WHY ECONOMICS ISN’T BORING TO ME

I’m neither an economist nor the son of an economist. But I have been puzzling over something for a while. It’s how individuals could each have a degree in economics & come to totally different conclusions.

For example, the new heartthrob of the Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, apparently has a degree in economics & is a full-blown socialist. 

On the other hand, Walter Williams has spent much of his adult life teaching economics at the university level & is a rock-ribbed economic conservative.

My question has at least in part been answered. There are at least 2 basic theories about how economic transactions should be done.

The first (objective view of economics) is based on the idea that the process is more equitable & just if an economy is managed. This view necessitates there being a governing authority over a nation’s economic system. What is the expression of this belief? Socialism. Planned or managed economies. 5-year economic plans. Government intervention to pick winners & losers.

The other major view (subjective view of economics) sees the process of economic transactions as a dynamic thing that in a sense has a life of its own. People simply participate in it, & it is constantly changing based on the changing desires & demands of the participants. What is the expression of this belief? A free market, where people are at liberty to make their own decisions as buyers, sellers, producers, etc.

This difference in views determines how someone will see the process of economic transactions. The objective view requires that there be a class of people who can predict what will happen in the future. They will (hopefully) base economic policies on what will be the fairest for the most people.

This view assumes a lot. First, it assumes that these “smart people” can somehow predict the future. Second, it assumes they will use this power for the benefit of the people they are supposedly smarter than. These are the assumptions that have brought us such failed experiments as the Soviet Union, Cuba, & today’s Venezuela.

IS THE HEX A HOAX?

Do you remember the movie, “The Exorcist?” A lot of people see such things as just entertainment, but not reflecting a dark demonic reality with actual beings exercising power to influence the visible world & destroy people’s lives. At least that’s what good, obedient post-Enlightenment secularists &

materialists are supposed to believe.

Biblical references to spiritual warfare involve a lot, including individualized demonization & exorcism & localized demonic activities. In addition to that, passages such as II Corinthians 10:3-5 & Ephesians 6:11-12 seem to imply satanic activity & influence that affect the way people reason & think. Satan seeks to control the thought processes of masses of people, not just individuals. He seeks to trivialize or drive away all biblical concepts from the way people view themselves & the world.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/10/12/brett-kavanaugh-be-hexed-witches-brooklyn-new-york-liberal-sherpa-says

According to this report, a group of witches will host a public event for the expressed purpose of placing a hex on Justice Kavanaugh. Notice the clear difference in how the interviewer & interviewee regard the event & the potential danger.

As incredible as it may seem, we’re seeing the merging of radical secularism & a return to some of the traditional pre-Christian religious beliefs & practices of the Western world.

The battle is real. God’s people need to pray. And we need to pray in the authority of Christ, who is:

“Raised from the dead and seated at His (the Father's) right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 2:20-23).

THE INQUISITION COULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, RIGHT?

I’m going to paint some broad strokes, but my hope is you can see the parallels I’m trying to point out. Those parallels are between the regression that is in danger of happening in our legal system now, & what we left behind centuries ago.

All of the things I’m going to mention have one thing in common. Here goes...

Many people in our country believe that the Inquisition was a pre-Enlightenment occurrence. They believe that was carried out by religious bigots who persecuted people they thought who wanted to leave a church organization. There is some truth to those ides, but the reality is that the Inquisition was more a reaction to the political changes that were affecting the ability of the Roman Catholic Church & various European monarchies to prop up each other.

The French Revolution was really not much different in its attempt to acquire & maintain political power. It simply targeted a different group of people. In claiming to right the wrongs that were committed by the monarchy, the revolutionaries executed those associated in any way with it. People who happened to be part of the aristocracy, regardless of age or any other consideration were assumed to be the enemy of the new regime & of the people.

Each of these historical processes, the Inquisition & the French Revolution, was similar to today’s class warfare that is waged by the Left; certain classes were assumed to be guilty & others were assumed to be in the right. The individual was judged based on what class he or she was part of. Does that sound familiar?

There is good reason to be alarmed at what is happening in the Kavanaugh hearings. Elected officials are attributing guilt to him simply because he is a white male. His accuser does not have the responsibility to prove guilt because she is in a class that is by default to be believed.

That’s the way the Inquisition worked. You were lucky if you weren’t in the guilty class. Too bad for you & your loved ones if you were.

THINKING ABOUT THE LAST 46 YEARS

A new creation in Christ

It was 46 years ago this month that I found out that Jesus is a real person. When that happened I turned from my own way of living & surrendered my life & future to Him. 

Since then, my life has never been the same since then. I’d like to share just a few of the things He has done to prove Himself to me. (Not “prove” in a scientific sense; that’s really an Enlightenment construct that has only been known for a few hundred years & that only a small minority of the world has ever used to measure truth. I mean in more of a sense of verifying His truth & affirming my obedience to Him.)

He has transformed my values & desires. I can remember as a rebellious & hard-headed teenager, my desire was nothing more than to become a professional musician. I was committed to doing whatever I thought would make me happy. My reality & priorities revolved around ME. Since then, my desires have revolved around finding & fulfilling God’s plan for the life He had entrusted to me. Granted, I have not always done that perfectly, but the “True North” of my life was radically changed.

BC me

He has made my life complete. 46 years ago, I was an emotional mess. Along with being self-centered, I was afraid. I remember seeing a counselor who recognized this & encouraged me to get help. I didn’t do it because I was also apathetic. Although the world is becoming more & more disfunctional & broken with each passing decade, my experience of His presence & peace continues to deepen.

He has guided my experiences & relationships. I’m thankful for all the friends He has brought into my life as a result of the processes & experiences He has led me into. They have all enriched me beyond description. My wife Deborah & children Allen & Jen; so many Christian & non-Christian friends in America & throughout the world. Everyone in their own unique way has been used by God to bring blessings to me. I pray He has used me to do the same for them.

He has taken me places I never expected to go. How could an 18-year-old ever conceive of doing the things I have been privileged to do & the places I have been blessed to live & serve in the last 4 ½ decades? He opened my eyes to the world. He allowed me to participate in ways I couldn’t in my wildest dreams imagine.

Today I’m just taking some time to think about these things & to thank my God.

THE “YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT” MYTH

Remember the age-old question about what came first, the chicken or the egg? A few years ago then-President Obama made an often-quoted statement about what came first in the process of things being produced in the private sector. The implication was that without government, nothing of value will happen.

Because of the way he framed his statement, it makes sense. But only if you don’t take time to think critically about how things work in the real world.

I’d like to respectfully disagree with his notion, based on a couple of very basic ideas.

First, government does not have the ability to produce anything of economic value. What do I mean? Government does a lot of things. For example, it legislates & enforces laws; it adjudicates cases that involves those laws; it may regulate activities (& the list goes on & on, seemingly to infinity). But one thing is absent in all this: the actual production of anything of economic value.

Second, while government cannot by its nature produce wealth, it can manipulate wealth & its creation or use. How does it manipulate it? By the only means at its disposal – coercion. I believe this is why people sometimes grimace at the thought of taxes. Subconsciously they resent that the salary or profit that they have worked so hard to produce is penalized thru a portion of it being taken away.

So, why do I differ with Obama’s statement? Because he says that whatever part government plays in the creation of wealth is primary in the process. No, government has whatever economic resources it has because someone has already produced it.

Mr. Obama, I DID build that. If I didn’t, you couldn’t tax it.

SURVIVAL MODE

Over the years I’ve heard people contrast David & Saul in a lot of ways to. One of those ways is to see what each of them did when confronted with threats to their well-being or plans.

Have you ever seen someone who doesn’t know how to swim flailing in the water trying desperately to keep from drowning? That’s a lot like a disciple facing something that appears to threaten what he wants or believes God wants for him & responding based on what he thinks is necessary to keep that idea alive.

When we are in survival mode, it affects how we make decisions (or act). Survival mode makes the continuation of our life as we know it or hope it to be, or our dreams, plans, & desires, etc. the basis for what we do.

I believe that God allows situations like this to arise in our lives. It’s a part of the normal growth process for disciples & spiritual leaders. It reveals what we are made of, & helps us to see if we are living in survival mode.

Going back to David & Saul, there are times when David almost failed the test, but he generally seemed able to avoid doing things out of a survival mentality. But the need to preserve himself seems to have been one of the areas that contributed to Saul’s inability to overcome his impulsiveness & unreliability.

The Lord is working in me at this time to overcome the survival mentality. We are going thru some challenging seasons personally & in our ministry. (By the way, we really appreciate your prayers!) What are some things that can keep us from falling prey to this mentality? 

Here are a few things that I have learned:

·        “Trust & obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust & obey.”

·        Be aware of your motives for what you do; the Holy Spirit can clear up a lot of the smoke & mirrors that we create.

·        Don’t make your understanding of God’s will so dogmatic that you’re not open to getting a clearer understanding.

·        Accept that many things are more important than your plans & desires, as noble as they might seem to be.

·        Don’t compromise in areas of Christian ethics & lifestyle that the Bible makes clear, for the sake of what you want.

Remember, in the final analysis, survival is not the goal; faithfulness to God & His plan is!

WHAT HAPPENED TO MR. SMITH?

Did you ever see the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” with Jimmy Stewart? It was made in 1939 & its appeal was based on the idea that politicians, especially professional ones, are prone to corruption & should not be trusted.

Such a sentiment is not new. Neither is the one behind the call to “Drain the Swamp.”

One of our Founders, James Madison, recognized that men are not angels. Based on that reality, those who labored diligently to produce the Constitution, which prescribes the structure & operation of our Federal government, set it up to include 3 branches. They expected that, human nature being what it is, each branch would compete with the others for power. (Contrary to what some seem to think, a Special Counsel is not a fourth branch.) In doing so, each branch would essentially hold the other branches accountable.

For much of my lifetime, it has been fashionable in popular entertainment to describe business & corporate leaders as the most corrupt class that exists. The accompanying implication (often unspoken) has been that those in government are more honest & altruistic than those in business. I don’t believe that is true. No one is an angel, but elected officials who only occasionally answer to the electorate are much more prone to corruption that those in the private sector. (In addition to elected, there are hundreds of thousands of bureaucrats who make up the monolith we call the Federal & state governments & are known to no one.) Unlike those in government, those in the private sector must face the “real world” every day to survive economically & legally.

We have mid-term elections coming up soon. Pray for godly people who recognize the challenge of corruption to be placed in positions of authority & responsibility. Then put feet on your prayers by voting for those candidates.