I have constantly been struck by what we hear when we listen to Scripture. Should I be greatly concerned about Jesus' words to the people in the Temple when he tells them that there will be horrible things that happen before He comes again. There will be persecution, killings and torture, but all of those will give the disciples a chance to bear witness, to testify, to proclaim the good news. He says even your family will forsake you and let you down. But then he says "Still, not a hair on your heads will be lost." (Common English Bible). You see, that worries me because I have already lost most of the hair on my head. Does that mean I am not among the chosen, the saved, those written in the book of life?
The second issue that I found in reading Luke 19 was that passage about paying taxes. What fascinates me it the fact that Jesus says the money belongs to Caesar. It is the government's money. When I look at our money in the USA it says it is the governments money. The money has all over it the claim that it is the government's. Federal Reserve Note. "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private. " The United States of America is across the top of it. But when it comes to paying taxes in this country most people seem to think it is their money. Listen to all those radio people and they say "It is your money, you should be able to spend it like you want." Jesus says if it is the government's money give them what they want. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Give to the government the things that are the government's. If the government needs money to pay for the things that are for our common good, render unto the government the government's money.
It is not my money and it only has value as long as the government stands behind it. There is a lot of confederate money running around that now has no value (except as Antique Roadshow) because there is no government backing it up. It is not my money and it will not be in my use for very long as the foolish farmer who built more barns found out. It is the government's money and Jesus does not seem to be concerned about how much of its money it wants back.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Radical Economics : Business in a non-growth world
The big picture of the ever expanding population, the climate change, the shortage of water, the ever increasing solid waste problem, and the limits of the earth size makes for incredible problems for those who spend time thinking about them.
There have been a few efforts to get our attention and works like "Small is Beautiful" have pushed the idea of living and having smaller things. But the radical reality for all business, cities, countries and economies is that we are going to have to stop the constant and demanding pressure to grow larger. Businesses, cities, economies of nations are going to have to start pushing for this years business to be less than last years. That this years sales are equal to or less than last years sales. That the population of our community is 2 % smaller now than it was five years ago. Henderson, where I live, is dealing with a community whose population is stagnant and there is no growth. This world cannot survive if population growth continues, there will not be water enough, there will not be enough of anything for India and China and Japan and Africa to become roaring economies like the USA and Europe.
The standard for business leaders will be how to manage a company that is not focused on growth. In Vance County we have had a number of companies close their stores because the growth in our outlets did not meet the corporate goals of a certain level of growth. But they were profitable and people were working in them. They were just doing the same level of business year in and year out. That will have to become the new target. How to maintain a business without focusing on growing the business. Or even better if we can begin to lower the population and reduce the demands on the earth, it may be that businesses will have to focus on how to remain profitable in a steady decline of sales.
The idea that there will be constant growth and that there will never be a time or a place where there is an end to that growth is delusional. It seems to me from what I read that Business leaders in graduate school need to start thinking about how to teach new leaders to manage companies in a non-growth manner.
There have been a few efforts to get our attention and works like "Small is Beautiful" have pushed the idea of living and having smaller things. But the radical reality for all business, cities, countries and economies is that we are going to have to stop the constant and demanding pressure to grow larger. Businesses, cities, economies of nations are going to have to start pushing for this years business to be less than last years. That this years sales are equal to or less than last years sales. That the population of our community is 2 % smaller now than it was five years ago. Henderson, where I live, is dealing with a community whose population is stagnant and there is no growth. This world cannot survive if population growth continues, there will not be water enough, there will not be enough of anything for India and China and Japan and Africa to become roaring economies like the USA and Europe.
The standard for business leaders will be how to manage a company that is not focused on growth. In Vance County we have had a number of companies close their stores because the growth in our outlets did not meet the corporate goals of a certain level of growth. But they were profitable and people were working in them. They were just doing the same level of business year in and year out. That will have to become the new target. How to maintain a business without focusing on growing the business. Or even better if we can begin to lower the population and reduce the demands on the earth, it may be that businesses will have to focus on how to remain profitable in a steady decline of sales.
The idea that there will be constant growth and that there will never be a time or a place where there is an end to that growth is delusional. It seems to me from what I read that Business leaders in graduate school need to start thinking about how to teach new leaders to manage companies in a non-growth manner.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
More Precious than Gold
There is now a population in the earth planet of about 7 billion people. The United Nations predicts by 2020 there will be 10 billion people living on the earth. There is one reality that has nothing to do with politics. That reality is that there will be more and more fighting over water.
There are already fierce battles over water in Palestine. The west coast has been wrestling with a drought and their limited supply of water. The African desserts are suffering for lack of water. Water is essential for all life. Not just water, but water that is drinkable. Polluted or contaminated water is not good for humans or plants.
This issue of water will not get any better regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in political power. There are at least two major issues before the state of North Carolina that involve the question of water. One is the coal ash spill on the Dan River and the existence of coal ash storage places near a number of other water ways. Those sites have been found to be leaking as well. The other issue is the issue of Fracking. The history of Fracking in other states is not without problems. The testimony concerning Fracking seems to depend on whether or not you think we need the energy or you have an economic interest in doing it.
The long history of Progress Energy, Duke Power, Carolina Power and Light, whatever you name it with the state government has been very beneficial to the power companies. The state regulators under Democratic leadership were very cosy with the power companies. When the regulators cited the power companies for violations in their storage ponds, there was little support for enforcing those fines. The spill in the Dan River has motivated a few people to sound tough, but Duke Power continues to claim that they will have to raise rates to pay for all the clean ups.
One of the things that makes me very frightened about what I am told by spokesmen for the various energy people is that their track record is not very good. BP claimed they did not need to put the safety device on the Gulf well. Duke Power tells us that their ponds are safe and one spills. Hog Farmers say that the hog waste ponds are good, but there are spills. Japanese atomic energy people claimed that their power plant could withstand everything. Then the tsunami washed it away.
Tornadoes, Hurricanes, earthquakes, a lot of the natural disasters can be rebuilt, but when we have contaminated our water, depleted our water supplies, or changed the landscape so that the water does not perk, then we are going to be in serious, serious trouble. Water is going to be more precious than gold and we better begin to put protection of water ahead of a lot of other concerns.
There are already fierce battles over water in Palestine. The west coast has been wrestling with a drought and their limited supply of water. The African desserts are suffering for lack of water. Water is essential for all life. Not just water, but water that is drinkable. Polluted or contaminated water is not good for humans or plants.
This issue of water will not get any better regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in political power. There are at least two major issues before the state of North Carolina that involve the question of water. One is the coal ash spill on the Dan River and the existence of coal ash storage places near a number of other water ways. Those sites have been found to be leaking as well. The other issue is the issue of Fracking. The history of Fracking in other states is not without problems. The testimony concerning Fracking seems to depend on whether or not you think we need the energy or you have an economic interest in doing it.
The long history of Progress Energy, Duke Power, Carolina Power and Light, whatever you name it with the state government has been very beneficial to the power companies. The state regulators under Democratic leadership were very cosy with the power companies. When the regulators cited the power companies for violations in their storage ponds, there was little support for enforcing those fines. The spill in the Dan River has motivated a few people to sound tough, but Duke Power continues to claim that they will have to raise rates to pay for all the clean ups.
One of the things that makes me very frightened about what I am told by spokesmen for the various energy people is that their track record is not very good. BP claimed they did not need to put the safety device on the Gulf well. Duke Power tells us that their ponds are safe and one spills. Hog Farmers say that the hog waste ponds are good, but there are spills. Japanese atomic energy people claimed that their power plant could withstand everything. Then the tsunami washed it away.
Tornadoes, Hurricanes, earthquakes, a lot of the natural disasters can be rebuilt, but when we have contaminated our water, depleted our water supplies, or changed the landscape so that the water does not perk, then we are going to be in serious, serious trouble. Water is going to be more precious than gold and we better begin to put protection of water ahead of a lot of other concerns.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Ever Changing
The report card is in from a number of places on the quality of high school students in the USA. Despite what many parents claim about their child being overworked, the evidence is that they have not been overworked in the class room. Maybe it is all those extra curriculum activities, or sports, or parents taking them on vacations before the school gets out, but the evidence says that they are not very good in math and their verbal skills are horrible thanks to the tweets and twitter and social media.
Who knows all of the reasons why our students are failing badly. David Brooks does a report on a study UCLA does every four years. There is trouble in the class room. No wonder it is such a hot political issue. Everybody wants our children to do better, but nobody knows how to make that happen. So every year there is a new effort made. No Child Left Behind, Common Core Curriculum, unlimited Charter Schools, reduce the number of teachers, Race to the Top. This is a partisan issue because both Democrats and Republicans think they have a new answer.
It will not get better as long as we keep changing the game plan every two or three years. It will not get better if we keep insulting the teachers. It will not get better if we do not start demanding that children read and write at 3rd grade level before they get promoted to the next level. We may have to double the size of our elementary schools and create 3B, 3C, 3D levels to hold all of them, but until we do, we are going to have drop out rates, GED, remedial, and all kinds of problems in education.
UNC was terribly upset when Mary Willingham said that a few jocks could not read. Here comes these studies that say most of the High School students can't do math very well. I wonder how they will react to that.
Who knows all of the reasons why our students are failing badly. David Brooks does a report on a study UCLA does every four years. There is trouble in the class room. No wonder it is such a hot political issue. Everybody wants our children to do better, but nobody knows how to make that happen. So every year there is a new effort made. No Child Left Behind, Common Core Curriculum, unlimited Charter Schools, reduce the number of teachers, Race to the Top. This is a partisan issue because both Democrats and Republicans think they have a new answer.
It will not get better as long as we keep changing the game plan every two or three years. It will not get better if we keep insulting the teachers. It will not get better if we do not start demanding that children read and write at 3rd grade level before they get promoted to the next level. We may have to double the size of our elementary schools and create 3B, 3C, 3D levels to hold all of them, but until we do, we are going to have drop out rates, GED, remedial, and all kinds of problems in education.
UNC was terribly upset when Mary Willingham said that a few jocks could not read. Here comes these studies that say most of the High School students can't do math very well. I wonder how they will react to that.
Friday, February 7, 2014
The Needy
It has been more than twenty years ago, but I remember it well. It was a study of the history of evangelism and the periods of growth for the Christian faith.
The author took the simple description of society. It is a well known division of people. There are the 10 % of the people who make things happen. The movers and shakers of society are this group. The CEO's, the Political leaders, the bankers, doctors, educators and entertainers. We still talk about the top 10 % of society as the major hitters. Then there is a second level of people. Maybe 10% or 15% of the population makes up this group. They are the people who do not make things happen, but they know what is happening and they know some of the people who are making things happen. These do not sit in the meetings and make the decisions but they know the names of the people who do and they feel like they could call up the top 10% and those movers and shakers would talk with them.
And then there are the rest of us. The people who are barely able to remember our own schedules, just getting by on what we have to do, these are the people on food stamps, the people who collect the garbage, these are the people who clean the hospitals, these are the farmers and the truck drivers. These are the people who get called and can make up juries for Oliver North and O.J. Simpson because they don't pay any attention to the news. These people get talked into mortgages that have balloon clauses, and encouraged to charge over their budget. These are the poor, the lower middle class, the struggling people.
The historical evidence is that every revival and growth period of the church has happened when the preaching focused on this lower 75% of the population. Paul told the church at Corinth, not many of you are anybody. God takes the poor and the weak and the nobodies to prove His power and to reject the proud, the powerful who think they can make it on their own. The Reformation was a powerful movement of the peasant whom Martin Luther mobilized. The Great Awakening in the USA was a movement of the people, the settlers, the farmers, the land poor, and the war weary.
This matters because when you look at most of the main line Protestant and Catholic Churches they are made up of the people in the top 25% of the population. At one time there used to be great pride taken in the fact that so many senators and congress people were Presbyterians. Looking at the churches losing members it is the churches who have no interest and would not welcome those in the 75% group.
The Pentecostal revival of the Christian faith around the world is in third world countries where they are appealing to the masses.
When this history was study in a church study group, the people in that study group looked at the facts, acknowledged them and then said, "Next book." The study and the reality of what was said did not make a lick of difference to how they conducted ministry. A friend once laughingly told me, "God got along great for 1500 years without the Presbyterian Church, he can probably do it again." Indeed, He may get the chance.
The author took the simple description of society. It is a well known division of people. There are the 10 % of the people who make things happen. The movers and shakers of society are this group. The CEO's, the Political leaders, the bankers, doctors, educators and entertainers. We still talk about the top 10 % of society as the major hitters. Then there is a second level of people. Maybe 10% or 15% of the population makes up this group. They are the people who do not make things happen, but they know what is happening and they know some of the people who are making things happen. These do not sit in the meetings and make the decisions but they know the names of the people who do and they feel like they could call up the top 10% and those movers and shakers would talk with them.
And then there are the rest of us. The people who are barely able to remember our own schedules, just getting by on what we have to do, these are the people on food stamps, the people who collect the garbage, these are the people who clean the hospitals, these are the farmers and the truck drivers. These are the people who get called and can make up juries for Oliver North and O.J. Simpson because they don't pay any attention to the news. These people get talked into mortgages that have balloon clauses, and encouraged to charge over their budget. These are the poor, the lower middle class, the struggling people.
The historical evidence is that every revival and growth period of the church has happened when the preaching focused on this lower 75% of the population. Paul told the church at Corinth, not many of you are anybody. God takes the poor and the weak and the nobodies to prove His power and to reject the proud, the powerful who think they can make it on their own. The Reformation was a powerful movement of the peasant whom Martin Luther mobilized. The Great Awakening in the USA was a movement of the people, the settlers, the farmers, the land poor, and the war weary.
This matters because when you look at most of the main line Protestant and Catholic Churches they are made up of the people in the top 25% of the population. At one time there used to be great pride taken in the fact that so many senators and congress people were Presbyterians. Looking at the churches losing members it is the churches who have no interest and would not welcome those in the 75% group.
The Pentecostal revival of the Christian faith around the world is in third world countries where they are appealing to the masses.
When this history was study in a church study group, the people in that study group looked at the facts, acknowledged them and then said, "Next book." The study and the reality of what was said did not make a lick of difference to how they conducted ministry. A friend once laughingly told me, "God got along great for 1500 years without the Presbyterian Church, he can probably do it again." Indeed, He may get the chance.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
What is with this, Abraham?
In a habit of reading the Bible over and over, it is interesting what steps out and gets noticed each time I read it. As I was reading through Genesis this month, one was impressed by the compassion and determination of Abraham to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham went back and forth with God hard and heavy. Abraham got God down to being willing to save the city if only five people could be found who were faithful and upright.
But then a few chapters later, after we have the miracle of the birth of Isaac, we have this story of God telling Abraham to take Isaac out and sacrifice the child. What struck me as so unusual was that this bold, feisty Abraham does not say a word in behalf of Isaac. Abraham does not try to talk God into accepting five lambs to spare Isaac. Abraham does not negotiate with God about sparing Isaac's life like he did to try to save Sodom and Gomorrah. Would you take five bulls instead? Would you accept twenty? Not a word from Abraham.
There have been lots of discussions about this story. What kind of God puts his friends to that kind of testing? What kind of child will let himself be tied up without a fuss? What kind of promises does God make to Abraham that he hasn't already made to him earlier. Does suggest that God's promises may not be promises if he has to keep making them over and over again? But this morning as I read this story it was the lack of Abraham's resistance, his lack of fight for his son that struck me as disappointing.
But then a few chapters later, after we have the miracle of the birth of Isaac, we have this story of God telling Abraham to take Isaac out and sacrifice the child. What struck me as so unusual was that this bold, feisty Abraham does not say a word in behalf of Isaac. Abraham does not try to talk God into accepting five lambs to spare Isaac. Abraham does not negotiate with God about sparing Isaac's life like he did to try to save Sodom and Gomorrah. Would you take five bulls instead? Would you accept twenty? Not a word from Abraham.
There have been lots of discussions about this story. What kind of God puts his friends to that kind of testing? What kind of child will let himself be tied up without a fuss? What kind of promises does God make to Abraham that he hasn't already made to him earlier. Does suggest that God's promises may not be promises if he has to keep making them over and over again? But this morning as I read this story it was the lack of Abraham's resistance, his lack of fight for his son that struck me as disappointing.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The Manger Child
The Manger Child: A Christmas Sonnet
The Story once was full of joy
With Angel’s songs and Wise Men’s toys.
“Good News to All and Peace on earth”
A child was born of holy worth.
The Story spread on acts of love,
But Power soon added a glove
And Force became a common part
To bring conversions to the hearts.
The Story struggles yet again
There is a hero without sin
Who maybe asks if you’ve been nice
Yet seems to give without a price.
What happened to the Manger Child?
He’s been replaced by Santa mild.
rick brand, 2013
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