If Jesus was living on Earth in 2023, why would He have a crypto wallet?
Because He believes in decentralization. He sent His church, remember?
Because He believes in empowering people. He made us all knowing we would pick the fruit of knowing good AND evil rather than just knowing goodness and love. Yet He made us anyway. And He even told His followers they would do greater things than He. Not sure what that means, really, but I believe what He says.
Because He believes in freeing people. From hopelessness. From disengagement. From bondage. From oppression. From tyranny. It’s why He came.
Because He prayed for us all to mature out of our selfishness and love one another as though we are one family together. Read His prayer the night before He died. He even repeats it, “May they all be one.”
So, in my opinion, Jesus would have a crypto wallet.
If I happen to be right, then maybe you should look into it, too.
