The Bible and Economics

Biblical Economics: In the constant struggle between competing economic policies, namely capitalism and socialism and their various relatives, one wonders how did God lead the Israelites? It appears that capitalism, rather than being a form of economics, is simply freedom. While that may seem simplistic to some, in essence what does one have where people can own things and share what they want without coercion or violence? One has at least a form of capitalism. People are free to raise their own resources, save them, spend them, fritter them away, or give them away. They are free to pay the wages of others to motivate them to help them be successful in their own business ventures. Workers are free to say no to a wage, or to agree.

Of course economics is much more involved than this but at its essence isn't freedom what God wanted His people to have and isn't that what this country was founded on?

Freedom from coercion and oppression

A. The exchange of goods should be free of oppression, coercion, or violence. - Free enterprise.

Lev 25:14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor's hand, you shall not oppress one another.

B. Poor should not be favored or oppressed in justice.

Exo 23:3 And you should not favor a poor man in his cause.

Exo 23:6 You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor

C. Poor should be provided for but they should work if possible.

Lev 19:10 you shall not gather the leavings of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor …. I am Jehovah your God.

Ignoring the poor is a sin.

Amo 5:12 For I know your many transgressions and your many sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate.

D. Justice should be blind to economics; Mercy should recognize need.

Lev 19:15 You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty.

Pro 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to Jehovah (Pro 14:31)

E. Sometimes the poor are poor because of their own sins.

Pro 14:23 In all labor there is gain, but the talk of the lips tends only to poverty.

Pro 21:17 He who loves pleasure shall be poor; he who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.

F. Some people champion the poor out of their own greed.

Joh 12:5 Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 6 He said this, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and held the moneybag …

G. Work is good; it is how God expects you to provide for yourself. People should enjoy the fruits of their own labor.

Ecc 3:13 …every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God. (Ecc 2:24)

Eph 4:28 Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, so that he may have something to give to him who needs.

1Th 4:11 and that you try earnestly … do your own business, and work with your own hands, …, 12 so that you may walk becomingly toward those outside, and that you may lack nothing.

2 Th 3:10 when we were with you, we commanded you this, that if anyone would not work, neither should he eat.

H. Both wealth and poverty has its problems.

Pro 30:8 … give me neither poverty nor riches; tear for me my portion of bread, 9. lest I be full and deceive, and say, Who is Jehovah? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and violate the name of my God.

New Testament:

A. Early Church shared without coercion, motivated by love.

Act 4:32 And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things common. 33 And the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power. And great grace was on them all. 34 For neither was anyone needy among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 3 and they laid them down at the apostles' feet. And distribution was made to every man according as he had need. 36 And Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles which is, being translated, The son of consolation), a Levite, a Cypriot by race, 37 a field being his, selling it, he bore the proceeds and placed them at the apostles' feet.

The death of Annanias ans Sapphira was not related to holding back but to lying about it.

Act 5:1 And a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the price, his wife also knowing, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart for you to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own authority? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.

B. Believers are free to use money as they see fit.

Rom 15:26 For it has pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem.

Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

C. Believers are expected take care of their own families. It is not up to the church (a social structure) to provide when family members could do so.

1Ti 5:16 If any believing man or believing woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be charged, so that it may relieve those who are widows indeed.

D. The employer has complete charge over his own money.
E. Employers and employees are free to contract with each other for wages.
F. What the worker deems as fair for himself is all that should concern him. The Employee is free to handle his money however he chooses.

Mat 20:1 For the kingdom of Heaven is like a man, a housemaster, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. 4 And he said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. 5 And he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle?
7 They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and you shall receive whatever is right.
8 So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wage, beginning from the last to the first. 9 And when they who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each one received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would received more; and they also each one received a denarius. 11 And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, 12 saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take yours, and go; I will give to this last one the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen.

Simply because all of the laborers decided to acquire more of the vineyard owners wealth by force of their numbers does not make it right. It is stealing even if it is done by popular vote.

Clark

New York Revival

What a Revival in New York! From the moment Pastor Proctor picked me up at the airport, and also a picked a soldier who need a ride to Fort Drum, I knew it would be a great week. I was honored to share a back seat with one of America's finest for an hour and a half during which time he was invited to church by the pastor and his wife, and I was able to share my own testimony with him. On Sunday Morning the Lord began doing a work in people's hearts including repentance and recognizing a need for greater unity and love in the church. The turnouts were good each meeting with what seemed to be a "record" attendance Wednesday night of over 70 folks. They were a gracious group whose potluck dinners were "pert near" as good as Southern Potluck!
On Monday a church member and I made a visit to a lady's home where she was obviously thinking about her eternal state and she prayed to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!

Whats In A Name?

Most Outrageous Name Changes
Author(s): Stephanie Paul

There are numerous reasons why one might change their name; a recent marriage, a business need for a more eloquent-sounding name, or just because one needs a change. But, what goes into a name change? Why did Sean "Puffy" Combs go from Sean, to Puff Daddy, to Puffy, to P. Diddy, and to possibly now just "Diddy?" And, what is the process that one goes through for this new identity?

What's In A Name?

Changing a name involves legal proceedings that include working with an attorney in order to file name change forms with the courts, publishing name change announcements in the local newspapers, and paying any filing fees. While this may sound labor-intensive to some, many people have taken the appropriate steps to change their name to something that fits their personality. In no particular order below are ten men and women who have changed their names to everything from their favorite cartoon character to their favorite web site, and everything in between:

1. Jason Burrows = Megatron

Seattle man Jason Michael Burrows changed his name last year to a character of the famous cartoon-turned move, Transformers. Mr. Burrows is now known as "Jason Megatron Burrows," named after the popular machine hero that's "more than meets the eye." Why did Mr. Megatron decide on the name change? Read ahead to our second name changer to see why.

2. From National Guardsman to Optimus Prime

A few years before Megatron Burrows, a member of Ohio's 5694th National Guard Unit in Mansfield legally changed his name from Scott Nall to the Transformers other famous character, the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Mr. Prime legally changed his name to his childhood hero on his 30th birthday and has since then been known to all as the Transformers' character.

3. Dan Miller Becomes "The Dan Miller Experience"

A 24-year-old performer with the birth name of Dan Michael Miller II changed his name to "The" Dan Miller Experience.

4. Karin Robertson, Vegan, Honors Web site

Karin Robertson, a 23-year-old vegan from Norfolk, Virginia, took her love of vegetarianism to the courts when she petitioned to change her name to "Goveg.com." Although she has since had some trouble with airport security, Goveg.com enjoys being named after the "number one web site for vegetarian information" and has said, "what could be better?"

5. Keeping it Simple � Andrew Is Now "They"

Andrew Wilson simplified his life a few years back when he changed his name to "They." Wanting to take legal responsibility for the pronoun, They decided to legally change his name in 2004 and has no intention of changing back to Andrew, even if the terms "They did this" or "They did that" now consistently refer to him.

6. Football Fanatic? Bears Fan Changes Name to Colts Quarterback

After losing a bet during last year's Super Bowl, die-hard Chicago Bears fan Scott Wiese had to do the unthinkable; he legally adopted the name of the Bears Super Bowl rival's quarterback, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. A result of "Peyton's" bet that the Bears would beat the Colts in last year's Super Bowl, Mr. Wiese kept his promise and, with a little help from the Macon County Courts Facility, became the legal identity of the Indianapolis quarterback. The final score that "Peyton" will probably never forget will be Colts 29, Bears 17.

7. U.S. Trucker Now "Bubba"

With no ties to his original name, trucker Justin Brady decided to legally change his name to Ynot Bubba. Stating that he no longer had a relationship with his adoptive family, Mr. Bubba petitioned a judge for the official name change. If the judge would've denied his claim, Ynot's second choice would've been "More Chek."

8. Jose Luis Becomes Known Around the World

New York native Jose Luis Espinal changed his name to probably one of the most well-known names in the world � Jesus Christ. Mr. Christ received permission from Manhattan judge Diane Lebedeff and is now known as Jesus. When making her decision, Judge Lebedeff cited a 2001 case in Utah when a man legally changed his name to "Santa Claus." But, Mr. Christ hasn't mentioned if he will be celebrating his birthday on December 25th.

9. Changing a Name in the Other Direction

Although everyone on this list has changed their name to something a bit out of the ordinary, a Vietnam teen received the right to legally change his name from Mai Phat Sau Nghin Ruoi, which translates to "Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred." Named after the fine his father had to pay for having a fifth child, Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred's dad finally agreed to help him change his name to something more traditional after his son continued to be teased in school. Fined Six Thousand and Five Hundred's new name is Mai Hoang Long, which translates to Golden Dragon.

10. The One That Wouldn't Be

Although this name change was not to be, it was still outrageous enough to be the tenth on this list. Wisconsin woman Caren Ann Burke had requested last year that a judge allow her to change her last name to the infamous "bin Laden." Ms. Burke failed to show up for the name change hearing, making Caren Ann bin Laden only a memory.

Have An Idea For A Name Change?

Changing a name takes a few legal steps, but there are some stipulations. You cannot change your name if you intend to commit a crime; if it can be proven that you are changing your name to avoid getting sued or to get out of bankruptcy, for example, your claim will be denied. You also cannot choose a name that interferes with the rights of others � that is, you cannot change your name to a celebrity in order to take advantage of their name. Finally, names with numerals or symbols are illegal, so don't even try it!