Category Archives: social justice

Please Disregard Wiley Drake's Foolish Remarks!

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ImageServerDB “I am glad George Tiller is dead.”

Those words were not uttered by Tiller’s murderer (to my knowledge). Instead, they were uttered by someone who claims to believe in the Bible. They were uttered by a former VP in the Southern Baptist Convention. They were uttered by a pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California. His church must be so proud. They were uttered by Wiley Drake.

Will the real Wiley Drake please sit down!

Who is Wiley Drake? I’ve been to maybe eight or nine Southern Baptist Conventions so I know a little bit about him. At the convention each year, resolutions are voted for or against. Some are good, some are bad, some are crazy.

Since it is a democratic process, anyone, and I do mean ANYONE who is in attendance as an official delegate to the convention from ANY Southern Baptist church around the world, can submit a resolution on the floor of the convention. I’ve heard Wiley Drake’s name for years because he is always proposing some resolution. His resolutions are always from way out in left field.

Though the SBC has been trying to redeem its reputation as a positive force for Biblical values and social justice and care for neighbor, Wiley Drake seems to be stuck in a hyper-fundamentalist funk. As far as the SBC has come in recent years, they still make mistakes. A couple of years ago, for some reason, the SBC voted to make Wiley Drake our 2nd VP of the convention. What?

For Drake to become an official officer of the SBC was amazing. For all those years I remember the following scenario played out many times:

Moderator: “The platform recognizes microphone #3. State your name, church, and resolution.”

Drake: “My name is Wiley Drake…

ALL SBC convention delegates: *sigh* *groan* *oh boy, here we go*

Except seven Drake supporters: *applause* *whistle* *hoot*

Drake: “I’m the pastor and messenger of First Southern Baptist Church, Buena Park, California.

ALL SBC convention delegates (except those same seven supporters): *collective roll-of-the-eyes*

Drake: “Be it resolved that the SBC and all Bible-believing Christians must overthrow the US government because they don’t know God. Let’s go get our guns people!” (this is a hypothetical example from my own imagination but trust me, the truth is stranger than fiction)

So what did we do? We elected him. WE ELECTED HIM! It was a beautiful strategy (some thought): Now, all of a sudden, for at least one year, Wiley Drake was unable to propose any resolutions because he was an officer of the convention. yeah!

The drawback was that now when he does something controversial and public (those very well may be his core values) he’s referred to in the news as “former Vice President of the 16 million member Southern Baptist Convention”. His title is given as if he speaks for all who call themselves Christian. As Richard Land said of Obama’s election recently, “Elections have consequences.” That was never more true than when the SBC elected Wiley Drake to be an officer of the convention.

So what did he do now?

So why am I talking about this today? Well, there was an Associated Baptist Press article about Drake’s interview with Alan Colmes. Many of his comments are disturbing. Drake had been praying for Tiller’s death because he thought some of the prayers David prays in the Psalms means God wants Tiller dead. Colmes asked him if he prayed those sorts of prayers about anyone else. Drake said, “The usurper that is in the White House is one, B. Hussein Obama.”

Colmes: “Are you praying for his death?”

Drake: “Yes,”

Colmes: “So you’re praying for the death of the president of the United States?”

Drake: “Yes.”

I want to ask: Are you praying for his salvation? his forgiveness? his family? his policy making? his soul? his redemption?

Here are a few more quotes from the interview: “I think it’s appropriate to pray the Word of God,” Drake said. “I’m not saying anything. What I am doing is repeating what God is saying.”

“I believe the whole Bible, Alan,” he explained. “I don’t just preach part of it. I don’t just preach the soft, fuzzy, warm stuff where we’re supposed to be nice to everybody. I preach the whole Bible.”

Does the Bible really say that?

Let me make a few points in response to Drake’s hate-prayers from the Bible of which he claims to know so well:

Romans 2:4 Do you despise the riches of His kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (HCSB)

The fact that God doesn’t immediately wipe EVERYONE off the face of the earth is a miracle. Now, why is He holding back? So they might repent and turn to Him.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (HCSB)

Jesus, for some reason, didn’t act vindictively against those who rejected Him. Maybe it was because of His love. In fact, when they nailed Him to a cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Did you get that, “forgive them“. Chances are, Tiller simply didn’t know what he was doing either. So, we pray for people’s souls and for their forgiveness, not for their death.

When someone takes matters into their own hands and murders someone like Tiller, they are taking away the possibility that Tiller might repent, turn from evil, choose good, and follow Christ. That’s why God restrains Himself. Imagine how many people are rejecting God and working against Him, even cursing Him. But does He want them dead? No, He wants them to repent!

Matthew 5:44-45 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (HCSB)

I’m not saying I have any enemies or that we should consider the Tiller’s of the world to be enemies, but what Jesus is saying is that it’s not enough to simply love your friends and family, if you are going to be children of God you have to act like Him and learn how to love everyone. I feel like loving people (not asking God to kill them) is a pretty strong commandment somewhere in the Bible…I’ve definitely heard it somewhere before…oh yeah: Matthew 19:19; 22:37ff, Mark 12:29ff, Luke 10:25ff, 1 John 4:21, Leviticus 19:18, etc.

An enemy of a Christian should receive more love and prayer and forgiveness than the friend of anyone else. An enemy of a Christian should benefit from that relationship in some way.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (HCSB)

I could say a lot about this verse. Suffice it to say that a) prayers and thanksgivings should be for “those who are in authority”, not against. b) Wiley Drake isn’t modeling this passage. c) Drake’s actions aren’t leading anyone “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (he certainly doesn’t seem to be living a tranquil and quiet life either). d) This doesn’t mean we can’t disagree with our leaders, but the focus here is on prayer for them and not on political activism.

Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. (HCSB)

I disagree more often than not with what Obama does, but I recognize that he, along with Pilate (John 19:11), and Nebuchadnezzer (Jeremiah 27:7) AND King David (1 Samuel 16) before him were given authority according to the counsel of God’s own will. Good rulers and bad, through the history of the world (and I’m suspending judgment on which kind of ruler Obama will be) have come along and we are to pray for them and recognize that God has a plan in allowing them to be in positions of power.

A call for a response

I’m not sure how to get in touch with Wiley Drake but I encourage him to respond to this post. You can find my email address on this blog. I will even allow him to write a guest post for ChurchETHOS to explain more fully his remarks about George Tiller’s murder. I prefer to go to confront someone in private but when someone damages the faith so publicly I take it upon myself to make it known to MY friends and family that I am not a follower of Wiley Drake (or of King David for that matter). I am a follower of Jesus and I refuse to stand by quietly and let the name of Christ be stained so publicly.

A lot has been said about George Tiller’s murder in recent days. The only thing that needs to be said by children of God and followers of Jesus is that murder is wrong and that we will be praying for his family. Drake’s comments are careless, theologically misguided, and damages the churches reputation with the unchurched.

In all fairness I should say that Drake did make a few qualifying remarks; like the fact that he hadn’t been praying for Tiller’s murder, just his death. Not much better.

He also had this to say:

“This whole concept that we’re always to pray little, nice, soft, fluffy, prayers — that we’re not to pray imprecatory prayer — has been something that just, in all honesty, that Southern Baptists have lost, and we need to regain imprecatory prayer,” Drake said. “It is in the Bible, and we are proud to say as Southern Baptists that we believe the Book. You’ve got to believe the whole Book, brother, or you don’t believe any of it.”

You got one thing right, Wiley, most Southern Baptists, to their credit, have lost this judgmental sort of prayer life.

I ask for my reader’s forgiveness

I don’t usually call someone out for their errors in such a public way and I pray my readers forgiveness for this post, but I don’t apologize for what I’m saying. If Wiley Drake can so publicly defame the name of Jesus with his careless comments I will exhort him publicly to return to Christ-like love, forgiveness, and grace. Wiley, I will pray for you and I offer these comments for your edification, not your destruction. My prayers are for your repentance and not your death. I can only hope that those who desire to reply to this post on this humble semi-private blog will reply with more tact and grace than I have exhibited in my reaction to the story that is playing out much more publicly in media outlets around the country.

If someone knows how to get in touch with Wiley Drake for his comments, please send this post on to him.

Related Post: Terminating Tiller’s Life is Worse than Tiller Terminating Lives ::  Subscribe

Terminating Tiller's Life is Worse than Tiller Terminating Lives

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art.tiller.kakeCNN reported Obama’s statements following Dr. George Tiller’s murder: “However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence.”

I AGREE WITH THE PRESIDENT (on this issue)!

The senseless murder of an abortion doctor or of an unborn baby will not resolve our differences. Recently, Obama said we must find a common ground on this issue of abortion. Maybe our common ground should be that proponents on both sides of the issue would cease the heinous acts of violence.

Let me be clear, I believe most abortions are not justified and it is a huge problem in our country. I am pro-life with the understanding that a small percentage of abortions might be justifiable! Even Obama believes we should work to lower the abortion rate. Convenience should never be a motivation for an abortion (not saying that’s the only motivation, don’t misunderstand me).

On the other hand, as one who finds school and church shootings especially deplorable, and as one who thinks advocates for the unborn should be especially peace-loving and life-loving, and as one who sees martyring an abortion doctor as particularly unraveling to the anti-abortion cause: I am more outraged by the murder of George Tiller than I am of all the crimes against humanity Tiller has performed in the past 40 years of performing late-term abortions.

I am joining with the President, Planned Parenthood and other Pro-Choice activists as well as fellow peace-loving Pro-Life activists in condemning this act of violence. On the issue of abortion, this may be the first (and perhaps last?) time I will be in such whole-hearted agreement with these groups.

My heart goes out to Tiller’s family, to his church, and to his friends and community. You are in my prayers!

Do Right Beliefs Get in the Way of Good Works?

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DSB Question 2 of 10

The second question that Michael Wittmer asks in his book Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough is, “Do right beliefs get in the way of good works?”

Wittmer asks this question because he felt like his very conservative background “reduced the Christian life to little more than an information dump”. His church encouraged people to come listen to about three sermons per week but there was little action that transpired as a result. There was truth but not much love.

On the other hand, he contrasts the conservatives with the “postmodern innovators”. This group seems to be practicing a faith that is exciting. The only problem is they seem to have love but no concern for truth. Wittmer writes, “I appreciate this renewed turn to practice, but wonder why we must turn from doctrine to get there.

So, conservatives might answer the question, “No, our beliefs carry over into good works.” but their lives would not be a reflection of that “belief”. Postmodern innovators might answer the question, “Yes, right beliefs do get in the way of good works” and their lives would be a true reflection of their answer. At least the postmodern innovators are being true to their convictions. Sad, that the conservatives who strongly focus on right doctrine are often the ones being untrue to their convictions.

There’s “nothing that excludes faster than belief” in the minds of the postmodern innovators. They have even gone so far as to say that God’s love is accessible to everyone. The only ones He excludes are those who themselves exclude others or those who opt out and want nothing to do with God. This is seen as a loving position by postmodern innovators.

Wittmer illustrates the two positions like this:

DSB conservativesDSB postmodern innovators

As you can see the conservatives have strong, exclusive beliefs, but are they showing love? On the other hand, the postmodern innovators seem to be showing love to their neighbors, but do they really believe in anything? Peter Rollins, a postmodern innovator said, “When it comes to God, we have nothing to say to others and we must not be ashamed of saying it.” Rollins even eschews evangelism to be evangelized by others, as if other beliefs have as much (maybe even more?) value than does Christianity. Wittmer disagrees and says, “Those communities that downplay the specific, historic doctrines of the Christian faith in order to ‘share experiences and encounter God in other traditions’ will soon become a baptized version of a Rotary or Kiwanis Club.”

So is it really belief if you don’t act? Is it really love if you just accept?

Wittmer does a great job of showing the deeper love that comes as a result of true beliefs. Only Christians can express God’s love to others. He asks, “But what if love is broader than inclusion? What if it means to seek the best for the other, to sacrificially give of yourself so that the other might flourish, and what if the unique items of the Christian faith supply both the model and the motive for doing this?”

As Christians we should believe that we were once living in sin. We believe that God’s grace has rescued from that life of sin and He has forgiven us. This leads, not to another belief, but to an expression of gratitude to God. So, our beliefs have turned into an expression but it doesn’t end  there. This gratitude causes us, as Wittmer suggests, to ask “How am I to thank God for such deliverance?” We soon discover that good works are a natural way of showing our gratitude to God. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” What commands? Without a correct understanding of where we’ve been (sin, death) we will never adequately share with others where they could and should be (grace, life).

We’ve seen the mistakes of the conservatives and the postmodern innovators. So what should it look like to have good doctrine and good deeds? Here’s another illustration from DSB:

DSB right belief

Sometimes it is loving and necessary to exclude. Wittmer gives the example of parents who lovingly push their child out of the “nest”, a coach who demotes a player until she begins training harder, or a church that removes an unrepentant member from the privileges of membership. Sometimes, love excludes if love is acting in the best interests of the other.

Another example of mine is that I personally would hate to believe a lie, live for a lie, and die for a lie. Sadly, we must realize that with all the religions in the world believing all sorts of different things, someone is believing a lie. There is either no god, one god, or more than one gods. Only one of those can be true. The truth hurts but it is an act of love to help people to see the truth.

Our beliefs should generate loving deeds to our neighbor. If they don’t then we’ve got a big problem with our beliefs. Our love should be rooted in our belief that God has forgiven us and that He loves us. If it isn’t then our love is empty and worthless (filthy and rag-like I’m sure). Right belief produces right practice. If we leave one out then we don’t have enough respect for Jesus to follow Him the way we should.

This post is the third in a series of posts that will answer the ten questions that Michael Wittmer raises in his book “Don’t Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough”. Learn how you can get a free copy of the book here.

Spread the Wealth

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After learning about the global crisis of poverty in a previous post we are left with the question, “What now?” When we consider all of the problems in the world that are brought on by greed, materialism, or quests for power many of us are left despairing that we can’t do anything to help. Poverty is a problem that only big organizations or governments can handle. Let them deal with the problem. And yet, it’s my belief that when confronted with issues of social justice or the environment that it is precisely “we the people” who can make the difference and not the government. I’m not wealthy, but when it comes to sharing what I have with others, I would prefer to do that with my own hands and not through the government as intermediary.

When dealing with the issue of poverty, there are several things that each of us could do right now! Short of “selling all and giving it to the poor”, what are some things that we can do to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves? Though we may not have much, is there something we can do to help?

Show Some Respect

The first thing I would suggest is that when it comes to interacting with people less privileged than ourselves we need to show some respect. The person asking for money on the street corner may not have a college degree or a nice car like you but that doesn’t mean they are any less valuable. For some reason, we get the attitude that a person living on the street is irresponsible, wants to use my money for cigarettes, and is incapable of holding a job. That may be, but do we have to assume it to be true (unless it’s written on a sign)? Why not assume the best rather than the worst in people. Who knows, maybe they do have a college degree but they’ve gone through a tough time? Who are we to judge based on a person’s appearance?

Buy a Meal

If you still have hesitation about a person, take them to lunch and find out what sort of person they are. Don’t just make a sack lunch and give it to someone as a gesture of charity. Instead, invite them to lunch just as you would a fellow colleague. You might say, “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me right now, but my lunch break is at noon, would you like to meet me at that diner over there and I’ll buy you lunch? It would be my privilege.” We are quick to throw money at a problem when if we took a few minutes to get to know someone, we might be able to help in the context of a relationship. Pay for their lunch and spend time in meaningful conversation. Let them be the human that they are without being prejudged as incompetent.

Give A Gift of Love

There are dozens of organizations that help us realize that some people’s standard of living is so low that if we gave just $20 a month (for example), we could help feed, clothe, and educate a child in a poor region of the world. I’ve always appreciated what WorldVision is doing to get people to sponsor children but there are plenty of other organizations that you can research to find out their effectiveness. I also value the initiatives that help people “sponsor” cows, chickens, or sheep to help a family get milk or eggs or wool for themselves. Others get involved by donating money to dig a well that will give clean water to an entire village. Blood:Water Mission says, “$1 = one year of water for an African.” Check out globalgiving.com for even more ideas.

Volunteer
Habitat for Humanity is one organization that I can highlight here that has a proven track record of helping people through volunteerism. To own a home through Habitat for Humanity, the home owner builds sweat equity into his or her own home but he or she is helped by dozens of others who work alongside them as a way to show their love for their neighbor. This is love and service in action. You can even take a volunteer vacation through organization like the Sierra Club or Globe Aware. I’ve been able to work with Habitat for Humanity and International World Changers (a faith based organization) on dozens of projects all around the world. Travel is fun, but travel with a purpose opens your eyes to the need of the world.

Do Something Now

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically with love, respect, and humility…and do it now! Don’t wait for the government to do something. Spread your own wealth. I love what Paul the Apostle says, “I have learned the secret of being content – whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Poverty can hit any of us at any time, so if you are in a position to meet a need, do it!

What are your thoughts on what can be done to end poverty? What are some of the experiences you would like to share as you have fought against poverty in the world?

Profile of Poverty

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Mr. Butch was a well known street performer in Allston, MA. He died July 12, 2007. His absence is still felt to this day. Image courtesy of <a href=This post is the first in a two part series on poverty. This first post seeks to understand the desperate need of the homeless and our collected complacency to do anything about it. The next post is linked at the bottom and will help reveal some practical steps we can all take to alleviate poverty locally and globally.

The City

To begin with, what is that status of poverty in the city? According to the UN (.pdf), Approximately half the world’s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers (approximately 1 billion people) was living in slum conditions. According to the US Census Bureau the top 10 poorest cities in America are the following (with % living below the poverty line included):

1. Detroit, 32.5%
2. Buffalo, 29.9%
3. Cincinnati, 27.8%
4. Cleveland, 27.0%
5. Miami, 26.9%
6. St. Louis, 26.8%
7. El Paso, 26.4%
8. Milwaukee, 26.2%
9. Philadelphia, 25.1%
10. Newark, 24.2%

What about America?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau: “The official poverty rate in the US in 2007 was 12.5%, that is, 37.3 million people were in poverty. The Observer states, “America is the most unequal society in the industrialised West. The richest 20% of Americans earn 9 times more than the poorest 20%.”

A Global Crisis

Citing facts from World Bank, author Anup Shah writes an article for globalissues.org stating that 80% of the world lives on less than $10 US Dollars per day (based on purchasing power parity, PPP). The children especially get hit hard with 1 billion of the 2.2 billion children in the world living in poverty. According to UNICEF, nearly 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

Out of Control Spending

What is most disturbing about the issue of poverty is that around the world only about $5.6 billion dollars is being spent to ensure that water and sanitation services are available to all. Contrast that with the $9 billion dollars spent at Starbucks each year. Of course, Starbucks is very environmentally and ethically responsible, and they are creating lots of jobs around the world. Still, it leaves me feeling like those who are growing the coffee because of our indulgences and high taste are basically begging for scraps from the master’s table. The point is not that Starbuck’s is evil (I buy a frappuccino occasionally, and their donuts are amazing) but that our priorities are completely misaligned.

Take another example: Only about $13 billion dollars is being spent to ensure that people around the world have basic health and nutrition but $780 billion dollars are being spent for militaries around the world. With just 2% of military spending we could more than double our global spending on health and nutrition initiatives. What’s more essential to a person’s health: food and medicine or guns and bombs?

So why do we not live within our means? Why do we not give to those in need? How can we expect to be a country blessed by God when we refuse to live justly, seek mercy, and walk humbly with Him? I didn’t crunch the numbers but I wonder what it would be like if the richest 10% “tithed” 10% and bought food or medicine or clothing or shelter or education for the poorest in our country? Not to pick on Starbucks but what if we reduced our consumption by one beverage per week. At current prices, that would be $3-4 per week or about $200 per year. There are thousands of things we can do right now to help end poverty around the world.

Next Post: Spread the Wealth

Related Post: Main Street Solutions for the Economy

Organic and Sustainable Christianity

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An Intended Meaning
Organic and Sustainable Christianity has a double meaning. One meaning has to do with what a Christian believes, the other is how a Christian responds because of that belief. What do we believe about the world? That God created it? That since creation, humanity has fallen and has brought suffering in the world? If so, how does that cause us to act? Do we seek to fight injustice? Do we desire to protect the environment? Do we care for people’s physical and spiritual needs? Faith should lead to Action!
Faith

To begin with, a Christian needs a strong organic faith that is characterized by growth. Our faith must be nurtured through prayer and Biblical reflection but it must also be pruned by God’s Spirit and accountability and fellowship with other Christians. Jesus lived in an organic way. He created few traditions but he was always sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. He walked where he was supposed to walk and did what he was supposed to do. Today, our churches tend to be program driven and not driven by natural relationships. We have a routine when it comes to our Christianity: Sunday service (2 hours), Weekly Bible study group (2
hours), the freedom to spend the rest of our time the way we want (priceless). Jesus calls us to discipleship, not to sit back and watch the world suffer. Every moment is an opportunity to grow personally or to respond to a need or to engage in discipleship. 

This sort of approach to our walk with Jesus will also lend itself to sustainability. Sustainability doesn’t depend on a faith that is informed only by a 20 minute sermon on Sunday and one quick time of Bible study with a small group. Our relationship with God is sustainable
because of the deep intimacy that we have with him and with others. Our faith should be growing organically and that natural growth will cause us to be like a “tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does
prospers.” (Psalm 1)
Action
That leads us to the other meaning of living an “organic and sustainable faith”. Our world is suffering. Jesus identifies with our suffering. He was born into poverty, was a refugee in Africa for a number of years, spent years bringing about healing and hope to the marginalized, and finally was forsaken and rejected by even some of his closest followers and put to death. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53) He brought not only physical healing but more importantly he brought spiritual healing. Our world is hurting because of poverty, slavery, violence, disease. We are facing economic and environmental crises. As Christians we are called to action! Assuming that we are already focused on
spiritual issues (sharing our story about our relationship with God), the Church needs to do much better about addressing physical suffering in the world. The terms “organic” and “sustainable” are usually associated with environmental issues, but if we don’t also address
social justice issues, people’s hope will not be sustainable. Our hope in each other is beginning to fade and we need to share with people that God loves them and we love them so we are going to help them. 
Ecology is the interrelationship between organisms and their environment and we need to begin demanding an ecology that focuses on those interrelationships between “organisms”, with priority being placed on our relationships with other humans.
Our action must be organic in that it must respond naturally to the needs of those around us. When you see a need, meet a need. You don’t have to be involved in every issue that our world faces, but find some that resonate personally with you and work on them. You might be fighting to end breast cancer. You may decide to compost. You may decide to volunteer at an animal shelter or work with the homeless or the orphaned. You may feel led to put solar panels on your roof. Whatever you do, don’t do it because it’s trendy but because it comes natural to you. Again, this will lead to sustainability. Sustainability for the environment and sustainability for the relationships living in that environment. If you care about something, you tend to do it long term. Our suffering world needs something they can hold on to and if we are showing love then a person can be sustained by that love. If we are like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, men and women of faith, then we can believe that whatever we do for God’s kingdom and for His creation will prosper. So let’s start working on it.

Main Street Solutions for the Economy

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wall-st-bullWall Street and our politicians think they have the answers to our economic woes, but maybe the answers should come from Main Street instead. Apart from being forced to give Wall Street one trillion dollars there are several things that “Main Street” can do voluntarily to keep the economy from going under.

Don’t make drastic changes!

With the panic that is setting the pace for our government (“We have to do something NOW!”) and for Wall Street (“Sell, sell, sell!”) it’s hard to remain calm these days. However, I’m convinced that greed is what is causing our politicians and business leaders to act drastically. I’m also convinced that the average American has some basic common sense. I have a retirement account and it’s scary to watch my stocks go lower and lower in value, but I know it will make a comeback. There’s no reason to cash them out now before they go lower (they may go even lower before the go higher). I also am not going to drastically change my banking practices. There is no reason to cash out your savings account or hold back half of your paycheck and put the cash under the mattress. The banks will be just fine if we don’t make any hysterical changes in our accounts.

Live Within Your Means!

The problems we are currently facing in our economy are a result of greed. It has become TOO easy for people who make $30,000 a year to live like they make $75,000 a year. People who can afford a mortgage on a $150,000 home are taking out mortgages on a $400,000 home. People who can afford to rent an apartment for $650 a month are renting an apartment for $1500 a month. Graduates freshly out of college think they need to immediately have a 5 bedroom house, fully furnished, with two cars in the garage. As if all of these things will make them acceptable to their friends. Let’s be clear, the mortgage crisis is the fault of the homeowners who bit off more than they can chew AND the banks who knew it was an unhealthy risk AND the politicians who forced the banks to loan a certain amount of “bad” mortgages. It’s true, if people start living within their means, there probably won’t be as many purchases and there may be some jobs lost but our economy needs to re-stabilize.

Go Green!

Wall Street and politicians need to know that we will not be a country of excess anymore. We don’t want millions of cars polluting our air. We don’t want 5,000 square foot homes that must be heated and cooled and cleaned and lit. We don’t want to buy food from South America when we can buy local. We don’t want a lifestyle that destroys our environment. For too long we’ve known we don’t NEED all the wasteful things that we spend our money on, but now we are telling the world that we don’t WANT those things either. It’s time to demand transportation that doesn’t harm the environment, homes that are practical but comfortable, and food and clothing that is simple and affordable. Those are some of our basic needs. It’s ridiculous that we are at a point where we can’t even distinguish between needs, wants, and ridiculously excess. Going green makes our environment cleaner, saves money, and encourages responsibility and Godly stewardship of His creation.

Give It Away!

Finally, a way regular Americans can strengthen our economy is to give. I’m not talking about giving to get. I’m talking about giving sacrificially and with no strings attached. John Wesley was a great preacher who became very successful and began to make a lot of money but he lived a very simple life. He lived almost all his life on 30 pounds a year. One year he made as much as 1400 pounds (making him one of the wealthiest men in England at the time) but he gave all of it away except 30 pounds. Wesley’s philosophy was “Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” He wasn’t against making money, but he believed the more money a person gained, the more money a person could give. He said, “In the hands of (God’s) children [money] is food for the hungry. Drink for the thirsty. [Clothing] for the naked. It gives to the traveler and the stranger where to lay his head. By it we may supply the place of a husband to the widow, and of a father to the fatherless. We may be a defense for the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, of ease to them that are in pain. It may be as eyes to the blind, as feet to the lame: yea, a lifter up from the gates of death!”

Conclusion

Our politicians tax excessively. Business leaders are getting millions of dollars in bonuses. Everywhere we turn, money is the goal. The average American pays about one third of their income to taxes. The government spends some of that money on necessary things: defense, education, etc. However, they are also using our money to support things I wouldn’t be caught dead spending my money on. Then there are those things that I find unnecessary. The government thinks it is their job to give to the poor and needy, leaving less money in my pocket to give away to people in need. As John Wesley said, “I cannot help leaving my books behind me whenever God call me hence, but in every other respect, my hands will be my executors.” Wesley gave as much as 98% of his income away. Today that would be impossible because so much of our money is tied up in taxes and rising costs of living. The more greed in our economy, the more things cost and the less we can give to those who have a real need. I thank God that I have an apartment I can afford and the clothes and food that I need. I wish that more people could begin living within their means and giving away the rest.

Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.

Going Gaga for Google

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Well, it is now official…I own Google. I actually only own about 1/10th of one share through my mutual fund, but I take pride in it. For the longest time I have been one of Google’s best viral marketers. I was inviting people to gmail when you still had to have an invitation to get gmail. There are a lot of reasons why I love Google, but recently I discovered a few more reasons to love them so I thought I would highlight my best reasons to go gaga for Google.
Google’s Philosophy
Most people know about Google through their extensive line of products, but one look at their philosophy and it’s easy to see why they have become such a successful company. According to Google’s own site ”The perfect search engine,” says Google co-founder Larry Page, “would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want.” The simplicity of Google’s search page has been a trademark of their success, but it’s the roughly 20,000 employees that make it all work. 
According to Fortune, Google is the best place in America to work. Some of their employees make less than market standard but their stock options are making millionaires out of many of their own employees. Apparently, they offer stock options to about 99% of their employees and turnover is rare. In fact, Google seems to be creating a lot of new jobs but they can’t keep up with the three quarters of a million people who are applying every year. One last benefit to employees is Google’s subsidy for their employees to buy fuel-efficient cars and they offer free shuttle service to and from work. This brings me to the next reason we can all love Google and that is their commitment to the environment.
Creation Friendly
In addition to Google’s stellar corporate philosophy, they are actively working towards completely eliminating their own carbon footprint. Their commitment is to reduce their own 
energy needs to eliminate some of their carbon emmissions and also to invest in renewable resources to offset the rest. One of Google’s celebrated projects was to create the largest solar grid in the U.S.  According to Wikipedia, “In October 2006, the company announced plans to install thousands of solar panels to provide up to 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to satisfy approximately 30% of the campus’ energy needs. The system will be the largest solar power system constructed on a U.S. corporate campus and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world.”

Their plans to save the environment don’t end there, however. Google’s Blog in June of 2007 stated “In addition, we’ve set ourselves the ambitious goal of creating 50 megawatts of new renewable generation capacity–enough to power 50,000 typical U.S. homes–by 2012.” Google’s most recent project has been splashed all over the news the past few days. Their plan is to give $10 million dollars away to research and develop Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) which drills down into the Earth’s core and uses steam to power turbines.

Finally, Google also claims to reduce their carbon footprint through some of their products. For example, they encourage the use of Google Docs so that people use less paper and simply keep their info online. Google Transit also makes it easier for people to search for public transportation rather than taking their own cars to get to a destination. All in all, Google is well on their way to eliminating or offsetting their carbon footprint completely.
Social Action
Google seems to be more vocal about their environmental activity, but they are also extremely active in social justice issues. In fact, the same google.org site that lists their environmental activity lists dozens of philanthropic efforts to help end humanitarian crises. through their 5 Core Initiatives Google not only invests in “creation friendly” initiatives (already highlighted above), but they also invest money for the prevention of global health and humanitarian crises (about $8 million). They also invest money to combat poverty (over $3 million) and fuel the growth of small enterprise (almost $5 million).  

Google Products

So, just for fun, I thought I might add a bonus section to highlight some of the products that Google actually offers. I’m most impressed with Google’s commitment to their employees and with their humanitarian and environmental responsibility but most people love Google simply because of what they do best.  Below are just a few of the products I’ve actually used and enjoyed. I like them so much that not only is my blog solar powered, but it’s also Google powered. The following list is in random order.
Google Search is the most frequently used search engine on the world wide web today. It indexes billions of sites and has roughly 50% of the market share for online searches (using probably around 450,000 servers). Yahoo comes in second with about 20% or so. With Google’s advanced algorithms and their philosophy that democracy works best on the internet, you are almost assured to get the best results for your search.
Google Maps have frustrated me only a few times but it is usually the most helpful Google tool I use. It is amazing that they have virtually the whole world mapped with satellite imagery and point by point directions. You can even create user generated maps and content.
Gmail has an ever increasing amount of storage space for your emails. You never need to delete emails (though I always delete junk). Gmail also has a great way of sorting your emails so you always can retrieve it later through the use of labels, search, and keeping emails together that are in the same “conversation”.
iGoogle is a great way to customize your home page and it gives you easy access to your gmail, calendar and news reader and has literally tens of thousands of gadgets that you can use to make your homepage customizable.
Google Calendar is really good but when I got my mac I started using iCal. No
 worries, there are all sorts of programs offered by Google that will retrieve your iCal data (or other calendars) and add it to your Google Calendar. That way, I use iCal, but my wife can still view my calendar online through Google.

Google Finance allows you to add all of your stocks or mutual funds into a portfolio for Google to track and give real time updates on how they are doing. Now I can tell if my shares of Google are rising or falling. It also uses Google News to let you know if there is anything major going on with anything in your portfolio.
Adwords allows you to take out an advertising campaign on the internet. Google will find relevant places to place your ad. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad and comes to your website and you can specify how much you want to pay each month.
Adsense lets you display other people’s advertisements and you get paid each time someone clicks through from your site. 
Blogger and Social Networking are sites that Google has acquired that allows Google users to blog for free and join social sites.
Google Reader allows you to aggregate all of your favorite blogs and news items into one handy reader so that you don’t have to spend your time going from one site to the next in the hopes that a particular blogger has even updated his or her site. 
Let me know what you think of Google. Any other companies you know of that are even more socially and environmentally responsible? 

India is Aborting Girls

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India made the front page of the Boston Globe today. The title of the article was, “‘Girl deficit’ grows in India,” and it was an article about why millions of girls are being aborted in India.

According to the Boston Globe, there are several reasons why this tragedy is happening. First of all, girls don’t have to support their families when they marry. It is the man’s responsibility to care for his family. Second, in this patriarchal society, the boys will end up having a more lucrative source of income than will the girls. Third, when a girl marries, it is the responsibility of the family to come up with a dowry and to pay for the wedding, so girls cost more. Finally, in many states throughout India, women are still repressed and are not major contributors to society. The girls don’t help the families social status.

Apparently, 10 million female girls were aborted in just two decades. This tragedy is happening among the upper castes because of easier access to ultrasound equipment. The government is outlawing the use of ultrasound and making it illegal to know a baby’s gender before it is born, but there is still a 932 to 1000 ratio of boys to girls across India (according to the 2001 census in India). The Hindu faith does not respect or acknowledge the value of women. This is just one more reason why I want so much to help send educated Indians back to India to bring Christ to the masses.

When C.S. Lewis was researching the religions of the world, he decided that the only two that offered anything for the world were Hinduism and Christianity because all other religions were either thick (meaning they offered mysticism, and deeply spiritual and meaningful existences) or thin (meaning they were easy to understand and accessible). He determined that only Hinduism and Christianity were both thick and thin. However, Hinduism was only thick for the sages and thin for the masses. In other words, Hinduism (in his opinion) was almost like two separate religions. Christianity was the only religion that offered both depth and accessibility to anyone who asked for it. What is Hinduism doing for India? It seems that only the ones in the highest caste systems can benefit from Hinduism, but for 90% of the country, Hinduism is keeping Indians in economic, social, and political poverty.