Politics, Religion and Wealth Creation
Politics, Religion and Wealth Creation
"But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is gives you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 8:18)
The above admonition was given to the Hebrew tribes when the Lord Almighty was forming them to be a nation, one that He had chosen and set apart from all the other nations of the earth in His name and for His glory. When they heeded His commands, they prospered. When they rebelled, desiring to be just like the other nations, they became enslaved. Sometimes they were enslaved in their own land; sometimes as exiles.
America is a nation different than Israel in that we were not chosen for that same covenant. But by Divine Providence we were given liberty for self government under God, with a Constitution formulated to secure our "Creator endowed inalienable rights". Guided by that vision, this nation was built mostly by exiles and immigrants from all the other nations of the world, the majority seeking freedom and fleeing tyranny. Once, like Israel, we were a nation with a majority of Judeo-Christians who laid the foundations of our social and economic lives in God's Word, and prospered. But like Israel, we are that no more.
Now, we are a country who has devolved into pluralism, apostasy from God and our own heritage. Like ancient Israel, we become enslaved by crushing taxes, out of control personal and government spending, spiraling private and public debt that is threatening catastrophic levels of personal, corporate and national bankruptcy, and our currency may soon become worthless.
American politics have degenerated into a heated, politically charged war zone where the disparities between people's socioeconomic situations have been manipulated for political power. We are battered daily with the commonly heard rhetoric of class and economic warfare between "two Americas, the haves and the have nots" advocating "tax the rich, no tax breaks for the rich, safety nets, compassionate programs for the needy" (blah blah blah). Its like a daily dose of political waterboarding. It seems that economic issues are the propaganda of choice for the politically needy Looter Class.
How do we restore what has been lost? By returning to God's word!
Well, does the Bible say anything about wealth? ABSOLUTELY!
Does it advocate how civil government should apply biblical truth regarding wealth to public policy? YES.
To understand what went wrong, we need to first discuss elementary principles. Let's focus in on Deuteronomy 8:18 for starters.
1. GOD is the provider of wealth. Wealth does not happen in a vacuum, by luck or by magic. There is no "karmic wheel of fortune" where the universe randomly bestows wealth on some while others are just left out in the cold, oh "poor pity me". NO. Because God IS God, HE decides how, when whom and under what conditions He gives people the ability to make wealth! "The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. ~ Proverbs 10:22
2. Wealth is not inherently evil. Because God is the provider of wealth, therefore it is intrinsically good; neither is it evil or wrong to be poor! What is "evil" is to acquire wealth by unethical or criminal means. And just because some wealthy people might be selfish or greedy, and don't use their wealth as charitably as others might suppose, that STILL doesn't mean that wealth is evil. "the LOVE of money (greed!) is the root of all evil". ~1 Timothy 6:10
3. Wealth is not an entitlement. The Bible tells us in Dt. 8:18 that God gives us the power (i.e. strength, ability) to create wealth, not wealth itself. But that is no guarantee of a successful, wealthy outcome. Wealth creation requires that each of us take that God given ability and put it into action via personal efforts, diligence, and perseverance toward the goal of producing wealth. More often than not, poverty results from lack of effort, not lack of ability!
4. Wealth is not equally distributed, nor is there any guarantee of equal outcomes. God does not necessarily give the same ability to gain wealth to everyone. He dispenses it in proportion to His own infinite wisdom and sovereignty because He is God. And because all of Creation is His, He deserves to be praised for whatever each one of us is given by His Grace! Even if He did equally distribute wealth, everyone doesn't exercise their abilities with the same effort or effectiveness. Therefore we should not expect that everyone will have equal financial success and wealth.
5. Wealth is created not merely exchanged. Wealth is not scraps of paper lacking any intrinsic worth. It is created when God's provision of power, strength, ability, talents, skills, intelligence, physical efforts, etc. are invested in activities that entail the production and delivery of goods, products and services upon which others place "value". In contrast, winning a lottery is not wealth creation, it is merely an exchange between recipients based on dumb luck.
Now let's look at the ramifications of the above principles.
1. Government is NOT the wealth provider nor is that its purpose for existence. When government supplants God as wealth providers, it has elevated itself to godhood. Tyranny is guaranteed to follow, and history is replete with examples.
2. Government's role with respect to economics should be to secure and protect the rights and freedoms of those engaged in economic activity from the evil, criminal actions of others, and to ensure that all have the opportunity to freely exercise their God given provision towards wealth creating activities.
3. Government should not engage in wealth redistribution schemes intended to achieve the equalization of economic outcomes. If God does not dispense His provision "equally" to guarantee equality of wealth, neither should the government. Prime examples of wealth redistribution includes progressive income taxes (including the "earned income tax credit"; foreign aid programs; transfer payments (e.g. welfare, unemployment, social security, medicare, medicaid, public housing, food stamps, commodity subsidies); affirmative action in employment, loans and access to government services; minimum wage laws; union protectionism; and more. In addition to government injustices against the rightful owners of the redistributed wealth, these policies create disincentives to personal responsibility, industriousness, productivity, and ethics and honesty.
4. Government that engages in wealth redistribution supplants the charitable responsibilities that God assigns to individuals, families, His Church and private institutions. Charity is commanded by God to be given from the fruits of productive labor in wealth creation. "Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. ~Ephesians 4:28 Government hinders compassion toward the poor in society as a whole when its acts of "pseudo charity" are viewed as unjust or excessive or an infringement on private property rights.
5.Governments that engage in wealth distribution must necessarily engage in theft in order to take from the one who labored in order to give to the one who did not. Therefore, Government must operate in violation of God's fundamental commandment, "You shall not steal", or subvert Just laws in order to operate in an environment where it becomes a law unto itself. Those who promise egalitarian societies where everyone is guaranteed equal economic status most often do so at the price of destroying private property.
6. Government should not promote lotteries which promise "wealth" by appealing to the baser instincts of need, greed, envy, or sloth at the expense of productive use of God given provision to create real wealth - agriculture, livestock, products and services, including art, literature, music, and all of that which flows out of God given human abilities, skills and talents.
"But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is gives you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." (Deuteronomy 8:18)
The above admonition was given to the Hebrew tribes when the Lord Almighty was forming them to be a nation, one that He had chosen and set apart from all the other nations of the earth in His name and for His glory. When they heeded His commands, they prospered. When they rebelled, desiring to be just like the other nations, they became enslaved. Sometimes they were enslaved in their own land; sometimes as exiles.
America is a nation different than Israel in that we were not chosen for that same covenant. But by Divine Providence we were given liberty for self government under God, with a Constitution formulated to secure our "Creator endowed inalienable rights". Guided by that vision, this nation was built mostly by exiles and immigrants from all the other nations of the world, the majority seeking freedom and fleeing tyranny. Once, like Israel, we were a nation with a majority of Judeo-Christians who laid the foundations of our social and economic lives in God's Word, and prospered. But like Israel, we are that no more.
Now, we are a country who has devolved into pluralism, apostasy from God and our own heritage. Like ancient Israel, we become enslaved by crushing taxes, out of control personal and government spending, spiraling private and public debt that is threatening catastrophic levels of personal, corporate and national bankruptcy, and our currency may soon become worthless.
American politics have degenerated into a heated, politically charged war zone where the disparities between people's socioeconomic situations have been manipulated for political power. We are battered daily with the commonly heard rhetoric of class and economic warfare between "two Americas, the haves and the have nots" advocating "tax the rich, no tax breaks for the rich, safety nets, compassionate programs for the needy" (blah blah blah). Its like a daily dose of political waterboarding. It seems that economic issues are the propaganda of choice for the politically needy Looter Class.
How do we restore what has been lost? By returning to God's word!
Well, does the Bible say anything about wealth? ABSOLUTELY!
Does it advocate how civil government should apply biblical truth regarding wealth to public policy? YES.
To understand what went wrong, we need to first discuss elementary principles. Let's focus in on Deuteronomy 8:18 for starters.
1. GOD is the provider of wealth. Wealth does not happen in a vacuum, by luck or by magic. There is no "karmic wheel of fortune" where the universe randomly bestows wealth on some while others are just left out in the cold, oh "poor pity me". NO. Because God IS God, HE decides how, when whom and under what conditions He gives people the ability to make wealth! "The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. ~ Proverbs 10:22
2. Wealth is not inherently evil. Because God is the provider of wealth, therefore it is intrinsically good; neither is it evil or wrong to be poor! What is "evil" is to acquire wealth by unethical or criminal means. And just because some wealthy people might be selfish or greedy, and don't use their wealth as charitably as others might suppose, that STILL doesn't mean that wealth is evil. "the LOVE of money (greed!) is the root of all evil". ~1 Timothy 6:10
3. Wealth is not an entitlement. The Bible tells us in Dt. 8:18 that God gives us the power (i.e. strength, ability) to create wealth, not wealth itself. But that is no guarantee of a successful, wealthy outcome. Wealth creation requires that each of us take that God given ability and put it into action via personal efforts, diligence, and perseverance toward the goal of producing wealth. More often than not, poverty results from lack of effort, not lack of ability!
4. Wealth is not equally distributed, nor is there any guarantee of equal outcomes. God does not necessarily give the same ability to gain wealth to everyone. He dispenses it in proportion to His own infinite wisdom and sovereignty because He is God. And because all of Creation is His, He deserves to be praised for whatever each one of us is given by His Grace! Even if He did equally distribute wealth, everyone doesn't exercise their abilities with the same effort or effectiveness. Therefore we should not expect that everyone will have equal financial success and wealth.
5. Wealth is created not merely exchanged. Wealth is not scraps of paper lacking any intrinsic worth. It is created when God's provision of power, strength, ability, talents, skills, intelligence, physical efforts, etc. are invested in activities that entail the production and delivery of goods, products and services upon which others place "value". In contrast, winning a lottery is not wealth creation, it is merely an exchange between recipients based on dumb luck.
Now let's look at the ramifications of the above principles.
1. Government is NOT the wealth provider nor is that its purpose for existence. When government supplants God as wealth providers, it has elevated itself to godhood. Tyranny is guaranteed to follow, and history is replete with examples.
2. Government's role with respect to economics should be to secure and protect the rights and freedoms of those engaged in economic activity from the evil, criminal actions of others, and to ensure that all have the opportunity to freely exercise their God given provision towards wealth creating activities.
3. Government should not engage in wealth redistribution schemes intended to achieve the equalization of economic outcomes. If God does not dispense His provision "equally" to guarantee equality of wealth, neither should the government. Prime examples of wealth redistribution includes progressive income taxes (including the "earned income tax credit"; foreign aid programs; transfer payments (e.g. welfare, unemployment, social security, medicare, medicaid, public housing, food stamps, commodity subsidies); affirmative action in employment, loans and access to government services; minimum wage laws; union protectionism; and more. In addition to government injustices against the rightful owners of the redistributed wealth, these policies create disincentives to personal responsibility, industriousness, productivity, and ethics and honesty.
4. Government that engages in wealth redistribution supplants the charitable responsibilities that God assigns to individuals, families, His Church and private institutions. Charity is commanded by God to be given from the fruits of productive labor in wealth creation. "Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. ~Ephesians 4:28 Government hinders compassion toward the poor in society as a whole when its acts of "pseudo charity" are viewed as unjust or excessive or an infringement on private property rights.
5.Governments that engage in wealth distribution must necessarily engage in theft in order to take from the one who labored in order to give to the one who did not. Therefore, Government must operate in violation of God's fundamental commandment, "You shall not steal", or subvert Just laws in order to operate in an environment where it becomes a law unto itself. Those who promise egalitarian societies where everyone is guaranteed equal economic status most often do so at the price of destroying private property.
6. Government should not promote lotteries which promise "wealth" by appealing to the baser instincts of need, greed, envy, or sloth at the expense of productive use of God given provision to create real wealth - agriculture, livestock, products and services, including art, literature, music, and all of that which flows out of God given human abilities, skills and talents.
Labels: American Heritage, Apostasy, Atheism, Bible, Christianity, Communism, Conservative, Constitution









