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Kingdom Economics
Mar 30, 09:41 PM
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:44-45
I do not claim to know a lot about economics or politics. I have my opinions like everyone else. But there are a couple of things that are obvious to anyone who is paying attention. The first is that the standard of living in America is so far out of step with the rest of the world that it might as well be another planet. The second is that this standard of living is impossible to sustain long term because it is both unreasonable and it is artificially propped up by debt. The level of debt both individually and nationally is beyond any semblance of reason and sanity. Do I need to share the numbers with you? Personal debt and credit card debt have reached monumental proportions. The national debt is a number that no human being can possibly comprehend. I don’t have to be an expert in economics to realize that sooner or later that bill comes due. No one can continue to live that far above their means and not one day suffer a huge crash.
Hurricane Katrina gave us a glimpse of how close to the edge we actually live in the United States. There is a significant proportion of our population who have managed to form economic survival mechanisms depending on the delicate balance of certain economic structures. Any disturbance in those structures creates anarchy. As I travel around the world, all eyes are on the American economy because so much of the world depends on it. Who knows what this might mean long term. It may be that the epicenter of world economics may shift away from the U.S. because the world may see it as a house of cards. Regardless, there may very well be an economic tsunami coming to America. This is not apocalyptic prophesy. That is simply the reality that we cannot continue to live on hyper-consumption. There are just so many stores you can have and so much stuff you can buy in one society, even if consumption is our national sport.
When I talk like this, people inevitably ask what I think we should do. Again, I would never presume to act as an expert in these matters, but I strongly suggest that people limit or eliminate their debt and begin to live within their means. This will inevitably mean lowering our standard of living, but that won’t hurt us. The rest of the world has to do it all the time. In the back of my mind, I sometimes think that when the economics of America shift, the church will have its mission thrust upon it in the midst of the chaos.
The other consideration that this brings up is the whole idea of the economics of the Kingdom. I wonder about this a lot. We have glimpses of the Kingdom way, but a definitive pattern is difficult to discern and even more difficult to live out considering the realities of life and human nature. The Kingdom is certainly not capitalism, but neither is it some kind of enforced socialism. It is based on generosity and not consumption. It is founded on people coming to grips with what it means to have “enough.” Not too much; not too little. Honestly, I can’t see Kingdom economics being a reality in this life until the Kingdom comes in its fullness. Human nature simply won’t allow for it. Greed and power will eventually surface in any human system. But we can, in the mean time, try to live in accordance with the major principles of simplicity and generosity which certainly characterize Kingdom life.