Sure you're angry about what has recently happened with AIG...But can you really say that you are surprised?! After all that has been revealed about America's business corporations and their mismanagement of funds (most importantly, other people's funds), this should come as no big shocker. I will be as bold to say that the shock should have worn off after the Enron/Tyco scandals of yesteryear. The bottom line is this: Big business of these United States needs a major overhaul and is in desperate need of a review in the Puritan/Protestant Work Ethic. It may seem like a strange thing to say in our day, but much of this can be traced back to an abandonment of biblical principles in regards to work. However, God is still at work during this time of massive financial corruption. John Piper sheds some insight on this matter here:
So everything is being brought to the forefront. But, I think that it's safe to say that we can't completely lay all of the blame solely on the shoulders of "Wall Street". We have to take some of the blame ourselves, don't we? I know, I know -- but just put the pitchfork down and here me out for a second. I was thinking about this the other day; isn't a lot of what we see going on a direct result of the greed on "Main Street"? We have to have some culpability. We're angry because our trust has been betrayed. For that, we should be. But why did we trust them in the first place? I believe that in many cases it was because of the promise of prosperity. We buy into the idea of the promise of something for nothing. All we have to do is sit back and watch the grass grow, then, BAM!! Mo' Money, Mo' Money, Mo' Money! How do ponzi schemes happen? As P.T. Barnum so eloquently put it, "There's a sucker born every minute". How do people get put into homes with upside down mortgages? In most cases (not all), it involves a willing participant who allows themselves to suckered in by the allure of promises that cannot deliver.
Truth be told, the only place where the promise of something for nothing can be found is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In these times of financial and social dereliction, there is no message that needs to be proclaimed more than this (Isaiah 31:1-6, 55:1).
Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon
2 comments:
I agree with much of your assessment of the AIG scandal. It's not all that shocking to me to see "Wall Street" irresponsibly mismanage money like that. It's not the first time it's happened. This is just the biggest example and everyone knows about it. There is a lot of greed going on there but as you alluded to, there has to also be some culpability to the "Main Street" portion of the population. The in vougue thing now seems to be to blame the wealthy for all that ails society. It's not just their greed that has put America in the situation it's in today. I believe that much of the "outrage" comes from much of main streets' jealousness and envy of "Wall Street" I think that where much of the problem lies is with people trying to find an easy way in and a promise of something for nothing. Everyone would like to have some of what wall street has but don't necessarily won't to put in the work that it may take to get there and try to make one feel guilty for having made it or don't bother to try and understand what all comes with the package. New cars and homes that many can ill afford but people still sign up for because of jealousy, envy, greed and a need for "status". I think the Lord speaks to both sides in Isaiah 56:11 "Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter."
Angry Black
Well said, Angry...Amen and Amen! Thanks for the comment.
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