Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Great quote on conservatives and liberals

From David Boaz's article on Hillary Clinton:
Many conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do, and many liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you, tucking you in, and setting your curfew. But the proper role for the government of a free society is to treat adults as adults, responsible for making their own decisions and accepting the consequences.
The article also talks about how Hillary, and many others, want the government to push parents out of the way when it comes to raising children.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

An attempt at a balanced view of the Bible and economics

Dan has a post about Jesus on Economics and Religion, which has many good verses on not being obsessed with wealth or material things. To be sure, verses like this motivates his and other liberals' views on the government and our economy. Let's say that we want the government to be involved in helping the poor (I am more about private efforts but I am speaking as a moderate here). Let's look at a few other verses.


"6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man. " Proverbs 6:6-11

" 6In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

11We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

14If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. 15Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15.

Now, what is my point? Am I saying that poor people are lazy? No, not at all. What I am saying is this. If we are trying to develop a government that follows God's commands about helping the poor, we should also take into account other verses that warn about idleness and laziness. In my view, we don't want a government that can discourage people from making a living and encourage them to depend on the goodness of the government.

Some people believe that it is better to be safe than sorry, to do a little more than needed than do to little, and maybe they are right. At the same time, it can be detrimental to do too much. People need food and clothing, but they also need a life of dignity, to work and be useful to people, and to provide for their family.

I think the call of Christian living in relation to wealth is two-fold: give of yourself, but at the same time, earn your own bread.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Can analogies between God and sex be taken too far?

In Sunday School we are currently studying Song of Solomon through the Tommy Nelson series. I like the book of Song of Solomon because it plainly illustrates that love between a man and woman, including sexual love, is from God. When one properly understands the analogies, the book is quite erotic.

I like the Tommy Nelson series because it calls the book what it is. It doesn't try to say how "breasts" really refers to Moses and Aaron or the Law and Grace or any stuff like that.

No doubt, the passion between a man and a woman can also be a symbol or metaphor for the passion between God and the church. Nevertheless, maybe I am just immature, I need to grow up, whatever, but I get uncomfortable when they draw the analogies too closely. In another study we did, the Abiding Life, Michael Wells states that in the same way a man plants his seed in a woman, the Holy Spirit plants a seed of truth in us.

Again, maybe I just need to grow up, but can't sex just be sex? I don't want to think of my relationship with Christ in quite the same terms as my relationship with my wife.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

My final four picks

Just in case I happen to be right in my picks, I want to prove how brilliant I truly am.

Final Four:

Oregon
Pittsburg
Georgetown
Ohio State

Oregon will beat Ohio State.

There it is.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Shouldn't Progressives Love Billionaires?

In my last post Michael commented"If what it takes to get such a society is that no one earns a billion dollars, fine. We don't need billionaires, but we do need basic life and human flourishing for all."

Here is my question. If you have a progressive tax system, isn't having a few billionaires a good thing?

I know that capitalism (or an economic system tilted towards capitalism) has many criticisms from liberals, such as destruction of the environment, worker conditions, substandard wages, etc... And maybe I am going after a strawman here, but it seems that liberals fear the massive accumulation of wealth, or they see it as unfair. However, if we have an economic system in which wealth accumulation is possible, yet it is taxed and given to government programs, isn't that better than a regulated economy in which less overall wealth is possible?

It seems that for something to be given away, whether through the government or private means, money must be earned. So isn't the existence of wealth a good thing in a progressive society?

Friday, March 09, 2007

Thoughts on capitalism

Many people detest capitalism because they claim greed is inherent in the system. After all, the motivation of each person is their own self-interest. However, do people not do the same in socialism? Yes, capitalism does allow for greed. People can accumulate large amounts of wealth and pursue the almighty dollar.

However, in a socialist/progressive society, people try to attain things, only through other means. Instead of attaining material goods through commerce, however, they do so through the arm of government. They vote for people who promise them more things. They vote to raise taxes on other people's earnings.

Greed can work in both systems. However, a greedy person in a capitalist society will fight to earn and keep more money. In a socialist system, a greedy person will fight to make more money, but they will try to do so through other people.

One may say that the goal of a progressive/socialist society is to only give people their basic needs, not unnecessary material goods that a capitalist society promises. But, I think the goodness of people is given way too much credit. People are not satisfied with the "basic needs" in any type of economy. I don't think 3 years paid maternity leave is a basic need. I don't think having a job where it is almost impossible to get fired is a basic need either.

I am personally not a fan of Adam Smith's, Milton Friedman's, or Ayn Rand's justification for capitalism. Their view is that everyone's self interest makes the world run smoothly. I don't see capitalism as a success because it is propelled on people's self-interests, I see it as so because it mitigates the harmful effects of people's self-interests. In a lawful capitalist society, people accumulate wealth through mutual transactions with other people. In a socialist/progressive society, people accumulate wealth through taxing other people and making others do things for them.

Because I haven't talked enough about this topic

I was taking part in a discussion on another blog and someone said essentially that people are entitled to a life with purpose because they are made in God's image.

Here's my question.

In what image is man (or woman) created when they are in the womb? Are they created in the image of something else before they are born? Do they have the image of God only after they leave the mother's womb?

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Can Christianity be more than safe?


Originally posted at my friend Josh's site, Gabbatha.

There's a local Christian radio station in town that has the slogan "Safe for the Whole Family." I suppose the slogan is apt, because many songs on secular radio nowadays is not suitable for children, and really, for that matter, adults. At the same time, I don't know if I like the slogan, because of the word "safe." This is not to knock the radio station or its advertising, even though I like my Christian music with a little more kick than you typically find on the radio. At the same time, however, Christian music is more about being "safe", it's about glorifying God. I see the same with the perception of Christianity in general. It's more about being "safe", don't do this, don't do that, eat your green vegetables, etc... Christianity is supposed to be an adventure. Look at Paul or Isaiah or most of all, look at Jesus. These people were slain for their beliefs or for who they were. I don't think Jesus had a permanent address and often said things to get Himself into trouble. These people lived lives that were hardly called "safe." I believe that many people today who truly live their faith can often live lives that are uncomfortable. The fact that I do not receive many challenges because of my faith is something that convicts me.

I love the part in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in which Lucy, a hero of the story asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan (the lion and an image of Jesus) if Aslan is safe.
Is Aslan wild? "‘He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion’" Is Aslan safe? "‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver; ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you’"

Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Now, when I hear abundant life, I don't imagine a safe life, but a life lived to the full in Christ.

The book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge focuses on the idea that being a Christian man is not about being "safe", but about longing "for a battle to fight, an adventure to live..." Eldredge has a similar book called Captivating designed for the Christian female.

And again, I know I am reading much more into the radio slogan "Safe for the Whole Family" than is warranted, I just think "safe" is a word that is used too often in describing Christianity.

Not that my Christian walk is really "adventurous." If anyone needs to take these words to heart, it's me, and I have to figure out what it means to live a life that is not "safe." These are just some thoughts I had. What are your thoughts?