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11.14.09

Annoying Biblical Directive #6 - Be No Respecter of Persons

This is one that upon reading the title, I imagine most people said, “Yea! That one is so true and I do a good job of it” (myself included). To that I would say be careful with easy personal assessments. I think that consciously we ascribe to this one very easily, but the subconscious is alive and well and moves us to behave in ways that completely disregard the Bibical principle.

Let’s take a look at some scripture to see the challenge we are really facing.

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James 2:1-13

I like the book of James a lot because of its straightforwardness. This passage lays it out better than anything I know. Don’t show favoritism, example of the most common favoritism the world has ever known, exhortation to love your neighbor as yourself, doctrinal statement that sin is sin and favoritism is one of them, explanation that freedom and mercy is where our hope lies and we should therefore extend it to others.

I hope you would agree with me that respecting wealthy people more than poor people is a problem that has never been solved. If anything our society glorifies the wealthy to the point of sheer ridiculousness. There is an entire set of television programming dedicated to their “incredible” lives. Even scarier is how this form of favoritism has worked its way into the American church. Conclusions that wealthy believers or churches must be that way because of God’s active decision to bless them leave other people and churches wondering what they are doing wrong and asking (or even trusting) God to fix it. FYI - wealthy believers and churches sin and have problems in abundance.

So that is the big one, but what about all the other differences that may have been sowed into our subconscious from any number of sources (parents, television, marketing, pastors, churches, schools, locality)? You need to take some time of serious self reflection to pinpoint areas of difference that have somehow morphed into areas of judgment. I am going to let you know about one of mine that is a bit unusual just to show you how pervasive the challenge really is.

I instinctively dislike people that drive nice cars.

Somehow an amalgam of the fact that I am not really a car guy, that I believe a car is a terrible investment, that I believe America’s obsession with cars embodies everything wrong with American consumerism, and that I drive a Honda Civic developed into an instinctive personal prejudice against those that drive nice cars. I know that this is wrong. I know that it is actually sin. But, you see, I like my Honda Civic. I am proud of the fact that I drive a Honda Civic. Some of that pride is ok, but some of that pride is definitely sin. Some of that pride is saying, “I’m better than you because I drive a Honda Civic.” In other words, my pride in my car is really no different than pride that a person driving a nice car might have.

I know this thinking is messed up. What parts of your thinking are messed up?

Author: joe | Permalink Comments Off | Daily Entries

05.20.09

Annoying Biblical Directive #5 - Do Not Get Drunk On Wine

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18

If you arrived at our planet without any previous dispositions or prejudices it would be difficult to believe that the preceding verse and the topic it contains had caused tremendous divisions between Christians as well as between Christians and those who don’t follow Christ. Alcohol consumption has been a polarizing issue for so many years that it is difficult for anyone to put this in the category of a minor directive. This is despite the very infrequent mention of wine or alcohol in the Bible. Certainly it would be difficult to place it in the minor category if a loved one was harmed by a drunk driver, or if you lived in a family where abuse of alcohol led to an unloving, dangerous and capricious environment. Conversely, it is difficult to view it as a minor directive if you grew up in a family or church where total abstinence was taught as the one and only reasonable and Biblical approach to alcohol.

One might quibble with me and argue the intended meaning of wine in this verse. One could argue either side. Argument 1: This verse states only wine and other forms of alcohol are not included. Therefore this is a free pass to imbibe any other form of alcohol. Argument 2: Wine in Biblical times had a very small alcohol content and its purpose was chiefly to preserve the liquid for future consumption. Therefore if even extremely dilute wine was viewed with restraint, certainly higher alcoholic content liquids would be even more greatly constrained. Both of these arguments have some problems. From my vantage point number 1 a little more so than number 2. Let me assure you that this paragraph could have been much longer and included other nuances of interpretation and beliefs which I have not mentioned. This paragraph was included to draw attention to what is so very wrong with so many interpretations of this verse.

The singular focus upon the negative command of this verse is an ongoing cultural tragedy. It is a tremendous failing of the Church of today. I felt forced to lead you astray even as I titled this essay. The title should be “Be Filled With The Spirit.” (That is simply not tantalizing enough in our culture.) Yes, this verse has a limiting negative command. Yes, this limiting negative command should be considered and followed. However, the focus of this verse and the thing that should be preeminent is being filled with the Spirit. Why do we allow ourselves to argue and become divided over a portion of a verse which is not the most important part of the verse?

Author: joe | Permalink | 1 Comment | Daily Entries

04.15.09

9 Annoying Biblical Directives - #4 Remember the Sabbath by Keeping it Holy

I must confess that it has been a while since I have written because I have been wrestling with how to approach this fundamental yet perilous topic. Most of the Biblical directives that I plan on addressing have some basis in both the Old and New Testament. Furthermore, the topics have pretty clear delineation in the New Testament. However, this particular topic seems to have greater clarity and firmness in the Old than in the New. I’ll spare you the length of the argument of how the Old and New Testament work together by just quoting Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Keeping this in mind, the fundamental question before us is, what is the fulfillment of the fourth commandment? It is intriguing to me that this particular Biblical directive has caused me the most anguish and contemplation with regard to what to write. It is one of the Ten Commandments! You know, the ones that are carved in stone and considered by many to be the bedrock of our legal system. And yet, even in Christian circles many people operate and / or make arguments that only nine commandments continue to apply to the New Testament Church. There are sound reasons and arguments for this, and yet I truly want to find what the fulfillment of this commandment is for Christians in the good ‘ole U.S. of A.

Let’s look at the complete text from Exodus 20 verses 8 through 11.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

I think you now understand what I am up against. I mean, “Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy” I can handle. I’ll just replace Sabbath with Sunday and proceed on my merry way. What’s that you say? The other stuff, oh yeah, I suppose it does say a few things after that. Man! this commandment has a lot of additional stipulations to it. (And that was before the Pharisees got to it!) These additional stipulations continue to cause quite a ruckus just as they did in Jesus’ day when His disciples were caught picking kernels of wheat, and Jesus even had the audacity to heal someone on the Sabbath!

Let me set forth a premise that I believe is essential to the interpretation of this commandment (as well as much of the Old Testament law). Just because you throw out a portion of the commandment does not automatically allow you to forsake the entire commandment. I hope that you will forgive me for not examining all the possible interpretations and New Testament passages that may or may not apply to this commandment. There are many to examine, and I do believe that you need to examine them, consider them, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your conclusions with regard to them. Hebrews 10:25 is certainly one of note. However, I am not entirely comfortable with the approach (whether stated or unstated) that takes Hebrews 10:25 as the complete replacement of the fourth commandment.

OK, now that I am back on my merry way. Let me attempt a paraphrase of this directive.

Don’t forget to preserve one day a week as different from the other six, one intentionally dedicated to the Lord.

This is only my paraphrase. I believe that you must create one for the benefit of yourself and your family. I have deliberately resisted the urge to rant about what I deem to be the particular errors of our contemporary society. However, I am of the opinion that the greater danger for our present society is an overly full life that marginalizes the Lord.

Author: joe | Permalink Comments Off | Daily Entries

02.19.09

9 Annoying Biblical Directives - #3 Love Your Enemy

“You have heard it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Although this passage is a little longer than my previous texts, I think you should read it again for good measure. These words from Jesus’ seminal teaching in Matthew 6, the Sermon on the Mount, set our entire world order on its head. The preceding passage to this one asks us to turn the other cheek and advises us to go the extra mile with someone. These admonitions I can embrace fairly easily as even prideful motivation can motivate these actions. The prideful motivations I speak of are ones in which we pity those that are angry with us because we believe we are better than them and therefore it is beneath us to respond in kind. It is curious and telling to me that the admonition to turn the other cheek gets quite a lot of attention while the admonition to love your enemies seems to have fallen into a veritable black hole.

Upon initial examination of these two admonitions, I believe that many view them to be somewhat similar; but if this is what you have surmised, I believe you are extremely wrong. Allowing yourself to become emotionally invested with and seeking to fully understand an enemy is a far cry from simply refraining from responding in kind to an enemy’s taunts or persecution. And let me ask you what do you believe this passage means when it states “pray for those who persecute you”? If you believe that it means to pray for the Lord to correct their behavior, to punish them in the future, or to vindicate you in the end, I believe that you are missing the point entirely. Take great care that the motivation behind your prayer is loving in nature. Praying for pain and destruction upon someone even when that someone is clearly sinning is fraught with many unsettling questions. Would you really prefer to see them endure pain and suffering to realize the error of their ways? Is your prayer motivated by a need to remind God of your suffering and by the way, God, don’t forget the name of the guy that did it to me? Is your prayer motivated by a concern that God has allowed justice to be circumvented? These questions are good ones to ascertain if your prayers have gone awry.

It seems clear to me that one of the goals of this passage is to break humanity of our dangerous habit of creating “in group” morality. In laymen’s terms “in group” morality has one set of standards for those who are in the “in group” and another set for outsiders. History is replete with examples of “in group” morality in action. From the ghastly ethnic cleansing of Nazi Germany to the present “kill the infidel” of Islam; and lest we become smug, the frequent insidious emergence of it throughout the history of the Christian Church. The admonition to love your enemy on its face seems to bluntly reject “in group” morality. Furthermore, their is a part of this passage that appears out of place if not examined closely. That passage is, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” At first blush it appears that this passage would not be diminished if this sentence were left out. This sentence expresses what theologians would term common grace. This grace is extended by God to all humans whether believers or unbelievers. This is a further affirmation of God’s rejection of “in group” morality. He views that all people are in the “in group” and all are eligible for common grace as well as saving grace when as Romans 10:9 states “you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in their hearts that God has raised him from the dead.”

It is a delicious irony inside an irony that my awareness and attentiveness of “in group” morality comes as a result of my listening to Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. (In Dawkins’ mind I am deluded enough to say God works in mysterious ways.) Dawkins is adamantly against using any “holy” text to establish morality, and takes considerable time to build a case that the Bible is a book which blatantly advocates “in group” morality. He comments that the New Testament is a great improvement over the old, but claims that Jesus still heartily advocates “in group” morality. It is to our shame that his views on this subject are not refuted as he examines the historical record and actions of the Christian Church. It is also a shame that although he specifically mentions Jesus’ admonition to turn the other cheek he makes no mention of this passage. As I listen to his book, I find myself greatly challenged to pray for Richard Dawkins and to truly seek to love him. Ideologically he is my enemy, and it has been a challenge not to instantly view him through a bellicose lens. (It is astounding how refreshing it is to hear the pleasant voice which says, “This is the end of the disc, the program will continue on the next disc.”) However, the above annoying Biblical directive constrains me to do so.

So I dare you to do something that really would change this world.

Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.

Author: joe | Permalink | No Comments | Daily Entries

02.05.09

9 Annoying Biblical Directives - #2 Pray Continually

You will notice that as I take time to consider various Biblical directives I discover more. I know that this could go on indefinitely, but I will really try to keep it to 10 or fewer. Now for today’s scripture.

“pray continually,” First Thessalonians 5:17

That’s it! That’s the only challenge I have for you today. For those of us that memorized scripture in our younger days, you will note that this is the second shortest verse in the Bible. In the version which I memorized, it was “pray without ceasing.” This directive offered during the closing instructions to the church at Thessalonica (along with another directive we will explore later) continues to be applicable to the Church today. So let’s take time to explore what a great challenge just two words can create.

What does it look like to pray continually? Does it mean we should be constantly chanting some form of prayer? I sincerely hope this is not the case as this would seriously impinge upon our ability to express love to others. Does it mean that whenever we meet someone we should take a moment to pray with them? Not bad, but somehow I think this might turn into something less than meaningful around prayer number 100 or so. Does it mean that we should have a continual dialogue with our Father in heaven? Since this is number three (and I prefer threes in my literary style), you correctly assume this is what I think it means.

Why should we have a continual dialogue with our Father in heaven? Is it because He is just an extremely high maintenance friend? Somehow I think He would get along pretty well without us, and yet He calls us to pray continually. Perhaps His existence is somehow fuller with us around. Perhaps it is just a good idea for us to be getting His input all the time. Perhaps we should desire fellowship with Him as much as we desire fellowship with our newest friend who we really want to know and understand. I feel pretty confident about the last two statements and can’t help but marvel that somehow there could be a bit of truth to the first one as well. So if this sounds like such a good idea in so many ways, why don’t we just do it?

There is that fundamental problem that new friends don’t stay new for long. Our desire for our heavenly Father really needs to be refreshed every day. Do you want to know a good way to improve your chances at this? Start your day by praying, and while you are at it, don’t stop. There is also the issue that we tend to compartmentalize our life to the exclusion of our heavenly Father. I mean does an almighty God really want to participate in each of my mundane daily activities. I can handle most of the things I need to do without Him, right? Then there is another big issue. Do I really want a reminder that He is watching in everything I do? This would mean bringing Him along wherever I go. Somehow raising the integrity of our existence to this level is a task which I believe we all are strongly tempted to fear. This temptation often leads to a pitiful compromise which in turn leads to a life lacking integrity. So I encourage you to at least reach mental agreement that this is the goal. We all will fail in its prosecution, but hopefully we will fail while striving for the right thing.

Author: joe | Permalink | 4 Comments | Daily Entries

01.27.09

8 Annoying Biblical Directives - #1 Unity

Today I begin a series of essays that I hope will highlight current cultural failings of the Church. You will note that I spelled church with a capital, because I mean all true followers of Christ. I don’t want to spend a large amount of time defining followers of Christ because it isn’t exactly my position to judge. (yet another annoying Biblical directive) You will note that I could have inserted the word command in the place of directive, but apparently I just didn’t have the guts. Directive sounds nicer. I also could have replaced the word annoying with difficult. I may not have guts, but I valiantly defend my chutzpah. Please note that these essays and topics will have a limited shelf life and a specific cultural frame of reference. (So if you are considering printing this off, saving it for 30 years, and then showing it to a Mongolian friend, it may not work.)

“By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

Wrapped inside this single verse is a monumental challenge, a serious indictment, and, I pray, immense power to change the course of human events. Let’s take a brief moment to consider when Jesus spoke these words. Nearing the end of the last supper, our Lord was aware that the time He had was short, and these words were spoken as a father would speak to a child that he is leaving. Let’s expand the scripture a couple verses.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:33-35

Now let’s consider the subject at hand: unity. How do we find ourselves in a world with so many Christian denominations? One could respond with an interminable, historical play by play of how each denomination had formed and the underlying disagreements (founded and unfounded) which provoked the splintering of Christianity. This would truly be a considerable waste of breath. You must know that I do not consider myself an ecumenicalist. I believe that there are doctrines (a currently culturally offensive word) and truths (Oh! That one is much better. Even if it is harsher.) that cannot be sacrificed. However, a part of me admires what I hope to be the spirit of the ecumenical movement. I hope it is a spirit of reasonableness. Reasonableness being the lost art of agreeing to disagree on a subject very precious and close to the heart. Furthermore, having the ability to agree to disagree and still love the person as much as you love yourself! That is the world that I would like to be living in, and that is the world where I believe our Lord can work in lives, heal old wounds, and guide hearts and minds to become true followers of Christ.

I leave you with Jesus’ prayer for all believers from John 17.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Author: joe | Permalink | No Comments | Daily Entries

01.12.09

The American Way vs. The Way

I have written a lot recently about the disillusionment I have with what I believe to be the hijacking or distorting of the American way or American dream. There are elements of the American way or American dream that are beautiful, but it seems that I have become distracted from the fact that “The Way” is more pure and more beautiful. “The Way” I speak of is the same as what Jesus spoke of in John 14:6. His way entails many things chief among them being trusting in His sacrifice on the cross as your only way to reconciliation with the God of the universe. In my opinion, this is absolutely preeminent. However, today I would like to highlight another component of “The Way.” I’m sorry to say that it is a component that isn’t very easy, and being fully committed to it will definitely lead to some frustration from time to time. Furthermore, it is a component that seems to compete with many elements of the American way. You might not feel the competition, but I have experienced it and continue to struggle with how to reconcile the two.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I know that “religion” has received a bad rap in our current culture. “Religion” in our culture is often short for rules, and most people would prefer to use the world “spirituality.” This isn’t a bad instinct at all, because I hope that what most people intend is that they are less focused on rules and more on people’s hearts. If that is the case for you, you are in good company. It is a prevalent theme of how God and Jesus view humans. Let’s just say that “religion” in this verse means action driven by one’s belief system. When I think about religion in this way, I get a big lump in my throat and am deeply distressed that the American church isn’t fulfilling all of its duties. I’ll admit I hardly ever run into any orphans and most of the widows I know seem to be doing pretty well due to the affluence of our society. However, I am less than active in seeking out orphans and widows that are in need. This is something that I plan on rectifying for the remainder of my life. I would challenge you to consider this and do the same.

And just in case you are unsure if James really represents God’s true feelings on widows and orphans take time to peruse the other scripture that expresses God’s passion for protecting them. The following is a partial list: Deuteronomy 10:18, 24:17-18, 24:20-21, 26:12, 27:19, Psalms 10:14, Psalms 68:5, Jeremiah 22:3, Zechariah 7:10.

Author: joe | Permalink | 3 Comments | Daily Entries

12.12.08

Jay Dean Harper’s American Dream

Some of my recent posts have mentioned various ways that I believe the American dream has been hijacked and perverted. Today I would like to paint a picture of one version of the American dream which I believe has made our country great. I say one version of the American dream because there are so many stories and variants that encompass the American dream that many of us believe and want to believe. It would be criminal to limit the American dream to just one narrative. But none the less here is one narrative.

My grandfather, Jay Dean Harper, was born in a two room log cabin in “Dark Hollar” outside Somerset, Kentucky on April 26, 1927 to Henry and Ina Harper. He was the eldest of 6 children. Jay was a graduate of Shopville High School in Somerset where he was on the basketball team and voted “Most likely to become an auctioneer or politician” by his classmates. (There is something to be said for high schoolers who view auctioneers and politicians in the same light. I hope I don’t offend too many auctioneers.)

I grew up hearing the legend of “Dark Hollar” and had always envisioned it as a small town in Kentucky. When I was in my teen years, we visited the homestead called “Dark Hollar.” It was nothing more than a small log cabin in the middle of a cow pasture far away from anything. I still remember that as we drove up to it, we dodged cow pies along the way. At the time I marvelled and struggled to understand what it meant that someone I knew grew up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no utilities. My great uncle, Arnold, relayed an amusing and insightful anecdote about those years. The story goes that Jay was on leave from the military and returned home while it was raining. At the time electricity had somehow been run to the cabin. (Having been there, for the life of me, I can’t understand how that was possible.) There was a single light bulb hanging on the porch. For some reason Jay decided to hang up his wet coat on it to dry. It wasn’t long before the coat was on fire. As Arnold humbly put it, “we were still getting used to electricity.”

In 1947 after being honorably discharged from the U. S. Navy, Jay moved to Indianapolis to find employment on the advice of his Uncle Albert. He succeeded in finding work at Chevrolet and also took a part‐time job as a “Soda Jerk” at Hooks Drug Store. He also succeeded in finding a bride, Virginia, in Indianapolis. Virginia had a young son from a previous marriage named Ralph Wendel. (Ralph is my father.) Jay and Virginia had three children of their own Vonda, VJ, and Vickie. They added another daughter, Sherrie, who needed a home. I am unaware of the details, all I know is she needed a home and she is part of the family.

In the early years Jay would work all day at Chevrolet and then haul trash in the evenings. These jobs were procured by a simple ad in the newspaper and were booked by Virginia during the day. Like most business stories I have heard, the desire to better oneself and the willingness to work hard developed into a full time job. In 1949 Jay’s Moving Company was founded. For 24 years the kitchen was where jobs were booked, payroll was calculated, pay envelopes were filled and passed out, bills were paid and of course meals were prepared and served. God blessed the business whose red trucks always displayed Jay’s favorite verse, John 3:16, because Jesus was his personal Savior. (If you are an Indianapolis old timer, you might remember those big red trucks.) In 1973 Jay’s Moving moved to 1132 Prospect Street in the heart of Fountain Square. It was a Christian witness in the community and all five children learned the value of a good work ethic as a result of working in the business at one time or another. Jay and Virginia ran Jay’s Moving for almost 60 years, an amazing testament to their hard work, honesty and trustworthiness. Jay and Virginia were married for nearly 60 years, an amazing testament to their dedication, patience, and love for one another.

Jay enjoyed bowling, fishing, spending time wiht his family and serving his Lord. He lived according to Colossians 3:17,

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

His faith was steadfast. He was secure in knowing he would live eternally with his Savior, Jesus Christ. On Tuesday, December 3rd he awakened in Glory where he is with his Creator and loved ones who preceded him in death. His desire would be to be with you in Heaven too.

My grandfather’s funeral truly was a celebration. It had its sad moments, but it was a tremendous encouragement to me and has helped crystallize my understanding of the man that went before me. There are two things that stood out to me as I listened to others speak of him and as I considered his life. First, a Pastor that knew him well commented that when Jay prayed he prayed like a little child. There was a humility, simplicity and sincerity in his prayers that we all would do well to emulate. I know this from experience as I have heard many of those prayers. They are and will be a lasting reminder to me. Second, throughout his life he carried in his wallet a picture of that cabin in “Dark Hollar.” Whenever someone asked where he was from, he would pull out his wallet and give them the full story of “Dark Hollar.” I can’t say precisely why he did this, but I believe that he did it to show people that he understood and remembered his humble beginnings. I also believe he did it to reinforce that in America it matters little from where you came. This is the common thread of what I believe to be the American dream.

Author: joe | Permalink | 1 Comment | Daily Entries

11.19.08

The Socialism Debate

A funny thing happened on our way to electing our next president. The awareness of government sponsored socialism was raised several notches. Many in the socialist camp view this as a rare opportunity to further their ideology while much discontent exists with the American status quo. Many in the capitalist camp ridiculously defend their ideology by stating flatly that socialism is un-American. So let me enter the debate and thereby ruin any hopes that I may run for public office. (This will undoubtedly save me a lot of trouble in the long run.)

Let me first state explicitly that ideology is not a bad word. Ideologues have taken a pretty bad wrap because so many of them lacked common sense and/or morals while pursuing their ideology. However, I do believe an ideological discussion is warranted and highly needed from time to time. The present time in our American experiment is just such a time.

I believe that our country is in dire need of a newly framed ideological message proceeding from Christianity and those that support it. It is my belief that this newly framed message must make a clear delineation of how socialism can actually work. My belief is that socialism can only work among Christ followers that have sold out and made Jesus the Lord of their lives. These Christ followers must have rid themselves of all selfishness and coveteousness. This is no small task. In fact, it is monumental. This approach is fraught with peril as almost all historical examples (the earliest church in Jerusalem being one) proved to be unsustainable. Anyone who has served in a church or para-church setting knows that it is a very tall order to maintain an environment where shared burdens can truly be shared happily without sin and division creeping into the group.

The counterpoint to my belief that the church is the only place where socialism has a chance of working is my belief that government sponsored socialism is absolutely, positively destined to fail. It will fail in a morass of overexpenditure resulting from a beauracracy which inevitably will end up having no personal, emotional connection with those for which they should serve. I do believe that capitalism is the best economic solution in a fallen, sin-cursed world. It is NOT the best solution, but we are not in an environment that is the best. Even with this being said, capitalism is extremely fragile and does require a moral foundation among its constituents that does not devolve into making every dollar its god. (Doesn’t that hit close to home?!) I believe that the questioning and unease that has begun to manifest itself in greater and greater abundance among the American populace flows from the fact that more and more Christ followers and non-Christ followers realize that the United States has lost its way with regard to a moral foundation. The outcry is great against the cheaters among us! (CEOs, governmental officials, tax evaders, sinecure holders, lobbyists, medicare manipulators, welfare manipulators, disability manipulators, etc.) Be careful to fully examine your own life before you lay blame to a cheater as you may also be one. The same crying out people have widely differing views as to what our moral foundation should be, and I believe that all Christ followers must be working hard to guide that foundation back to a foundation built upon Biblical principles.

Author: joe | Permalink | 1 Comment | Daily Entries

11.06.08

Another Crazy Debt Addiction

After my last post, I will delve into something a lot more temporal and straight forward. The US Federal Reserve recently released information that it has now purchased $243 billion worth of commercial paper from various companies. This number has increased almost $100 billion in one week. Although I understand some of the reasoning behind cushioning the harshness of the sudden aversion to commercial paper, it substantially grates against my senses at how commercial paper has been utilized by banks and large corportions. First a primer on commercial paper, the description below is pulled directly from wikipedia.

In the global money market, commercial paper is an unsecured promissory note with a fixed maturity of one to 270 days. Commercial Paper is a money-market security issued (sold) by large banks and corporations to get money to meet short term debt obligations (for example, payroll), and is only backed by an issuing bank or corporation’s promise to pay the face amount on the maturity date specified on the note. Since it is not backed by collateral, only firms with excellent credit ratings from a recognized rating agency will be able to sell their commercial paper at a reasonable price. Commercial paper is usually sold at a discount from face value, and carries shorter repayment dates than bonds. The longer the maturity on a note, the higher the interest rate the issuing institution must pay. Interest rates fluctuate with market conditions, but are typically lower than banks’ rates.

As defined by American law, commercial paper is a financial instrument that matures before nine months (270 days), and is only used to fund operating expenses or current assets (e.g., inventories and receivables) and not used for financing fixed assets, such as land, buildings, or machinery. By meeting these qualifications it may be issued without U.S. federal government regulation, that is, it need not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Commercial paper is a type of negotiable instrument, where the legal rights and obligations of involved parties are governed by Articles Three and Four of the Uniform Commercial Code, a set of non-federal business laws adopted by each of the 50 U.S. States.

At the end of 2007, more than 1,700 companies in the United States issue commercial paper. As of 2008 October 31, the U.S. Federal Reserve reported seasonally adjusted figures for the end of 2007: there was $1.7807 trillion (short-scale, or 1,780,700,000,000) in total outstanding commercial paper; $801.3 billion was “asset backed” and $979.4 billion was not; $162.7 billion of the total was issued by non-financial corporations, and $816.7 billion was issued by financial corporations.

Here’s the skinny. Corporations and financial institutions perceived to be stable and highly solvent are able to receive substantial loans at extremely discounted rates via issuing commercial paper and rolling it over continually. Recently, many institutions which heavily utilize commercial paper have suddenly been revealed as something less than highly solvent. (e.g. AAA rated GE needed cash bad enough to borrow from Warren Buffett at a 10% rate plus incentives.) This has naturally led to a substantial reduction in the amount of cash available to them via commercial paper. Suddenly they are forced to play the game like the rest of us and either finance their activities from their own pockets or post collateral for a loan from a financial institution. (FYI - Financial institutions aren’t looking so stable either and don’t really want to lend to less than highly solvent corporations no matter how big.) It seems to me that receiving cash to fund your operations at interest of 3% or less falls under the category of “too good to be true.” The more prudent among us understand that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is. Alas, this maxim has been forgotten along with much of our senses during the period of our “goldilocks” economy. So for the good of the economy, the US Federal Reserve feels it must step in and help these major, highly solvent (supposedly) institutions come down from their commercial paper high gradually. This is nothing more than a not so cleverly disguised, massive, additional bailout of financial institutions and major corporations. These actions must ultimately be funded by newly issued T bills from the US Treasury. (But what’s another $100 billion a week. That’s just $5.2 trillion added to the national debt per year!) I’m still waiting for my 3% loan from the US Federal Reserve. Perhaps it will come with the next stimulus package.

Author: joe | Permalink | No Comments | Daily Entries

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