Everything is Connected

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Gary discusses economic policies and ideas that sound good on the surface, but set generations of people up for long-term failures and government dependency.

The professed goal of economic equality has long been used by tyrants as a cover for the most brutal kinds of intervention. It is a fetish, held up before the poor to excite envy, dangled in front of the rich to induce guilt. Revolution and statist oppression are facilitated thereby: the envious will rebel, and the guilty will have been rendered impotent. Ronald Sider does not want the biblical idea of equality before the law—which assumes that there are distinctions among men, and guarantees justice for all, and freedom to fulfill one’s calling under God. Sider instead wants a state-enforced egalitarianism, a deliberate, coercive policy of levelling all men to conform to arbitrary, man-made canons of “social justice.” Equality before the law is incompatible with egalitarianism. The socialist doctrine of economic equality requires the stealing of property and the prohibition of economic freedoms. It ignores the fact that “the LORD makes both poor and rich” (1 Samuel 2:7), and that if men desire to improve their economic standing they must submit themselves to Him, work hard, and call upon Him for blessing: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7). But the socialist does not humble himself; he envies. He does not work; he steals. Sider’s plea for “equality” is in reality a grasp for power:

The constantly growing demand for food must stop—or at least slow down dramatically. That means reduced affluence in rich nations and population control everywhere.

We have already taken notice of several of his other goals, all to be implemented by the state, and all in the name of equality: “Just prices,” tariffs, commodity agreements, land “reform,” nationalization of private industries—and, in a passage quoted already, “a new world economic order”—in other words, “equality” imposed by a world government.

Productive Christians: A Biblical Response to Socialist Economics

In Productive Christians: A Biblical Response to Socialist Economics, David Chilton exposes the follies and fallacies of socialism, but he also systematically outlines the biblical alternative — an alternative that lays the groundwork for real justice, progress, prosperity, and freedom for the rich, the poor, and everyone in between. First published nearly half a century ago, it is more relevant and more prescient than ever. Chilton’s crystalline prose and take-no-prisoners style is as entertaining as it is informative. This is the way books on economic issues should be written: biblical, understandable, and practical. This new edition also includes a 23-page appendix that Chilton wrote 43 years ago. “Studies in Amos” is an eight-part article series originally released in 1980.

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Gary discusses economic policies and ideas that sound good on the surface, but set generations of people up for long-term failures and government dependency. Socialistic promises sound appealing, but someone (spoiler alert: you, the taxpayer) always has to come up with the money to fund these promises. Taking from one area always affects other areas because our economy is interconnected.

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American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources