Has this all just happened by chance or has this happened by design? Has the transfer of wealth from the majority to a select minority occurred accidently or intentionally? What are the underlying causes of the current economic and political crises? Who is responsible for these crises? What can be done to fix the broken US economy? And what can be done to fix the broken political system?
The United States has a far greater threat to its security than terrorists or any foreign enemy and that is the imminent danger that the current economic crisis could result in a far more extreme, devastating and lengthy economic catastrophe than the Great Depression which started in 1929 and lasted for over twelve years. And yet, while sixty to seventy percent of the people realize the seriousness of the present situation, the top five percent have no grasp as to the severity of the current economic situation or what needs to be done in order to avoid what could potentially be the worst recession in US history. This is especially true for the members of the Federal government. The President, his administration and Congress seem to be totally incompetent to address and resolve the issues which threaten to wreak economic disaster on the majority of Americans. And that is because they are not impacted by this crisis. The President, his administration, Congress and the Washington-elite have not been personally impacted by the recession. Their lifestyles have not changed. They still live the good life. They go to parties, to the theater, to concerts, to the country club, to their summer homes, and on numerous vacations. They do not experience the difficulties associated with living from pay check to pay check, from not being able to find work, from having to work two jobs, from having bill collectors calling, from not being able to go to the doctor or dentist, from having debt that they may never be able to pay and from having lost hope of ever being able to retire. How can the President, his administration and Congress solve the economic problems facing the country when they do not understand what the problems are or how serious they are? Perhaps, they don’t think that there is a problem? Perhaps, they don’t really care?
There are two underlying causes to the situation that the United States is in; one economic, the other political. The economy of the United States is malfunctioning because it is broken, out of balance and out of control. It is not lethargic and needing stimulation—it is broken. On the political side, the government of the United States is also broken, out of order and out of control. The majority of those who have been elected to represent the people, in fact, do not represent the people nor do they pursue the people’s best interests. Rather, these elected officials use the government to pursue their own selfish interests and benefits as well as the interests and benefits of a very small and select group of people. These two causes are related in that the malfunctioning of the government is one of the main causes of the malfunctioning of the economy.
Christian Economics
Christian economics, as any other well-developed system, is an axiomatic system similar to Euclidean geometry in which all theorems or principles are based on first principles (axioms or postulates) and developed from these first principles. These first principles of Christian economics are based on Natural Law and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The principles of Natural Law are self-evident and are universally accepted by virtually all religions and people.
The first principle of Natural Law is that good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided. This principle applies to Christian economics. The second first principle of Christian economics is ‘treat others in words and actions as you would have them treat you in words and actions’ which is also expressed in Christianity as ‘love your neighbor as yourself’. The third first principle of Christian economics is the absolute dignity and equality of each and every human being. Christianity teaches that human beings, all human beings, are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus taught this principle through both his words and his actions. The absolute dignity of the human being applies to all human beings not just the rich, the powerful, the educated, men, older people, the healthy, the educated, the members of specific religions, specific nationalities, specific races or the beautiful. The absolute dignity of the human being applies to the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the educated and the uneducated, women and men, the old and the young, the healthy and the sick, the members of all religions, the members of all nationalities, all races and the beautiful and the ugly. The absolute dignity of each and every human being is the basis for the rights of each and every human being and the Christian imperative that every person is treated with dignity and respect in their social lives, their economic lives, their political lives and their private lives.
However, before continuing with a discussion of Christian economics it is both interesting and enlightening to apply these first principles to the US economy regarding prices, jobs, business practices, the minimum wage, wages in general, the outsourcing of jobs, pensions in private industry, home foreclosures, home repossessions, how employers treat their employees, how managers treat their subordinates, etc. Are prices, jobs, business practices, the minimum wage, wages in general, the outsourcing of jobs, pensions in private industry, home foreclosures, home repossessions, employer-employee relationships, and manager-subordinate relationships based on the principles ‘that good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided’, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’, the absolute dignity and equality of each and every human being and the imperative of treating every person with dignity and respect? Certainly not! It takes little reflection to realize that there is almost no influence of these basic principles of Christian economics within the US economy. The US economy for all practical purposes is pagan. In fact, the US economy is based, managed and directed by economic theories which disconnect morality and economic behavior and activities. And this is wrong, absolutely wrong. Every human action within business, between businesses, involving a contract, involving a transaction, the relations between employers and employees, the relations between managers and subordinates, the relations between businesses and customers; these are all subject to morality, that is, they are either right or wrong from an ethical point of view as well as from a Christian point of view. Current economic theories actually support the disparity between the rich and the working class and promote the economic dominance of the wealthy class.
How does God want people to act within their economic lives: their jobs, their businesses, their business transactions, how they treat employees, how they pay employees, how they treat business subordinates, how they deal with tenants, how they set prices, how they deal with other businesses, how they market their products and services, how they advertise, the quality of their products and services, etc. It is extremely unfortunate that the vast majority of Christians have totally disconnected their economic lives from their religious lives and their religious beliefs. Most Christians exclaim their belief, loyalty and love of God within church but totally deny Him within their economic lives acting as though God does not exist. Most Christians are pagans in their economic lives and this is totally inconsistent with Christianity.
How is the Christian mandate to love your neighbor as yourself to be applied in business, economics and politics?
And when the Son of man shall come in His majesty, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the seat of His majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left. Then shall the King say to them that shall be on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed Me: sick, and you took care of Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the just will ask Him, saying: Lord, when did we see You hungry and fed You; thirsty, and gave You a drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and took You in; or naked and clothed You? Or when did we see You sick or in prison, and assisted You? And the king will answer them saying: Amen I