As I listen to cultural analysts bemoaning the current state of American consumerism, and comparing it (to a disadvantage) to unnamed halcyon days of yore, I am struck by an inability to see the largest and most obvious feature of the whole set-up. The issue is not that Americans uniquely consume like nobody’s business, but …
Our Little Piggy Hearts
As we are now in the midst of farcical fiscal cliff negotiations, with the Republicans being lame and the Democrats being eeeevil, I thought I should handle this as a teachable moment. We should take these teachable moments whenever they arise, for there will be fewer and fewer of them as the clouds of economic …
Froward
I have written many times that free markets are for a free people, and that only a free people can sustain them. But slaves to sin cannot be a free people. And the only way to be liberated from slavery to sin is through the gospel that brings new life. Another problem is that when …
Puritanical
“We need to guard our lives against the love of riches and worldly cares. All love for earthly goods, however, is not a sin. Their sweetness is a drop of his love and they have his goodness imprinted on them. They kindle our love for him as love tokens from our dearest friend. Loving them …
Not Compassion at All
You have a button in front of you, placed there by a helpful genie. But instead of giving you the standard three wishes (and why doesn’t anybody ever wish for ten wishes?), the genie has limited your options. If you push the button, the real income of all the “have-nots” in the world will double …
Just Call Me Old-Fashioned
This coming Thursday, Jim Wallis and Al Mohler will be debating the question of social justice and the mission of the church (HT: Justin Taylor). Click here for more. The question before the house will be this: “Is Social Justice an Essential Part of the Mission of the Church?” Wallis will be arguing the affirmative …
Horse Leech Economics
The blood-sucking annelid is no fun at all. Parasitic nuisances, in biblical Palestine, they would fasten onto the nostrils and tongues of horses when they came to an infested pond to drink. The horse leech is therefore a fitting symbol for a particular kind of economic theory. “The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. …
On Feeling Sorry for Exxon
Here is a little datum that should cheer you right up (HT: Frank Turk). The thing that is revelatory about this, if you think about it right, is how far we have to go in shifting our paradigm on the nature of corporate greed. The debate ought not to be over whether there is such …
You Can Look Them Up On Your Phone
When it comes to modern conveniences, many Christians are confused about the relationship of their hot and cold running water, say, to the worldview that we inherited from the Enlightenment, the outlook of modernity. If we reject the Enlightenment (and who shouldn’t?), does that mean we must be relegated to the grass huts? Put another …
Who Owns the Job?
Just a quick note about “collective bargaining.” The real question for those who would understand the nature of unions is the question of ownership. Say there is a particular job at the office building, or at the factory, or in the shop on Main Street. Who owns that job? The assumption behind collective bargaining is …