As news comes in that China is starting to teeter, allow me to take a moment to remind everybody that there are two kinds of money. Given that miscreants are often put in charge of economies, the boundary between the two kinds of money is frequently murky, but it is important to note the two …
That Chokey Feeling
Apparently the office at the Vatican responsible for ushering in the millennium has suggested that we obtain for ourselves a central world bank, and has further intimated that various market idolatries are responsible for the economic mess we are in. One headline I saw suggested that the Vatican butt out of economics and go back …
Jitney Dictators of Glorified Shantytowns
You may have heard about the kerfluffle related to Paul Ryan, budget cutter man, eating out with a couple of his friends at an upscale restaurant. He was espied by an inebriated leftie, who took him to task for the price of the bottles of wine they had (over three hundred clams a bottle), and …
The Need for a Sense of Smell
I recall one place where N.T. Wright said that the economic policies of Margaret Thatcher were “evil.” As a good portion of the Western world is now in the process of running out of money, this set up an interesting train of thought. Is it “evil” to be broke, to run out of money? Presumably …
A Zombie Apocalypse Would be Worse
 Some sins, Paul tells us, run out in front of a man, while others bring up the rear. Some are screamingly obvious, while others are more subtle (1 Tim. 5:24). This means that in Bible-believing churches, cavorting with prostitutes, shooting out street lights, and knocking off convenience stories is generally frowned upon. But other …
And What God Turns Upside Down Stays Upside Down
These are strange economic times, and nothing is stranger than the fact that many appear to think it is normal. So, what are Christians to do? How we arrange our affairs? What do we invest in? There are two principal points to make here. The first concerns what we are not to invest in. Do …
Stewardship Schmoowardship
There are many things that are exasperating about the soi disant stewards of the environment, but the central exasperating thing about them lies right at the heart of their claim. This is especially true of Christians who tell us that Jesus requires us to be “stewards of the earth,” and that being green is a …
Organic and Dark Brown
I am reading a book right now that promises to be enormously helpful — When Helping Hurts. Often poverty relief efforts are as well-intentioned as it gets, but the results unfortunately do not match the intentions. This book understandably begins with the biblical mandate to see the connection between the gospel and actually changing the …
Running on All Pauline Cylinders
I am listening to Ken Myers’ interview of William Cavanaugh on Mars Hill Audio. I get lots of book purchase ideas from listening to Ken’s stuff, and so I commend it to you. This interview with Cavanaugh was concerning his book Being Consumed, a book I have already read and reviewed here. But listening to …
On Losing Your Shirt Like a Christian
We are far enough into this meltdown that we are starting to see its effects on individuals, and this of course includes individuals in the church. We are talking about layoffs, losses in retirement accounts, housing investments going south, and all the rest of it. If Christians are called to understand the times they are …