As I write this blog, Wall Street is reacting violently to the news that the US House of Representatives has rejected the $700 Billion financial bailout plan. Astounding news! It’s just simply astounding! I’m almost in shock, although possibly for different reasons than you might think at first.
Look back at Adam Smith, the 18th century economist and author of “The Wealth of Nations.” He knew then, as we should know now in our ‘enlightened’ times, that economics and morality cannot be separated. The better good of man requires that those who have wealth have responsibility. They have responsibility to everyone who could be affected by that wealth and that responsibility must be kept. If it is not, moral and economic problems (collapse?) will be the result.
Adam Smith wrote in “The Wealth of Nations” that the free market, though seemingly chaotic, was actually guided by an ”invisible hand.” In other words that competition in a free market would have a tendency to benefit society by keeping prices low and fostering competition. He acknowledged the natural greed and selfishness of man in the marketplace and believed that intelligent men who worked in a free market would work to keep that market viable in order to keep profits up and maintain their own standard of living. In other words, men would benefit society by keeping the marketplace alive simply out of their own desires for self-preservation.
This “invisible hand” that Smith postulated guided the marketplace as the need for specific goods and services ebbed and flowed. He believed that those periods of ebb and flow were natural and necessary for a free market to exist. Other major economists echoed Smith’s theories. Men like John Stuart Mill, Alfred Marshall and others formed what economist call “classical economic theory”. A major tenet of classical economics is “Says Law” which postulates that supply creates its own demand.
Naturally, other economists came along who disagreed. John Maynard Keynes (pronounced Kaynes) was one who, allowing for Smiths “invisible hand”, believed that allowing that hand to continue without guidance was an undesirable thing. He postulated that the state can and should stimulate economic growth in order to improve stability in the marketplace. He believed that Say’s Law needed revision and he became the father of “Neoclassical theory,” that the two main costs that shift supply and demand are labor and money and therefore adjusting monetary policy would regulate the economy. It comes as no surprise that Mr. Keynes’ “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money,” was published in 1936, in the shadow of the Great Depression in which millions of people were displaced due to the huge, global market correction that forced economies in many nations into shambles. He wrote of “micro-level” actions of individuals and companies and aggregate “macroeconomic “ outcomes in the general economy. (I have to be careful here. I once nearly lulled my wife to sleep during a dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary with this topic. She was not impressed with macroeconomic theory!) His theories changed the way markets in our United States were managed. Where previously the marketplace went on it’s own merry way, unencumbered by governmental interference, it now was kept from the greatest highs and lows in order to protect the people.
Twentieth century economics in America, and other free nations, were modified to produce measured growth with governmental stimulation and hindrance when ‘needed.’ In other words, our government decided that the “invisible hand” wasn’t good enough so it needed some help. The result? Well, we saw moderate and pretty phenomenal growth and some recessions. The growth was allowed to go on by itself pretty well but the when things started looking rough the government stepped in to artificially stimulate the economy, taking the edge off most of the recessions that we have experienced since World War II. Let’s face it, no politician wants to be seen as responsible for an economic downturn!
I tend to believe that there are some laws in this world that just can’t be broken, at least for long! Think - gravity, inertia, human nature.... you just can’t go around breaking those laws without expecting some dire consequences. I believe that Adam Smith and the classical economists came upon a similar law in his theories of economics. A free market must be allowed to ebb and flow in a natural order unencumbered for the most part. If it is not allowed to move as it sees fit, well, imagine the economy as a river that is dammed up without allowing enough water to flow through it - the dam will break and everything down stream from it will be washed away! Our economy has been dammed up and it is in need of a correction in its flow pattern!
The unbreakable law that applies to this economy has to do with human nature. I mentioned before that no politician wants to be thought of as responsible for an economic down turn. That means that there is tremendous pressure for those who lead our country, from regular people who want to make a good living - to do exactly what they really want to do, keep the economy moving up. Bowing to that pressure is human nature. Following that nature prevents market corrections in the natural ebb and flow, building up water behind an enormously overburdened dam.
In reality, nobody wants to live through a recession, much less a depression but it looks as though we may be headed for one anyway. I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing.
I read recently a short blurb that struck me profoundly. It was in an old novel, not one of any seeming consequence but engaging for a short while. I’ll paraphrase it here, “Trials and hardships shape a man. If a man doesn’t have any times of trial or hardship he won’t become the man he should be.” The same can be said about a nation and its economy. Trials and hardships will shape the economy and the nation it is a part of. By limiting the economic low points we have allowed an economy to grow in an immature manner. Its actions and reactions are all shaped by a period of relative ease in which the trials and hardships were lessened. The economy then could not become what it could have been.
Greater men than I have thought this topic through. I don’t have an answer for our current economic crisis and I don’t think anyone else does either. Nobody knows what will happen next but I believe that we have let things go way too far for an ‘easy out’ this time. Jobs are lost, homes are being lost, lifestyles are changing. As a person of faith in this situation I can do little more than pray but then, that is the best thing that any of us can do. (The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16)
Prayer has substance when combined with faith, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Heb. 11;1. The real question is what should we hope for in this situation? I listened to a country song today that said that the greatest blessing this man had ever received was unanswered prayer! He was singing about an example of how God knows better than we do when we ask for things.
He is right. As humans we don’t see very well! (For now we see through a glass darkly... 1 Cor. 13:11b) The best prayer we can possibly say now is to ask for mercy, guidance and peace. He has every intention of providing those three things for us if we ask!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A Journey Started...
If there is one thing that I have learned over the years about Christian thought and life, it’s that there are many differing viewpoints about what scripture has to say. I believe that there are many divergent thoughts in the Christian world for one particular reason, that God has chosen to work with and through His people. That means our understanding of what He has to say is inherently fallible and lacking. Yes, He made us in His image and gave us a wonderful mind with which to opine and declare truth as we see it but... there’s always a “but.” (I once heard a sermon on “God’s But” that was meant to shock and teach. I guess it made an impression on me because I remember it.) We don’t really KNOW, we just think we do. The danger lies in standing on our interpretation as truth when it’s only our arrogance and pride that insists that we really know anything at all.
This past year plus has been a time of enlightenment for me. We left the church we were a part of since moving to our present home in 1995 and we heard that a pastor from a previous church fell. He had been living a double life! This pastor was one of the men who taught us many of the foundational points of our beliefs. Leaving our church was a huge decision for us and seeing that other man fall into sin was potentially earthshaking. The ramifications of the two events though have been quite different than what I expected. I expected to feel (perceive somehow) as though we would need to find and join a new church body as soon as possible in order to remain in God’s grace. I expected to search out and find a new church family that we could really connect with and become one with. In other words, I expected things to go on as they were before! Just in a different place.
Instead, life has worked differently than I’d expected. Surprise! I found that I really had no desire to join another group right away. I found that I was changing the way I was thinking about Christian life. I found that.... maybe I didn’t know as much as I thought I did!
I’ve felt a freedom to live and experience life in a way that in the past I was just too hung up on right and wrong as I dogmatically understood it- to do before. Now, that doesn’t mean I took God’s grace and used it as license to just go out and sin, no! That would be blatantly contrary to scripture (Romans 6:1-7). What I’ve been doing is examining every one of my judgments and thoughts that Holy Spirit has brought to my attention and asking myself, “why do I believe this? Is it truth? Is it dogma?” It’s a liberating experience when you are able to think this way and it only happens if/when a person finds himself in a position where he no longer understands where some of the ‘stuff’ he’s been taught comes from.
Just how does a person find himself in a position like this? I mean, for years I was uber-involved in church. I loved doing whatever I could to facilitate services. My wife and I have worked with children, youth, lay-counseling and more, I’ve been part of music ministry in more than one church, was a deacon for a few years, I even served on the board of elders at churches in North and South Dakota. It’s a hard question to answer and I’m not going to throw any stones here because they would be just as likely to come right back at me as hit what I was aiming at. Simply finding ourselves at odds with the doctrine being taught where we were previously very comfortable, forced introspective thought. Then, when we heard that the pastor from that other church we had been a part of was living a double life, well- introspection became a way of life in a big hurry!
I have learned to really think about what I believe and in the process I found that much of what I believed was not as scripturally grounded as I’d thought. I also found that I really believed some things that I would have denied believing had someone called me on them. One example is that I learned that I actually believed in church services. I know, it sounds silly. Church services are just a time and a place for people to come together and worship, whether it be in song, study, preaching or whatever. Somehow though a belief that a church service is really an important thing in and of itself crept into my belief systems. The truth is that the service isn’t important, the people are and God is!
Believing in church services has caused turmoil and strife for 19 centuries now. Whole people groups have “chosen sides” based on whether they believe in one denomination’s way of holding a service and having church structure or not. People, the real important part of the service, were being killed because they disagreed with others. My belief in church services was different than that but still wrong. It was more of a belief that the style of the service really matters. The truth is that the service is more a reflection of the hearts and minds of those who attend than the other way around. We can be in obedience to God’s directive to “not abstain from gathering together” by just being together, being a part one of another, even in a social setting. Sometimes the “gathering together” is even unintentional in that there was no preconceived notion of having a Christian gathering. Is this different than going to church?
Yes. It is different. It is different in that there is no structure for the most part. It is different because there isn’t a formal time of teaching or singing worship. It’s different. The real question though, is whether Gods directive that we not forsake the gathering must be interpreted as meaning getting together for a formal church service or not. I believe it does not mean that. I believe that God’s directive that we not forsake the gathering together of the saints should be more loosely interpreted, meaning that there are times when simply getting together with other Christians is enough. I also believe though that church services have a place in the Kingdom of God. We need to learn and we need to worship together! Social gatherings are clearly not enough. It takes a healthy balance of both in order to remain strong .
The definition of a church service is something that will likely be debated until the Second Coming so I won’t go there at this point. Merely thinking about what we do and why we do it is what really matters. My favorite song says it well:
“The Heart of Worship”
By Matt Redman
Verse 1:
When the music fades, all is stripped away and I simply come,
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth, that will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song
for a song in itself
is not what you have required.
You search much deeper within
through the way things appear,
You’re looking into My heart.
Chorus:
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus.
Verse 2:
King of endless worth, no one could express, how much you deserve
Though I’m weak and poor, all I have is yours, every single breath.
Chorus:
So, I intend to continue searching out the truth in what I believe, and I believe that the Word promises me that in that search He is active and since he started that work in me, he will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians1:6)
JustBob
This past year plus has been a time of enlightenment for me. We left the church we were a part of since moving to our present home in 1995 and we heard that a pastor from a previous church fell. He had been living a double life! This pastor was one of the men who taught us many of the foundational points of our beliefs. Leaving our church was a huge decision for us and seeing that other man fall into sin was potentially earthshaking. The ramifications of the two events though have been quite different than what I expected. I expected to feel (perceive somehow) as though we would need to find and join a new church body as soon as possible in order to remain in God’s grace. I expected to search out and find a new church family that we could really connect with and become one with. In other words, I expected things to go on as they were before! Just in a different place.
Instead, life has worked differently than I’d expected. Surprise! I found that I really had no desire to join another group right away. I found that I was changing the way I was thinking about Christian life. I found that.... maybe I didn’t know as much as I thought I did!
I’ve felt a freedom to live and experience life in a way that in the past I was just too hung up on right and wrong as I dogmatically understood it- to do before. Now, that doesn’t mean I took God’s grace and used it as license to just go out and sin, no! That would be blatantly contrary to scripture (Romans 6:1-7). What I’ve been doing is examining every one of my judgments and thoughts that Holy Spirit has brought to my attention and asking myself, “why do I believe this? Is it truth? Is it dogma?” It’s a liberating experience when you are able to think this way and it only happens if/when a person finds himself in a position where he no longer understands where some of the ‘stuff’ he’s been taught comes from.
Just how does a person find himself in a position like this? I mean, for years I was uber-involved in church. I loved doing whatever I could to facilitate services. My wife and I have worked with children, youth, lay-counseling and more, I’ve been part of music ministry in more than one church, was a deacon for a few years, I even served on the board of elders at churches in North and South Dakota. It’s a hard question to answer and I’m not going to throw any stones here because they would be just as likely to come right back at me as hit what I was aiming at. Simply finding ourselves at odds with the doctrine being taught where we were previously very comfortable, forced introspective thought. Then, when we heard that the pastor from that other church we had been a part of was living a double life, well- introspection became a way of life in a big hurry!
I have learned to really think about what I believe and in the process I found that much of what I believed was not as scripturally grounded as I’d thought. I also found that I really believed some things that I would have denied believing had someone called me on them. One example is that I learned that I actually believed in church services. I know, it sounds silly. Church services are just a time and a place for people to come together and worship, whether it be in song, study, preaching or whatever. Somehow though a belief that a church service is really an important thing in and of itself crept into my belief systems. The truth is that the service isn’t important, the people are and God is!
Believing in church services has caused turmoil and strife for 19 centuries now. Whole people groups have “chosen sides” based on whether they believe in one denomination’s way of holding a service and having church structure or not. People, the real important part of the service, were being killed because they disagreed with others. My belief in church services was different than that but still wrong. It was more of a belief that the style of the service really matters. The truth is that the service is more a reflection of the hearts and minds of those who attend than the other way around. We can be in obedience to God’s directive to “not abstain from gathering together” by just being together, being a part one of another, even in a social setting. Sometimes the “gathering together” is even unintentional in that there was no preconceived notion of having a Christian gathering. Is this different than going to church?
Yes. It is different. It is different in that there is no structure for the most part. It is different because there isn’t a formal time of teaching or singing worship. It’s different. The real question though, is whether Gods directive that we not forsake the gathering must be interpreted as meaning getting together for a formal church service or not. I believe it does not mean that. I believe that God’s directive that we not forsake the gathering together of the saints should be more loosely interpreted, meaning that there are times when simply getting together with other Christians is enough. I also believe though that church services have a place in the Kingdom of God. We need to learn and we need to worship together! Social gatherings are clearly not enough. It takes a healthy balance of both in order to remain strong .
The definition of a church service is something that will likely be debated until the Second Coming so I won’t go there at this point. Merely thinking about what we do and why we do it is what really matters. My favorite song says it well:
“The Heart of Worship”
By Matt Redman
Verse 1:
When the music fades, all is stripped away and I simply come,
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth, that will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song
for a song in itself
is not what you have required.
You search much deeper within
through the way things appear,
You’re looking into My heart.
Chorus:
I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus.
Verse 2:
King of endless worth, no one could express, how much you deserve
Though I’m weak and poor, all I have is yours, every single breath.
Chorus:
So, I intend to continue searching out the truth in what I believe, and I believe that the Word promises me that in that search He is active and since he started that work in me, he will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians1:6)
JustBob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
