However.

The second half of this book – which should have immediately followed Richards’ classroom example of free trade – takes off like a racehorse out of a starting gate and races to its Kentucky Derby finish. He debunks eight myths about money, wealth, and resources, namely:

1 The Nirvana Myth: contrasting capitalism with an unrealizable ideal rather than with its live alternatives

2 The Piety Myth: focussing on our good intentions rather than on the unintended consequences of our actions

3 The Zero-Sum Game Myth: believing that trade requires a winner and a loser

4 The Materialist Myth: believing that wealth isn’t created, it’s simply transferred

5 The Greed Myth: believing that the essence of capitalism is greed

6 The Usury Myth: believing that working with money is inherently immoral or that charging interest on money is always exploitive

7 The Artsy Myth: confusing aesthetic judgements with economic arguments

8 The Freeze-Frame Myth: believing that things always stay the same – for example, assuming that population trends will continue indefinitely, or treating a current “natural” resource as if it will always be needed

Personally, I found the materialist myth – the belief that wealth isn’t created, it’s merely money or possessions transferred from rich to poor – the one most deeply ingrained in my thinking and therefore the most illuminating of the book. In that chapter, Richards gives us a healthy nudge to check out Gapminder, which proves, in real time, that the rich did NOT get richer by making the poor poorer (click “Play” to animate; you’ll see that overall standards of living, including for the poorest among us, have increased worldwide since the 1800′s).

He then states:

Comparing countries,  there is one unmistakable trend: countries with the rule of law and economic freedom prosper over time, Countries without these virtues do not. The annual “Index of Economic Freedom” drives this home. In 2007, booming Hong Kong topped the list, while starving, Stalinist North Korea came in dead last. Those two facts tell you what you need to know. If every country had free markets and the rule of law, every circle on the Gapminder plot would probably be moving up and to the right. (p.92)

Materialism is truly the air we breathe, according to Richards, and it surprised me to see the functional deism (believing that God exists but is essentially uninvolved in the material world he created) permeating my beliefs about money, wealth, and resources.

So now I leave you with questions: what do you believe about money? What has shaped your opinion? Is it true? How does knowing that the fact that wealth and resources are created , not static, affect your view of “rich” and “poor”? How does this affect your view of entrepreneurs? Governmental economic policies, subsidies, tariffs, and the rule of law?

Feel free to discuss with your friends and/or leave comments below (just remember to discuss the issues at hand, and to keep it respectful. Opposing viewpoints are welcome and encouraged, so long as they follow those guidelines; comments that are not will be deleted.)

I have gleefully discovered that some dear friends of mine live just two houses down from me, and that my brilliant boyfriend’s new office is mere blocks away. Suddenly overnight, my strange new neighborhood isn’t so scary… and even has some familiar faces in it. This is easier, so far than I anticipated… aside from being broke and temporarily furniture-less. All things in due time, I suppose.

So, in the spirit of new beginnings, I invite you to consider the following TED.com talk, which set me on the course to Calgary just two short years ago around this time. Then I was debating pro-life ministry and wondering how on earth I could get a foot in the door, and while I have interned with a pro-life organization and learned valuable lessons since then, its questions are still applicable for me in a semi-new environment. I hope you find it helpful, too.

Rick Warren on TEDTalks. (Ahem: please excuse the Hawaiian shirt).

Coram Deo,

MKNZ

If you haven’t already read In, But Not Of by Hugh Hewitt, and you’re under thirty, GO DO IT. If you’re not familiar with the author, he is the host of The Hugh Hewitt Show, a nationally syndicated  radio show in the U.S., and professor of law at Chapman University School of Law. He also graduated from Harvard and the U Michigan Law School. And for the more politically-inclined, he served six years in the Reagan administration in a variety of posts, including assistant counsel in the White House and as an editorial assistant to Richard Nixon in the former president’s retirement. In short, the man understands influence and ambition.

Of course, if you’re reading this because the title hooked you and you’re not a Christian, fear not – I wasn’t always, either. If you have doubts, perfect: so do I. I suggest reading books and/or watching debates from the likes of C.S. Lewis, Mike Licona, Gary Habermas, William Lane Craig, Tim Keller, Greg Koukl, Lee Strobel, and Craig Evans, just to name a few.

If you listen carefully, you’ll also notice that none of these popular scholars started out Christians either. Rather, they were convinced by evidence that Jesus was who he said he was – God the Son – and that he proved it by rising from death after being crucified.

Having said that, if you’ve reached the point where you’re either convinced or semi-convinced that Christianity is true (not in a true-for-me-but-not-for-you kind of way but Captal-T True as in True-like-Math-is-true, objective kind of way), because you’ve looked at the evidence and come to the proper conclusion, then this blog is for you. Especially if you happen to, like me, be in the later part of your twenties and realize that the rest of the world has divided itself into two categories: those who got it together early and are seven years ahead of you in just about everything, and those who have found a home and camaraderie at the local bar and will not leave until it shuts down or they have a heart attack, whichever happens first.

Thankfully, those who have gone ahead of me, like my dear Mr. Hewitt, have anticipated my dilemma and written and published a book in time for me to read it and apply its principles to my life.

If it is true, as Jesus said it is, that He is ‘the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (John 14:6), then salvation – happiness for infinity – depends on the ability of individuals to hear the gospel.

The effective and mass communication of the gospel depends upon the freedom to proclaim it. Though it is possible to proclaim the gospel in the face of persecution, the unfettered freedom to do so is much, much to be preferred. There are billions of souls who are up for eternal grabs, so the unfettered ability to reach them with the good news is a great and wonderful thing, hard to create and difficult to defend.

The creation and defense of religious liberty requires men and women with power and influence in the world.

Chapter 1 is aptly titled, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE GOING, OR WHEN THE TRIP WILL BEGIN. Hmmm. It appears that for me, it has.

He then discusses ambition, its pitfalls and its surprises, and writes:

There have always been ups and downs in this process, [the pursuit of influence and ambition for the sake of the church and the cause of Christ] and controversies and debates. Some who have worn the title of ‘Christian’ have embarrassed their fellow believers, and others have cowered at the prospect of taking the gospel into the world. But history’s record is a silencer of those who argue that Christians are to live apart from the world.

At present I find myself at the beginning of Chapter 5: Assemble The Right Credentials., having acknowledged that although a life inside the confines of the church, busy with only the particulars of church work, is easier, it is not necessarily better… and the choice of a retiring sort of life may simply be cowardice dressed up as prudence.

Of course, this section is aimed mostly at those under twenty-five, but having gained a late start I figure I might as well heed the advice anyway.

He advises that 1.) Status matters and 2.) Because status matters, we can expect it to cost more. He’s referring, of course, to education, and the principle that if no one’s heard of where you went to school, they’re probably not going to think you intelligent or worth their time.

For me, this means that I’m starting back at square one, entering SAIT’s legal assistant diploma program this fall with the express purpose of gaining entrance to the University of Calgary’s economics/business undergraduate… then on to law school, Godwilling. This will get me the most bang for my buck, so to speak, as a J.D. degree has enough stand-alone weight to get me in the door of other opportunities even if I never practice the skills I acquire during it.

I’m going to ignore, for now, the advice to study abroad for at least a semester. Most people in Canada I’ve talked to are impressed in a “hey-it’s-cool-you’ve-been-to-Prague” kind of way but let’s face it – the only way this could really be of benefit to me is by studying in France… which requires, you guessed it, learning French. I’m not ruling it out this early, but it’s a huge investment of money and time that I’m not convinced is worth it just yet.

I think that’s a good start for now… stay tuned in the following week as I prepare to move, receive further details on enrollment and registration from SAIT, and most likely live on tuna and toast until either my next paycheck or when I figure out how to cook on my new stove…

Coram Deo,

MKNZ

Many of us have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day as we get older and life changes our circumstances. The following was originally posted at http://www.theologyforwomen.org/2011/05/for-moms-former-moms-and-wannabe-moms.html). Enjoy, and take heart.

Mother’s Day is a tricky holiday. Like any holiday, it is sweet for some and bitter for others. For some, it’s both. I remember feeling on the outside looking in on Mother’s Day, first as a single woman and then after I miscarried our first. Our church had an entrance near the nursery called the Family Entrance. Could I use it? Were we a family? I finally just used it regardless, almost as an act of defiance. Now as the mother of a 4 and 6 year old, I can deeply appreciate someone setting aside parking near an entrance that kept me from having to walk my toddlers across a busy intersection. But at the time I was dealing with emotions that weren’t swayed by practical realities. I just wanted to be a mom. And that sign at the church entrance reminded me I wasn’t.

It is an age-old conundrum in humanity in general and Christianity in particular. How do you honor someone who has something good that you want too? How do you applaud the sacrifices of one without minimizing the suffering of the other? I don’t know exactly, but I do think there is an over arching principle that is helpful.

Motherhood is not the greatest good for the Christian woman. Whether you are a mom or not, don’t get caught up in sentimentalism that sets it up as some saintly role. The greatest good is being conformed to the image of Christ. Now, motherhood is certainly one of God’s primary tools in His arsenal for this purpose for women. But it is not the end itself. Being a mom doesn’t make you saintly. Believe me. Being a mom exposes all the ways you are a sinner, not a saint. Not being a mom and wanting to be one does too. We may long to get pregnant, looking at motherhood from afar. God sanctifies us through that longing. We may lose a pregnancy or a child, and mourn the loss of our motherhood. God conforms us to Christ through that as well. We may have a brood of children of various ages, and heaven knows God roots sin out of our hearts that way. It’s all about THE greatest good, being conformed to the image of Christ – reclaiming the image of God that He created us to bear through gospel grace. And God uses both the presence and the absence of children in the lives of His daughters as a primary tool of conforming us to Christ.

Single woman watching your biological clock tick away, I encourage you to look today at your longings through the lens of the gospel. You don’t have to deny your longing or talk yourself into a happy attitude for all the good things you can do without kids. It’s OK to mourn the loss. God said children are a blessing. But after the fall, we do not all get to experience that blessing. The gospel makes up the difference. While you are disappointed in deep ways and that disappointment is real, you will one day sit with Jesus in heaven profoundly content with His work in you through this disappointment. In heaven, you will have no longing for something you missed. You will not be disappointed. May confidence in that hope sustain you.

Married woman experiencing infertility, I encourage you with similar words. People can be callous with their words, especially in the church. But believe in confidence that God in this very moment loves you with a deep love. You may feel estranged from Him, knowing that He has the power to give you that sweet infant that He has given so many around you. It seems like He is dangling a desire in front of you, teasing you with it. But understand that unfulfilled desire is a tool He uses to give you even better things – things of Himself that you cannot know in easy ways. Believe in confidence that this time of waiting is not just a holding pattern with no discernible value, but it too is a blessing, albeit in disguise, as it increases your strength to run and not grow weary and to walk and not to faint. Wait on the Lord, dear sister, in confidence.

And mom who fails her children regularly (because that’s everyone else), preach the gospel to yourself this day. If you have any grasp on your reality, you are likely painfully aware of every failure you’ve made with your children. And maybe you are fatigued by the fears of future failure as well. It’s okay that your children expose your own sin to yourself. In fact, it’s the mom who doesn’t seem daily aware of her failures that most concerns me. Christ has made the way for you to be at peace. If you sinned against your kids, ask their forgiveness. If you are kicking yourself for your failures, preach God’s grace to yourself. Don’t learn to live with your sin – don’t embrace it with the attitude “that’s just how I am.” But don’t deny it either. Be honest about it. You sinned. You confess. God forgives. You get up and walk forward in confidence. It’s called gospel grace, and THAT is the legacy to leave your children.

Note that Sandy Springs kept the police and emergency health services public, understanding that the role of government is to protect its citizens. And only when the citizens grew stronger in their understanding of what produced freedom (both socially and fiscally) and what didn’t did things change.

Was the star of Bethlehem a real, historical event, or was it added into the Gospels’ account of Christ’s birth to add credibility to it? Order The Star of Bethlehem, and invite all your friends over to consider the astronomical evidence proving that God created the heavens to point to Christ.

Front Cover, DVD

by Wayne Grudem, 2010

After much anticipation, this tome arrived on my doorstep two days ago.

Much about politics, particularly American politics, I neither understand nor care for (being Canadian, of course), but the combination of the book title and Grudem’s reputation for thorough diligence convinced me that this wouldn’t be just another book on politics possessing a shelf life of your average store-bought banana. 

In short, I’m supremely intrigued to read how Jesus transforms our world (including our view of government), and so I’ll be periodically posting what I’m reading and studying throughout the book; it should be mentioned that I have no political ties or affiliation aside from being a regular Canadian citizen and voter.

Here’s a sneak peek at the topics covered in the book’s pages. Please note that this is NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST of topics covered in the book; I have merely listed chapter titles and given, at minimum, one example of issues covered in it: 

BASIC PRINCIPLES:

• 5 wrong views about Christians and government (e.g. do evangelism, not politics)
• Christian influence on government (e.g. should Christians only vote for Christian candidates?)
• Biblical principles concerning government (e.g. governments cannot save people or change human hearts)
• a Biblical worldview (e.g. the one true God reveals Himself and his moral standards clearly in the Bible)
• the courts and the question of ultimate power in a nation (e.g. according to the Bible, what should judges do?)

SPECIFIC ISSUES:

• the protection of life (e.g. abortion, euthanasia)
• marriage (e.g. civil governments should define marriage for all citizens)
• the family (e.g. parents, not the government, should have the primary responsibility for training their children)
• economics (e.g. the Social Security system, the rich & the poor, what is the best cure for recessions?)
• the environment (e.g. cap and trade, energy resources and energy uses)
• national defense (e.g. how can we know if a war is a “just” war?, Islamic jihadism, pacifism, coercive interrogation of prisoners)
• foreign policy (e.g. the UN, foreign aid, Israel, immigration)
• freedom of speech (e.g. restrictions on freedom of speech, campaign finance restrictions, campus “hate speech” codes and other restrictions of free speech on college campuses)
• freedom of religion (e.g. religious expression in the public square)
• special groups (e.g. affirmative action, tariffs , Native Americans, gambling)

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS:

• the problem of media bias: when the watchdogs fall asleep (e.g. surveys of journalists)
• application to Democratic and Republican policies today (e.g. protection of life)
• faith and works, and trusting God while working in politics and government (e.g. what does it mean to trust God’s sovereignty over the direction of world history?)

Stay tuned!!

MKNZ

My main man, Wayne Grudem, shares his thoughts with America’s Alliance Defense Fund on the pervasiveness of the idea that the church and state should be separated. What he makes clear is that the idea was intended to keep the state out of religion and NOT the other way around.

You may order his Systematic Theology here, and his new book, Politics According to the Bible, here.