Bail Out of the Bail Out!

Well, it's time to weigh in on the economic bail out down in the states. I'm not going to pretend that I even begin to understand everything that is taking place, but the one thing that stands out to me is we're in an economic spin cycle the likes of which Maytag would be proud of. Down in the U.S. there are companies that are circling the proverbial drain and the U.S. govt. is proposing to throw more money into the downward spiraling economy in order to keep jobs afloat, save said companies and keep the economy from going under. We're spinning round and round and round and no one has any idea how to plug the drain and stop the whirlpool. All the while the common people are getting more nauseated than a 10 year old forever twirling in circles on the Mad Hatters Tea Party ride at Disneyland.

I've listened to both sides of the economic bailout debate and there are people far better versed in discussing this than I am. It seems to me, though, that the last thing you want to do is charge the same people who caused this mess with fixing it. I just read a blog by Mark Baker on the peoplesweeklybrief@hotmail.com. In his blog Baker notes that Robert Rubin has been working as an economic advisor to President Elect Obama. Maybe Rubin's name is familiar to you, but in case not, allow me to fill you in. Back in the Clinton White House of the 90's Rubin was Secretary of the Treasury. It was under his oversight that the deregulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was put in place which has led to this mess. Yesterday I was in a meeting where Brad Willems, a Sr. Financial Planner for Assante, reminded us that it was the Clinton White House which came up with the brilliant idea that home ownership was the way to raise the standard of living for the lower classes. In other words, the U.S. govt. could raise the standard of living for the poor, or lower middle class, to middle or higher middle class if people could be helped to purchase a home. Hey, I admit, it's a noble idea, but it may just be that there's a reason people can't afford a home and maybe, while a wonderful ideal, home ownership isn't for everyone. Historically the obstacle to home ownership for many in the lower class had been poor credit, inability to make monthly mortgage payments, not enough money for a down payment, lack of jobs, or poor paying jobs, etc... The solution to this dilemma flowing down from the Clinton White House, lower the lending standards for poor, middle class, or minority buyers, thus helping them get into the housing market. The way to do that, get Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both govt. owned mortgage lenders, to adjust their lending practices and lower the qualifying standards for a loan. This, then, forced other private banks and institutional lenders to follow suit. That's basically the gist of what I read from Baker, and others, and heard from Brad. If I'm a little off, that's my fault, but you get the general idea.

Back to Paul Rubin, the architect in the Clinton Whilte House who oversaw the implementation of this policy. After his service as Treasury Secretary, he went to Citigroup where he became a director and senior advisor raking in some 100 million dollars while working for this organization. Um, in case you can't keep up with everything that is floating around in the bailout, this is the same Citigroup that just last week received a bucket full of cash from the govt. as part of the economic stimulus package. In what can only be described as incredible foresight on his part, Rubin left Citigroup this past August, just days before the drain stopper in the economic pool was pulled. Are you beginning to think that a lot of what is floating around in this cesspool is foul smelling? Me thinketh so! Are you also beginning to see a pattern here?

Now, President Elect Obama, with Rubin as an economic advisor, is appointing Rubin's proteges as part of his economic transition team and advisory group. The same group of people who helped navigate us into this mess are being tasked with the job of plugging the leak and stopping the cycle. There's a definition for insanity in there somewhere.

This blog isn't just about looking at and re-reporting current events. First and foremost, it is about responding from a biblical world view to the events and challenges facing us. So, allow me to offer a biblical perspective to the above. 1 Timothy 6:6-19 makes it very clear that what you do with money can destroy you (vs.9) or make you (vs. 19). Verse 10 is very well known to most Christians, "... the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." I like the way John Piper paraphrases this passage in his book, Desiring God, "The root of evil is that we are the kind of people who settle for the love of money instead of the love of God!" It would seem to me that if the current economic crises shows us anything it is we spend a lot of time and energy worrying about money, striving for riches, hanging onto and protecting what we have, but in the end it isn't going to matter. In the blink of an eye it can all be gone, or in the blink of an eye we can be gone and, as Paul reminds Timothy, we can't take it with us! If I can paraphrase this passage for our economic times into one simple statement, it would be, "No matter whether the market is flush or whether it is circling the drain, God is always better than gold!" There is, according to Paul, great gain in godliness with contentment (vs. 8) So, what does it gain you and me to have it all and to risk loosing our souls? America today, and I would put Canada on the periphery of this category, is a save yourself society. The problem is it doesn't work. We're never going to truly be able to hold onto everything we have, our lives included. Instead, Paul is urging us to lay hold of eternity. No one, secular, believer, or otherwise, wants destruction, ruin, or worry. Everyone wants to lay hold of life. Therefore, test yourself. What attitudes do you have during these tough economic times? Is your confidence in your RRSPs, bank accounts, or stock portfolio? If so, then listening to the news reports will have you believing we're circling the economic drain and you'll be ready to throw yourself down the drain with everything else. Or, is your attitude that it's all God's anyway and I'm merely the conduit through which God is going to let money flow for his purposes? One attitude leads towards worry. The other leads towards contentment in the face of circling drains.

Gay Pride Parade

Where has the sanity gone? I'm sorry folks, but those of us in the evangelical community are losing it! Yes, that's those of us who call ourselves Christians. Apparently Abbotsford has approved a gay pride parade for our city. OK, I'm not in favor of homosexuality, I don't want a gay pride parade, but we're reacting as if all hope is lost. I'm reading the Letters to the Editor in The Abbotsford News and all we're doing is playing right into the hands of the homosexual community. They're accusing us of preaching hate, holding onto fear and being homophobic, all the while they're celebrating diversity, openness and acceptance! While that's the biggest bunch of rot I've ever heard, the truth is we are trying to make our case in the court of public opinion when we should be making our case through love in action!





Hear me loud and clear... Fellow brothers and sister in Christ, we're not going to win a public debate on whether or not there should be a gay pride parade in Abbotsford, or any other place! Let's get that through our heads.





So, what do we do? Folks, we live in a democracy, which by the way is not found in the Bible, and in such a system of government people are free to speak their opinions and hold gay pride parades. In previous posting I have defended the right of Pastor Stephen Boission to speak his mind when the Alberta Human Rights Commission wanted to take away his freedom to speak on the subject. I will never willingly give up the right to preach truth, to preach what the Bible teaches and to advocate for the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There comes a point, though, when it becomes apparent that the time for public discourse is over and the time for a new front on godlessness has arrived. That time is now!





Let's quit with the rhetoric and the lambasting of the homosexual community and begin by cleaning our own house! What's that you say? Yeah, you heard me right. The problem we have in the eyes of the world is that our words are not matching up with our witness. There are too many of us Christians who say one thing and do another. Step number 1 in this new front on godlessness, let's starting living like Jesus taught us to live. Let's begin with loving one another as He loved us. Let's continue with honoring one another and living in harmony with one another. Let's go above and beyond by living generously and joyfully. Let's give of ourselves, our time and our money. Here's a thought, let us pursue righteousness, holiness, purity and godliness in our own lives, in our own churches, homes, businesses and relationships. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Wives, honor your husbands as unto the Lord. Fathers, don't infuriate your children. Children, honor your fathers and mothers. Let's quit running down those who we don't agree with and start living as Jesus called us to live. Let's run business that first and foremost honor Jesus Christ. Let's make every effort to care for those who are in need. Let's make it our priority to live peaceably with all. Don't appease the homosexual community, but rather out live them, out love them and out care them.





Step number 2, rather than running around like Chicken Little and acting as if the sky is falling, let's start figuring out how we might minister to the homosexual community! I know, some of you are thinking I'm off my rocker... hey, I've been put down by far worse people than you! (that's supposed to be an attempt at humour) First, the sky isn't falling! This is what happens in a democracy. We make room for opposing views. The one thing we must never surrender is our right to speak. The fact we must face, though, is no one wants to hear our views when it comes to homosexuality. So, now we have to approach things from a slightly different prospective. I'm throwing this one out there for your humble consideration, but what would happen if instead of protesting the gay pride parade we showed up and tried to minister to the gay community unconditionally, without an agenda and with the love of Jesus. See, I have a sneaking suspicion that they really don't care what we say, they're going to go ahead and do what they want without hesitation and with great glee at our discomfort. But what would happen if all of a sudden we didn't act the way they think we're going to act, if we didn't respond to their hatred and bigotry the way they respond to us? What if instead of bashing them we tried to love them with the love of Jesus? I'm not sure how that looks, but here's a thought... I have a friend who loves Jesus, he's a godly man, and a Chiropractor who goes oversees and treats people who might not get Chiropractic help. What if people like him were available to help the marchers at the gay pride parade. Here's another thought... every year we celebrate Love Abbotsford! What would you think about having people available to hand out free cokes and water? Or, to give out free hot dogs and chips? I don't know, but that would be different. It's certainly better than the gay activists who interrupted church services in Michigan and it would definitely be different than what the homosexual community would expect from us Christians.





Yeah, there is a culture war that is taking place in our country. Guess what! We're losing it. So, let's go back and take our cues from Jesus. Let's make sure our own house is in order and then let's feed those who hate us, let's give them something to drink and let's love them with the love of Jesus!