Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Sins Of The Fathers: A Biblical View of the Current Financial Fiasco, PART 2

NOTE:  This is the second in a two part series of blog posts.  --gdg


Sin # 4.  Torpedo the Right Target(s).

Ah, now we reach the point where the rubber meets the road.  It is one thing to point out how we got into this mess.  The real test is to set a course to safely maneuver out of these dangerous waters.

Everyone has their favorite targets to destroy - - and to protect.  I am no different.  I am infuriated at the inequality that exists in the good old US of A!  Consider these disturbing facts.
·        In 2009 (the most recent figures I have available to me) the Forbes 400, representing the richest 400 households in the United States, held a combined net assets of $1.27 trillion.  This represents a whopping 0.0000035 percent of all Americans.  If that's not enough to blow your wig off, read on.....
·        Also in 2009, the bottom 50% of all American households - - yes, that is 50 percent - - held net assets totally $1.37 trillion.  In other words, less than 4 millionth of 1 percent of Americans own more wealth than one half of their countrymen.  That is so lopsided I can't even put it into perspective.
·        Extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will result in a loss of $42 billion in 2012 alone.  That represents petty cash for those guys, yet they are not about to part with it.  Think the federal government could use that $42 billion in ways that could make a real difference in people's lives?  Keep reading....
·        The wealthiest Americans currently enjoy the lowest tax rates they have ever seen since the Eisenhower Administration.  Can someone explain to me why these untouchables pay less and less taxes while inflation alone is going to cost the government more money every year?
The nation's billionaires are not the only ones who have been protected and pampered by Congress and the White House over the years.  I wonder how many times you and I are going to bail out Chrysler and save them from themselves?  Let's see, we did it twice now.  In 1979 we gave them 1.5 billion dollars.  In all fairness Chrysler did repay this amount eventually, only to fall back into bankruptcy again 3 decades later.  Once again we rescued the mis-mangers, this time using $6.6 billion.  Again, this was repaid in time.

In general I must admit I was totally against the $700 billion bailout of 2008.  History reveals, however, that such actions are not new.  As long ago as 1792 the United States government intervened in the financial affairs of public and private concerns with bailout bundles that always seem to prove successful in the long run.  But the question remains:  Is it right to bail out banks, businesses and assorted industries while we also ignore the most basic human needs of our own citizens?

I told you that I had my targets that I prefer to protect, and here they are.  Currently a disabled person receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cannot have more than $2,000 in total assets.  This includes their SSI payments.  If a person's assets total more than $2,000 all SSI payments and Medical Assistance (if received) are terminated.  Its that simple.  Remember, to receive this benefit one must be legally disabled, either physically, developmentally, or intellectually.  Persons who qualify for SSI typically cannot possibly hold even the most basic, entry level type of job.  They are truly unable to provide for themselves.

Even with such aide, however, the question of adequate housing remains problematic.  An SSI payment of $600 - $700 per month (the typical amount) will not possibly be sufficient to pay for 30 days worth of meals, rent, utilities, clothes, and transportation.  Yet the recipient is not allowed to save up any amount of money that would equal more than $2,000 including the monthly SSI check.  Obviously, this creates a quandary.  Unless the disabled person has a family member who is willing to take them in and assume the innumerable complications that accompany such a move, the only other solution is some form of support from the government.  And this is where the tea partiers and they political bed partners are taking aim.  Already such support has taken a huge hit.  (See my post Playing The Slots With Disabilities dated December 19, 2010).  Expect more to come if the GOP has their way.  That will mean a greater number of disabled persons will not be able to find housing and will either become homeless, incarcerated, or left to exist in sub-standard conditions.

Remember those 0.0000035 percent of American households tightly clutching on to the top 400 incomes in this country?  I wonder how many of them would be willing to exchange their lifestyle for the overwhelming sum of $2,000 in net assets?  Well, at least they won't have to worry about losing their tax cuts, because they won't have any money to pay taxes on!

Then there is the issue of corporate perks.  Personal jets; salaries channeled into tax-free accounts; and loopholes out he kazoo that the average person knows nothing about and could not possibly take advantage of. 

Consider, too, the unfunded wars that we are in, and have been in for the past 10 years.  The War in Iraq has cost the United States taxpayers $900 billion to date.  Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, also reports a total of $6.6 billion of U.S. funds earmarked for Iraq reconstruction as being lost and reported stolen.  Bowen calls this  the "largest  theft of goods in national history".  What's worse is the last known holder of the funds was the U. S. Government.  Then there is the matter of the $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and other goods and services that was provided to the Iraqi security forces but are now reported missing.

It is worth noting that while all other nations have withdrawn troops from Iraq the United States continues to station 45,000 troops there.  U.S. casualties have now totaled 4,457, with another 32,102 wounded (not including those who suffered psychological injuries).

Add to this another $30 billion spent on the War in Afghanistan, and one wonders how we ever made it this far.

Here again I must question the priorities of our national policies.  Just who do we think we are that we can continue spending money at such an insane pace.  With no meaningful accountability, no less.  And how can any thinking person argue that we should continue this path but not increase our revenue by either increasing taxes somewhere or closing loopholes and cuts for the ones who could most readily afford to pay?

The Tea Party claims that closing loopholes is just another form of tax increases.  They are dead wrong.  The current loopholes are in fact cleaver ways for cunning people to avoid paying the taxes that they owe.  Closing the loopholes, therefore, is not a form of tax increase.  Rather, it is restored revenue that is being stolen from the government so long as they remain in existence.  By the Tea Party line of reasoning, if I gave the clerk at the grocery store a $5 bill in error when I actually owed him $10 it would be OK if the clerk did not notice and I continue to walk out the door with my groceries.  If, on the other hand, the clerk does notice and calls me back to say, "Excuse me sir, you gave me a $5 bill instead of a ten" I now can say that the price of my groceries just went up!  I have now paid $10 instead of $5.  Of course, we all know that the price of groceries did not increase.  I'm just paying more now because I am actually paying what I owe!  That is the essence behind the loophole argument.

So again I say, let's TORPEDO THE RIGHT TARGETS by seeking to eliminate truly wasteful spending AND shift a greater responsibility for the cost of government to those who have greater resources available to pay it.  This will allow us to do what governments are supposed to do, namely protect those members of their country who cannot provide for themselves.  This includes the disabled, the poor, the children, and a good number of the elderly.

Remember the words of Jesus:  "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  (Luke 12:48)".  Also, the Apostle Paul:  "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  (Galatians 6:2)"

As followers of Jesus Christ we need to remember to see things from his point of view and not be blinded by our political bias.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sins Of The Fathers: A Biblical View Of the Current Financial Fiasco - - PART 1

Note:  This is the first of a two part blog offering my views on the budget crisis, federal debt ceiling, and related issues.  Watch for Part 2 in the very near future.  -gdg

I try to keep my posts on this blog site to the topics of peace, justice, and disabilities ministries.  Thus, the title Peace-Ability.  There are times, however, when I become so concerned about another topic that I cannot stop myself from writing about it.  Perhaps it is a residual effect of having been a preacher for nearly three decades and no longer having a pulpit to speak from.

Few issues are as pressing and as serious at this moment as the negotiations over the United States deficit and the Federal Debt.  I don't exactly have any answers that would completely solve these issues.  Frankly, they are way beyond my line of expertise.  That does not mean, however, that I am without an opinion.  And since this is my blog site I will take the luxury to write about it!

I must begin by saying that the whole mess is nothing less than sinful.  So, as an ordained minister, I have chosen to take that approach toward my analysis of this issue.  (Let the reader note that I intentionally said "analysis" and not "solution"!).  Using biblical language I will call these collective points Sins Of The Fathers, as they represent sins committed by those in authority both past and present.

The very first question I would ask is: 
HOW DID WE GET TO THIS POINT WITH OUR NATIONAL FINANCES?

Man, what a complicated question that is.  And yet, I believe it is necessary to ask it.  Part of the problem with the Global Economy is the very fact that not enough people in authority are asking the necessary background questions. 

If I went to the bank today to get a large loan - let's say, $300,000 to start up a new business - my finances would be scrutinized quite carefully.  Just last week I had to take time off from work to go into the local Social Security Administration office (15 miles away) to report my son's financial history in minute detail for the past two years.  This was necessary to renew his benefits from Social Security for the next 12 months.  I went into the meeting thinking I was well prepared and fully documented so we might have a rather brief meeting.  I was wrong.  The SSA person I met with claimed he needed more documentation beyond what his initial letter asked for.

Sin # 1.  Poor Planning

It is interesting how the government expects so much more from its citizens than what it expects from itself.  While demanding a full account of what money my son received, where it is kept and exactly how it was spent, no one holds the government responsible for its finances.  The U. S. Federal government can spend money at will.  Budgets mean precious little, as they represent only a relatively small portion of what is spent.  If a Congressperson or a President wants to spend more money for a pet project there are 101 ways in which they can do it without the constraints of a budget item.  They use all kinds of terms to confuse the public, such as: Executive Order; Appropriations; Amendments; Riders and many more.  I am not sure anyone really knows what they all are or even what they mean.  But the result is the same.  Money gets spent even though it was never budgeted.

I am a believer in budgets.  As a Pastor I was very careful to spend significant time discussing a family budget plan with couples who came to me requesting marriage.  I do not remember much from my high school classes but one thing that always stuck with me were the words of Mr. Weidman, my High School Bookkeeping Teacher.  He said, "More marriages end in divorce because of disagreements about money than anything else."  I never saw statistics to support that claim, but personally I suspect he was correct.  A couple with vastly different perceptions about money management, credit, savings goals, and discretionary spending will face an almost insurmountable challenge to stay together.

The United States Government is a family without a mutually agreeable spending plan.  Just as in a marriage the two sides manage to get by for a while, but as the situation approaches a crisis each side digs in deeper and begins to draw lines.  One says any change to the tax laws, any increase of taxes or closing of loopholes, yes, any plan that would increase revenue is completely off limits and non-negotiable.  The other says spending cuts alone will destroy the economy and endanger services to individuals who cannot possibly provide for themselves.  Thus any plan that relies on spending cuts alone and does not include some form of revenue increase is completely off limits and non-negotiable.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents.  While not speaking directly to the formation of a budget this teaching does exemplify the need for good, wise planning and money management.  According to Jesus those who plan well and are conscientious with managing other peoples' money will be praised and rewarded.  Those who fail to do so are condemned.

On another occasion Jesus told the parable of the Shrewd Manager (see Luke 16:1-8).  This is most fascinating because the manager was careless, sloppy and wasteful of his master's assets.  Yet when he was caught and called to task, he immediately sat down and made the hard choices necessary to restore order and sanity to the estate.

One could substitute the Government for the manager and put the tax-paying public in the role of the master.  After all, the government works for us, and they are to manage our money and our resources.  Few would argue that they have been ethical and wise in their handling of our funds.  Consequently, the day of reckoning has arrived.  It is time to examine how the money has been used and make the hard choices necessary to restore order and sanity, as well as rebuild the public's trust.

Poor planning is indeed part of the problem we are now faced with.

Sin # 2.  Careless Credit.

Here is perhaps the single most damaging element in modern economics.  Careless Credit.  Now, the bible says borrowing money and paying interest is always dangerous and ill advised.
·        "Owe no one anything, except to love one another.  (Romans 13:8)"
·        "O Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?  He ...who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury [interest]  and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.  (Psalm 15:1, 4-5)"
·        "Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts.   If you lack the means to pay your very bed will be snatched from under you.  (Proverbs 22: 26-27)"
These are but a few examples of passages in the Old and New Testaments that advocate the use of caution when borrowing.

Now I am not totally against the use of credit.  Few people would be able to buy a home without borrowing some funds.  Many businesses could not possibly survive without some form of revolving credit.  There is a time and place for credit - - but only within certain well-defined parameters.  And chief among these is the ability to repay the debt in a reasonable amount of time.

For example, a credit card is not inherently evil.  A PIN number is not the mark of the beast (as described in Revelation 13).  However, I am a staunch believer that when you purchase something - - anything - - with a credit card you should already have the ability to pay for it in cash.  That's right, you should be able to pay cash at the time of purchase.  Perhaps you do not have the cash on you.  Perhaps you left the checkbook at home.  But if you are using the credit card because you cannot pay cash for whatever product or service you are purchasing, then DON'T.  Credit cards must never be viewed as a way to get things you cannot now afford.  Yet that is precisely how way too many people use them.  It follows naturally that when the credit card statement arrives at the end of the month, pay it off in full immediately.  This way you will avoid any interest payment, you will end up purchasing the product much cheaper, and you will not find yourself in the mess that the shrewd manager was caught in (see again Luke 16).

It is this kind of careless credit that has caught up with the United States government.  Add to that, the governments of Greece, Portugal and Iceland.  All of these and in fact most nations of this world have considered themselves quite clever for spending other people's money and never give an accounting of it.  No Balance Statements.  No Statements of Profit and Loss.  No honest report of any kind to inform the public of how public funds were being used.

Sin # 3.  The Blame Game.

One party is just as bad as the other in this country.  The Republicans love to frame President Obama as the irresponsible party who now has to raise the debt ceiling in order to pay the nation's obligations.  Somehow, in all the rhetoric, Republicans conveniently forgot that their own beloved President Bush raised the debt ceiling 7 of his 8 years in office, and no one bat an eyelash over it.  And who authorized the spending of so much money?  Congress, in most cases.

"Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt...(Colossians 4:6)"


** TO BE CONTINUED....STAY TUNED!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Freedom Rediscovered


As an American I can say, "Happy Independence Day" today.  It is July 4th.  Time for picnics and fireworks and the old red, white and blue.  I get it - - I really do.  And I'm OK with this, at least to a certain degree.  But there is a point where I draw the line.  And that line is drawn, for me, when it comes to worship.

Yesterday was Sunday, July 3, and many Americans who call themselves Christians were attending worship services throughout our land.  I wonder how many of those churches displayed an American flag.  I wonder how many sang some kind of patriotic hymn, such as "God Bless America", "My Country 'Tis of Thee", O Beautiful For Spacious Skies", or some other such song.  Worse yet, how many churches played "The Star Spangled Banner" at some point during the worship service?  How many prayers were offered in praise of our nation, our troops, and our bounty?  How many sermons were presented to remind the people of the "Christian foundations" upon which this country was supposedly built and calling us to task as "American Christians" to do our part in reclaiming our nation for God.

God help us!

I'm not even going to address the issue of the American flag in a Christian sanctuary at this time.  I already spoke to that one and you may check it out at this site, if you wish.  (See my post "Of Flags And Faith", dated February 27, 2011").  Suffice it to say for now that I firmly believe the presence of the American (or any national/state) flag in a Christian house of worship is a huge distraction to, and compromise of, our faith.  Equally offensive, however, is the preaching that takes place in far too many pulpits in this country that calls for a hybrid of patriotism and spirituality.

I have heard all the arguments.  I have studied the issue thoroughly.  I know Romans 13:1 -6 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2 as well as other passages that deal with Church-State issues.  And I am convinced that an honest, unbiased, exegetical study of the New Testament will consistently reveal that as a believer in Christ Jesus the only patriotism we should concern ourselves with is loyalty to the Kingdom of God.!  Sadly, the boundaries between the Kingdom of God and the United States have become blurred for most Christians.

Now please do not get me wrong.  This Is not to say that the Christian should not become actively aware of and involved in the political process.  But please, please let us always remember that we should speak to the State in prophetic candor and not for the State as a co-partner or a servant. 

In her 2,000 some years of existence the Christian Church has progressed from a small, radical, focused group of self-sustaining believers who knew they were bought with the Blood of Jesus and now were wholly owned and single-mindedly devoted to the Son of God, to a huge conglomeration of widely diverse entities spanning the globe.  Many of these entities hold very little in common other than the Name of Jesus Christ.  Whereas the Christian Church was once so small in number that the Roman Empire paid them no attention, today approximately one-third of all people consider themselves to be Christian.  Yet pressed to define what that means I have to wonder what kind of answers one would hear.  Better still, if I were to ignore the words and the catch-phrases and instead spend a month observing each person's life, choices, and behavior, I suspect I would be hard pressed to see much resemblance to our Lord and Savior whom we claim to have pledge our loyalty to.

You see, I am convinced that most people who call themselves Christian have been led into a deeply compromised and watered down spirituality.  Not only is this true for individuals but the same can be said for most Church organizations.  Both denominations and independent congregations have sold out to a secularized version of the faith.  It is a model of Christianity that fuses together an odd assortment of spirituality, secularism, capitalism, democracy and nationalism.  Its roots run deep and its influence, while subtle, is enormous.  Consider just a few of the characteristics of the 21st Century Church of Jesus, the Son of God especially as it is manifest in this country.
·        The presence of the secular symbol of national authority, the American flag, on Church properties and in the worship centers.
·        The adaptation of cultural norms within church liturgy and practice, such as offering refreshments before or after services, high tech sound and light systems, capital fund-raising campaigns, use of web sites and computerized display signs, theater-style auditoriums, and modern, expansive facilities costing millions of dollars. 
·        A corporate model of organization including a large professional staff for specialized ministries.  This is particularly true for large local congregations as well as for denominational offices.
·        Advertising methods that rival Madison Avenue and create a competitive atmosphere even among differing congregations.
·        A huge and demanding budget often requiring millions of dollars of income to sustain it.
·        Multi-media efforts of self-promotion.
·        A growing conviction that the laity (i.e. the people in the pews) has every right to believe what they want and to demand that their whims are met.  If these conditions are not met I'll just go to the next church down the street.
I am sure I could add more items to this list but I think you get the picture.  The question is:  how did we ever get to this point?

It all began almost 1,700 years ago.  The year was 312.  It was the eve of the Battle of Milvian Bridge and control of the Western portion of the Roman Empire was at stake.  Two Generals, Maxentius and Constantine were about to clash agiant each other.  That night as he was attempting to sleep Constantine had a vision in which he saw the shape of a cross in the sky and heard a voice that said "By this sign, conquer".  Constantine understood this to mean that if his army became Christians he would win the battle.  Thus he had all his soldiers baptized in a nearby river first thing in the morning; he used the Greek letters chi and rho (the first two letters in the name of Christ) as symbols on his banners; and he told his dumbfounded troops that they were now Christians.  The battle ensued;  Constantine won and became Emperor over the  Western Empire.  The following year he issued the Edict of Milan granting Christians equal rights with all other persons in the Empire. 

Until this time virtually all Christians were staunch pacifists who followed the life and example of Jesus by renouncing all use of violence.  Now, in the flash of one night, the entire Roman army was Christian in name.  Still it wasn't until the reign of Emperor Theodosius (379-395) that Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  There was no turning back from this point on.  The Christian identity became blurred with whatever culture it found itself in.  Membership in the Church no longer meant anything special, other than the fact that it was required and expected.  Universal acceptance meant the uniqueness of being a disciple of Jesus was gone.  It also meant that all the values and beliefs that one held before becoming a Christian remained an influential part of their life.  In many cases these non-Christian values were more dominant than the teachings of Jesus.

In the years that followed there have been periods of reformation and revival that have had a positive and corrective effect on certain aspects of the Christian life.  At the same time Christianity has been adversely effected by the chameleon syndrome, as I like to call it.  What I mean is that in our world today the Christian, and the Christian Church, has a striking tendency to take on the characteristics of its surroundings.  Like the chameleon, the Church begins to look like the culture in which it lives until it is barely recognizable as a distinct and separate entity.

In his book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream, a young pastor by the name of David Platt builds a strong and convincing argument that the Church in the United States has become obsessed with living out the American Dream.  He tells how we Americans have reshaped Jesus into a nice, respectable, middle-class Jesus who offends no one, affirms materialism, and "who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts because, after all, he loves us just the way we are.  A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger altogether.  A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American Dream.  (Radical, page 13)".

As I read through Platt's book I found myself surprised and refreshed by his evaluation.  Indeed, we in this country have embraced an image of Jesus who looks an awful lot like us.  We have somehow convinced ourselves that we live in a Christian nation, with Christian values and principles, and a Star-Spangled Savior whose favor is proven by our prosperity.  This, says Platt, is a tragic deception that is far from what God is actually calling us to.  We need to renounce all these things and return to the biblical Jesus who calls us to leave everything behind in order to follow him.

To this I say "AMEN!"

The only thing that bothers me is that David Platt remains the pastor of a 4,000 member congregation that seemingly is not listening to a word he writes.  I checked the website of his Church at Brook Hills.  It must take a tremendous amount of money to keep a ministry like that going.  Everything I saw there represents upper-middle class Americans deeply absorbed in themselves and their money.

So what is our responsibility?  How are we to be faithful and true to the genuine Jesus of the New Testament?  Are we Americans who happen to be Christians, or are we Christians we happen to be Americans?

It is absolutely imperative that we do not make the same mistake that the Christians made in the fourth century and following.  You see, Constantine did not make Rome become Christian.  Rather, he made the Christian Church become Roman.  He succeeded in redefining the term "Christian" by merging a secular Roman way of life with the symbols and language of the institutional Church.  The same thing is duplicated today in the United States.  We personally face no threats or challenges simply because of our religion.  Over 70% of the people living in this country consider themselves to be Christian.  I wonder:  What Would Jesus Say?  Does his count confirm those figures?  Is he pleased with the lifestyle and the values we have embraced?  What exactly did Jesus mean when he said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'  Then I will say to them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!'  (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)".

Take a fresh, new look at the Gospels in the New Testament.  Reacquaint yourself with the True, Uncompromised version of Jesus.  Empty your mind of all preconceived notions and ideas, and let the scriptures speak to you.  Read like you are reading it for the very first time.  Then, after you complete that assignment, move to the last book in the Bible, The Revelation.  Read chapters 2 and 3 where Jesus dictates seven letters to seven congregations.  Put yourself into the letters by allowing his words to speak to you personally.  Listen to the rebukes.  Take his advice to heart.  Understand what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus the Christ.

As you do this I am sure you will gain a whole new clarity to the concept of "freedom".  You will come to realize that freedom is not a political or social condition.  It is a spiritual matter entirely.  And rather than defending it we need only to accept it and embrace it in every walk of life.




July 4, 2011
G. D. Gehr
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