"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
(Exodus 20:8-11 ESV)
I used to think, in my more individualistic/conservative days, that this Scripture was about the need to take a rest because, well, we all need it. Don't overwork, take time to worship, don't pursue the last dollar because God knows what is best for us as persons. The Sabbath is an important to a happy and balanced life in which we take care of ourselves in important ways. Spend time with God, with your family, with yourself.
Now, I still think that this is part of the Sabbath, but the more I have looked at Scripture I get the sense that this is not just a guideline for 'your best life now'. No, the Sabbath is also about how we look at the Other (as, indeed, are so many other issues). Consider these words not just to the head of the house (who likely would have read or heard it in the assembly)...it's also about a word for his family, his servants, his guests, and even his animals. The one who is the CEO of the extended family of 3500 years ago is told not just to rest for himself, but specifically that others who might work on his behalf are to rest as well.
This dramatically changes how we look at the concept of the Sabbath. While perhaps today we are not called to literally keep the Sabbath to the extreme that some Jews thought they should (cf. Matthew 12:1-14; Colossians 2:16-18), it's still a good thing to rest not just for ourselves but to give others as a break. What if we took this seriously? Would it change our shopping patterns? Change how we go and eat out for Sunday dinner? Would it change how we come home and turn on the TV for the Chiefs kickoff?
Let me say this as directly as I can: do we allow the way we consider our Sundays make it where others have to work? Sure, the Chiefs players are making huge money to play for our entertainment. But most of the service workers working to feed us or check us out at Wal-Mart on Sunday are some of the most economically fragile in our economy. They often considered the poorest, working the worst kind of shifts that likely few people want to really work. They are away from their families on days in which the rest of the family may be going to worship or are at play. But they work in order to provide for our 'day of rest'.
Doesn't this form of economic behavior go against the very spirit of the Sabbath? Might we even call it unChristian? While I don't want Blue Laws to return so that all shops and stores are closed on Sunday (as sometimes I still go out and eat or shop, or I might need to travel), Christians ought to be cognizant of their economic patterns on this day. By doing what is best for us, are we doing that which causes some form of harm (in relative terms) to our neighbor by making them work?
Sometimes we are oblivious to the needs of others. A number of years ago a church member was complaining to me about how she had invited a friend of hers to church but she could never come because she had to work on Sundays. She thought it was wrong that this woman had to work...but then she would spend her Sunday afternoons going to lunch, shopping, and even going to a movie. In other words, the things she was doing were directly leading to the conditions that made her friend have to work on a Sunday, yet she could not see this correlation.
Questions like this make us dig deep and see if we are part of the problem. It's not easy, of course...some workers like working on Sundays as they get paid more (which, again, is important for lower-wage workers), and many today think no differently about a Sunday than any other day. But for Christians who think Kingdom of God first, again the Sabbath should make us think about how we live on behalf of the Other, rather than ourselves alone.
As for me a number of years ago I stopped buying on the Sabbath as much as I could. Occasionally I will still eat out or shop or travel...but generally I try to avoid it as much as I can. I am a hypocrite in that I am not consistent in this, and I need to get better, but it's something where we can all make a difference.
After finishing this, I realized I wrote something about this three years ago. You can decide whether I wrote it better now or then.
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economics. Show all posts
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
A non-systematic, hopefully non-ideological meditation on economic principles of Scripture. #3: Acts 4:32-37
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32-37 ESV)
Long before there was Muslim extremism, communism was the great worry of many Christians. I suppose we always have to have something to be angry about, but communism (at least how it was practiced in the USSR, China, and other despotic countries) was always the Great Satan of our existence. And yes, it was horrible in how it coerced people, it suppressed faith and innovation, and became a religion all its own.
Going to a Christian university near the end of the Cold War, communism's evil was continually on display through the business program being the big dog on campus, espousing free-market economic policies. National speakers that were brought in were almost always politically and economically conservative. Not only communism in how it was practiced seen as bad, but its very nature was seen as evil; not only was it unAmerican, it was unChristian. Didn't the Bible speak of self-reliance, not being a burden on others?
Over the years I have had to unlearn some of the things that I learned. Yes, the Bible does speak about the necessity of work. But it's increasingly hard to slander communism when increasingly I am finding that the Bible actually glorifies 'commonism'. Consider the above passage: nobody thought of these things as their own, but had everything in common. People didn't look around thinking, 'MINE', which we are indoctrinated to do from the time we first become social creatures. Rather, having seen the grace of God they realized that grace could be shown by being generous, and it worked so well that we are told that (at this point at least) there were no needy people among them. The church became a place in which their various spiritual gifts, be they gifts of teaching, administration, or whatever, were to be shared with others. The gospel had so changed people that people would regularly sell things and, no strings attached, offer it up to those who were in the most need.
Yes, of course...there will always be problems with this system. There will always be the Judas who is the thief of the common purse (John 12:6); there will be those who abuse the system and not work (cf. 2 Thess. 3:10). But communism at its core is not the problem when done with God's grace at its core; as people who seek to live as simply Christians, commonism may well be the solution to be like the first century church again.
Long before there was Muslim extremism, communism was the great worry of many Christians. I suppose we always have to have something to be angry about, but communism (at least how it was practiced in the USSR, China, and other despotic countries) was always the Great Satan of our existence. And yes, it was horrible in how it coerced people, it suppressed faith and innovation, and became a religion all its own.
Going to a Christian university near the end of the Cold War, communism's evil was continually on display through the business program being the big dog on campus, espousing free-market economic policies. National speakers that were brought in were almost always politically and economically conservative. Not only communism in how it was practiced seen as bad, but its very nature was seen as evil; not only was it unAmerican, it was unChristian. Didn't the Bible speak of self-reliance, not being a burden on others?
Over the years I have had to unlearn some of the things that I learned. Yes, the Bible does speak about the necessity of work. But it's increasingly hard to slander communism when increasingly I am finding that the Bible actually glorifies 'commonism'. Consider the above passage: nobody thought of these things as their own, but had everything in common. People didn't look around thinking, 'MINE', which we are indoctrinated to do from the time we first become social creatures. Rather, having seen the grace of God they realized that grace could be shown by being generous, and it worked so well that we are told that (at this point at least) there were no needy people among them. The church became a place in which their various spiritual gifts, be they gifts of teaching, administration, or whatever, were to be shared with others. The gospel had so changed people that people would regularly sell things and, no strings attached, offer it up to those who were in the most need.
Yes, of course...there will always be problems with this system. There will always be the Judas who is the thief of the common purse (John 12:6); there will be those who abuse the system and not work (cf. 2 Thess. 3:10). But communism at its core is not the problem when done with God's grace at its core; as people who seek to live as simply Christians, commonism may well be the solution to be like the first century church again.
Friday, March 11, 2016
A non-systematic, hopefully non-ideological meditation on economic principles of Scripture. #2: Genesis 2:15
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15, ESV)
Work. Even from the beginning, before the fall, there was work. Work is important. As I hit my mid-life, I am far away from retirement and can't imagine not having something to do everyday, but at the same time I am reminded everytime I turn on the TV that I need to be saving for retirement. Isn't the great goal of life, a sign of success and responsibility, to get to a place where no longer do we have to work?
It's only been within the last century or so that people looked forward to something called retirement. People would work, then one day they would die when their bodies were used up. There were no early bird specials, no senior cruises, no 30 years of decline and doctor visits and nursing homes and dementia. Moses was being optimistic when he stated that 'the years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty' (Psalm 90:10). Very few have been fortunate enough to live this long. Work was all that was really known, and it was work that often led to an 'early' death.
Work is rightly praised as being something important. Yet it can be idolatrous; I knew an older man one time who was physically and mentally incapable of doing much of anything, but he would continually speak about how God put Adam in the garden to work, and by God, he was going to work until he fell over. I think that's how he died, in fact. For him work meant more than God, more than family, more than happiness. This is idolatry.
Work is vital in this life, and not to be considered an evil, though it does come with 'toil and trouble' (Psalm 90:10), and much of work because of sin is 'cursed' (Genesis 3:17). Yet work is a good thing, even from the beginning. And so it is frustrating to look out and see people who want the money and the benefits of work without having to actually do the work. But isn't this the American way today? How can I do as little as possible but still get paid? It starts from the time kids are in school; kids hope to just get by and seem offended at times that they have homework or are expected to do their best. Certainly this carries over into their worklife; sometimes employees barely show any effort and are offended if they are asked to do anything...this happens in service jobs, blue collar jobs, or even preaching jobs. It is important to teach that having a strong work ethic is a good thing.
But if work is well done, shouldn't it also be well-compensated? For those willing to work hard, shouldn't there be at least a realistic hope that there is security? I have a friend who has a good blue-collar job and recently was told that he would be furloughed for a certain amount of time. This man has a family, he works hard, and is always willing to do his best to the glory of God. But now, because his company CAN, they basically cause him economic problems that it will take him years to get over. They didn't have to do this...they are a multi-billion organization and easily could have figured out a more just way of taking care of him.
And shouldn't there also be a realistic hope that one will not be impoverished even as they work? If you work a full week, you shouldn't have to worry about where your next meal or rent payment will come from if you are responsible with your money, should you? (Of course, this assumes that people know how to manage money to, which should not be assumed; plus, many people today have far too many wants; but that's for another post). I get frustrated when I hear people say that the poor only have themselves to blame, that they should just get better trained if they want a better job. But of course, in this day and age, more schooling (which is a financial burden in itself) is not always a guarantee for better wages. And indeed, we can't all be doctors or lawyers...somebody still has to pick up the garbage, empty the bad pans, and flip the burgers. Don't these people deserve our respect? In a nation of plenty, shouldn't those willing to work reap at least some of the rewards of that work?
Please hear me: I have no sympathy for those unwilling to work...as Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 'If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.' There are plenty of lazy, feckless people out there. They get what they deserve. But the importance of work needs to be taught, yet also respected and compensated. One without the other makes people either lazy or makes society unjust. We need both a just world but also people who work.
Work. Even from the beginning, before the fall, there was work. Work is important. As I hit my mid-life, I am far away from retirement and can't imagine not having something to do everyday, but at the same time I am reminded everytime I turn on the TV that I need to be saving for retirement. Isn't the great goal of life, a sign of success and responsibility, to get to a place where no longer do we have to work?
It's only been within the last century or so that people looked forward to something called retirement. People would work, then one day they would die when their bodies were used up. There were no early bird specials, no senior cruises, no 30 years of decline and doctor visits and nursing homes and dementia. Moses was being optimistic when he stated that 'the years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty' (Psalm 90:10). Very few have been fortunate enough to live this long. Work was all that was really known, and it was work that often led to an 'early' death.
Work is rightly praised as being something important. Yet it can be idolatrous; I knew an older man one time who was physically and mentally incapable of doing much of anything, but he would continually speak about how God put Adam in the garden to work, and by God, he was going to work until he fell over. I think that's how he died, in fact. For him work meant more than God, more than family, more than happiness. This is idolatry.
Work is vital in this life, and not to be considered an evil, though it does come with 'toil and trouble' (Psalm 90:10), and much of work because of sin is 'cursed' (Genesis 3:17). Yet work is a good thing, even from the beginning. And so it is frustrating to look out and see people who want the money and the benefits of work without having to actually do the work. But isn't this the American way today? How can I do as little as possible but still get paid? It starts from the time kids are in school; kids hope to just get by and seem offended at times that they have homework or are expected to do their best. Certainly this carries over into their worklife; sometimes employees barely show any effort and are offended if they are asked to do anything...this happens in service jobs, blue collar jobs, or even preaching jobs. It is important to teach that having a strong work ethic is a good thing.
But if work is well done, shouldn't it also be well-compensated? For those willing to work hard, shouldn't there be at least a realistic hope that there is security? I have a friend who has a good blue-collar job and recently was told that he would be furloughed for a certain amount of time. This man has a family, he works hard, and is always willing to do his best to the glory of God. But now, because his company CAN, they basically cause him economic problems that it will take him years to get over. They didn't have to do this...they are a multi-billion organization and easily could have figured out a more just way of taking care of him.
And shouldn't there also be a realistic hope that one will not be impoverished even as they work? If you work a full week, you shouldn't have to worry about where your next meal or rent payment will come from if you are responsible with your money, should you? (Of course, this assumes that people know how to manage money to, which should not be assumed; plus, many people today have far too many wants; but that's for another post). I get frustrated when I hear people say that the poor only have themselves to blame, that they should just get better trained if they want a better job. But of course, in this day and age, more schooling (which is a financial burden in itself) is not always a guarantee for better wages. And indeed, we can't all be doctors or lawyers...somebody still has to pick up the garbage, empty the bad pans, and flip the burgers. Don't these people deserve our respect? In a nation of plenty, shouldn't those willing to work reap at least some of the rewards of that work?
Please hear me: I have no sympathy for those unwilling to work...as Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 'If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.' There are plenty of lazy, feckless people out there. They get what they deserve. But the importance of work needs to be taught, yet also respected and compensated. One without the other makes people either lazy or makes society unjust. We need both a just world but also people who work.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
A non-systematic, hopefully non-ideological meditation on economic principles of Scripture. #1: Genesis 1:26-31
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
(Genesis 1:26-31 ESV)
(Genesis 1:26-31 ESV)
Creation is a gift from God. It's not something we have earned, or are entitled to, but comes by the grace of God. Even as we think about how we have 'dominion' over the earth, this is not about making us the absolute rulers of our world. Far too many people have used the idea of dominion to exploit the planet and its resources and inhabitants. Indeed, the granting of dominion in this passage is not only to humans, but also to animals as well (1:30).
And so what does it mean to consider the gift of God to us? Gifts are best accepted gratefully, but also with the mindset that the giver means this gift to be a blessing. And creation is a blessing. Because God made these things to be 'very good' (1:31), this means that it is functional. If we live as good stewards of what God has blessed us with, it means that we will never fail to have what we need in order to live. Is this an absolute? Of course not...disaster, drought, and the like have a way of destroying life, even to those who have properly tried to live. But in general, creation gives us what we need because it is a gift of God.
This should be the fundamental basis for Christian economics. All things are a gift of God...and so how do we use them to God's glory? Do we look to what we have been blessed with (whether born into plenty or poverty) and see such things as blessings? Satan seeks to make blessings into tools for sin, and in economics this is no different. The rich use their leverage to gain even more at the expense of the poor. The ambitious look to take more from creation than is acceptable and so cause generations of harm to the planet.
To misuse a gift, though, seems to be something that is an abomination in the sight of God. When we refuse to be content with the 'very good' of creation, and come at it with an economic mindset that we will take all we can get, is this not the same as a child who receives a toy and thinks he deserves the entire toy store? Creation as a gift means that it is enough. We don't need to keep grabbing and posturing to think that we need more. Dominion should never be taken to be license to exploit.
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