Debates over Brexit are revealing about the state of our hearts.

In Matthew 8:28-34 we read how Jesus freed two men of strong demon possession. Since this resulted in a substantial financial loss for the owners of a herd of swine that was present, we are told that the whole town beseeched the Son of God to leave their region. It is a sad but classic proof of why Jesus said that we cannot serve both God and money (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13).

Somehow, this reminds us of the whole Brexit issue. This is because politics, the banking and corporate sectors, as well as the media, counterweight Britain’s prospective freedom from the EU with forecasts of a heavy economic loss. It’s easy, therefore, for people to get distracted from the more important spiritual and moral issues.

From a secular point of view, Britain must decide whether it really wants to leave an alleged safe haven and embark on an unknown path. In this framing of the argument, fear is made the driving force. From a biblical point of view, Britain must decide whether it wants to be free from political dictate or keep handing over its freedoms for the 'promise' of financial stability. Personal conviction is the motivating force here.

For all that, Brexit and its economic consequences are just fruits of a more foundational issue that believers, and indeed the whole nation, need to deal with: the question of whom they serve.

Britain must decide whether it wants to be free from political dictate or keep handing over its freedoms for the 'promise' of financial stability.

God or Money?

Jesus said the two most important laws that man must live by are (a) to love God with all that we are, and (b) to love our fellow men as ourselves (Matt 22:37-40; Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27). This also includes our enemies (Matt 5:43-44; Luke 6:27, 35). And Jesus left no doubt that if we love and serve God, we cannot love and serve money (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13). Yet, loving and serving money is exactly what the financial system of the world demands.

A good many Christians see no danger here for themselves. They are confident that they are by no means serving money. And who can blame them? Most people generally have very little insight into how our money system works and its negative and enslaving effects.

The Financial System of the World

I believe that today’s financial system has evolved as a consequence of man rejecting God as the source of his provision, and instead creating his own supply system as a substitute (Jer 2:13). This system has become the basis of our productive economies and the financial world today. But it is an unjust apparatus and of evil design – like everything the world produces without God (John 7:7).

Most Christians are unaware that it violates God's word in virtually every way; its general use of fiat money, fractional reserve banking, interest, extensive debts and limited liability laws renders it exploitative, destructive and unsustainable. It is based on illusions, incessantly demands continual growth at the expense of our available natural resources, ruthlessly expropriates the little wealth of the majority of the population for the benefit of the few capital holders, and ultimately forces its rule on man.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, our economies and the world of finance appear more like war zones: battles are raging in currencies, profits or market shares, ruthless competition, hostile takeovers, dominance through innovation, market leadership and so forth. Blackmail, exploitation, betrayal, nepotism, influence peddling, manipulation, bribery, theft, fraud, lies, falsification of documents, discrediting others, etc., are only some of the weapons being used.

The justified question then is how does that all fit in with God’s fundamental laws of love, honesty, faithfulness and truth? The straight answer is, it doesn’t!

Loving and serving money is exactly what the financial system of the world demands.

For this reason, as far as believers are concerned, Brexit cannot simply be a matter of leaving an artificial union of states that is increasingly usurping the political sovereignty of its members. It also offers the opportunity to break free from forced subjugation to an economic system directed against God's will.

Our financial wellbeing does not depend on human alliances, regardless on which level, nor does it depend on the use of a wicked monetary system that enslaves and ultimately destroys. It depends on God alone (Deut 8:18).

Concrete Instructions

The Bible contains a remarkable number of passages dealing with money and economic issues. Obviously, God felt it necessary to give us a comprehensive spiritual perspective on these themes – firstly, because money plays an essential role in everyday life, and secondly, because it carries a strong potential to conflict with God’s plans and purposes for our lives (individually, corporately and nationally).

The challenge for Christians, situated within a worldly system and vulnerable to its pressures and influences, is to find ways to shun the world and follow our God’s wise instructions, since through him and for him everything was created and in him everything holds together (Col 1:16-17; John 1:2-3; Rom 11:36). His ways are neither tied to nor limited by the mainstream school of thought. Their implementation, however, presupposes openness to a very different paradigm (Rom 12:2; John 15:5; 1 Cor 3:11).

Our financial wellbeing depends on God alone.

Do We Really Know?

No human being knows what will happen tomorrow (Prov 27:1; Luke 12:18-20; James 4:14). Realistically, man without God can only make assumptions about the future – we can neither predict nor plan it (Prov 19:21; 1 Cor 13:9). As a result, man tries to tie down this uncertainty by extrapolating things of the past into the future and adjusting them based on human expertise, imagination, ingenuity, intelligence and wisdom.

Yet, bottom line, it all remains more guesswork than fact. Natural disasters, epidemics, terror, civil unrest, wars, rumours, bankruptcies, manipulation, corruption, vested interests, change of governments, etc., can turn things upside-down in a moment.

Given all this, who is to say that breaking free from evil dictate will indeed result in economic and financial mayhem? We really have no way of knowing. The fear-mongering surrounding Brexit, then, is a reflection less of the facts than of whom we are trying to serve.

Gottfried Hetzer is the author of 'Money ... The Great Deception', which we reviewed earlier this year.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'The Treasure Principle' by Randy Alcorn (Multnomah Press, 2005).

When someone offered me this small book I accepted it willingly and gratefully as something that could be useful and potentially worth reviewing as another resource on the topic of money. I had no idea of the impact it would have: once I started reading it I realised that I had been given a treasure in itself.

The theme of the book is simple but profound – the joy of giving. This is the ‘treasure principle’ of the title. The author claims that “Once you grasp it and put it into practice, nothing will ever look the same. And believe me, you won’t want it to” (p5).

This biblical principle has always been there, but too often it has conveniently been ignored. Unlocking its secret is the aim of the book (as outlined in the subtitle, 'Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving'). Once you grasp what the Bible teaches on this topic, it becomes obvious. The only problem is deciding to live that way, with all the radical implications for the way we handle money.

Where the Heart is

The book offers no hype or false promises, just sound, biblical wisdom encapsulated in an easy-to-understand way. The six main chapters each make a single point which contributes towards the whole principle. Each point is straightforward, but taken together the overall impact is very powerful.

We are reminded first that we own nothing. God owns everything and we are simply his money-managers. Secondly, we are to realise that our hearts always follow where we put God’s money (Matt 6:21). Effectively, look at your credit card statement and you’ll see where your heart is.

God owns everything and we are simply his money-managers.

The next key points are that Heaven, not earth, is our home, and that we should always take the long-term view rather than seeking immediate pleasure. “Live for the line, not the dot” is the pithy way this is expressed.

We are then shown that giving is the antidote to materialism. This is how to combat the suffocation that material possessions bring upon our lives. Finally, we must realise that God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but our standard of giving.

Worth its Weight in Gold

The book closes with “31 radical liberating questions to ask God about your giving”, a sort of check-up to see where you are so far, with short prayers and confessions to help make any necessary changes.

God prospers us not to raise our standard of living, but our standard of giving.

This little, pocket-sized book is worth its weight in gold, and more. Buy it. In fact, buy several and give them away – joyfully! The reward for both giver and receiver will be immense!

'The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving' (128pp) is available from Amazon in a variety of formats. You may also be interested in Gottfried Hetzer’s 2018 book, 'Money ... The Great Deception'.

A warning sign to the nation.

Carillion’s collapse is not only a disaster for its 43,000 employees but a blow to the whole national economy, with up to 30,000 businesses affected in Carillion’s wider network. Of course, all our politicians have gone into ‘blame game’ mode.

The only MPs who can claim to be guiltless of the policy that led to this Private Finance Initiative (PFI) are those on the far left who opposed this dangerous venture into the state trying to get its public services on the cheap.

The short answer is – it is not possible! There is no such thing as free money.

PFI was an idea generated in John Major’s Government but implemented when Gordon Brown was in charge of the Treasury in Tony Blair’s New Labour Government. So, both our main political parties have egg on their faces for the monstrous folly that has put millions of pounds into the pockets of venture capitalists at the expense of the British taxpayer.

Reckless Debt

At a time when interest rates were high and the Government wished to keep borrowing to a minimum it must have seemed attractive to let private investors put up the capital for big construction projects and to delay purchase of the assets over a period of many years. But buying anything on the ‘never-never’ only delays the pain. We are now told that projects valued at £60 billion are costing the British taxpayer £199 billion.

Both our main political parties have egg on their faces for this monstrous folly

It seems almost beyond belief that our politicians could be so incredibly naive to put our hospitals and schools in the hands of these greedy rogues, who have lined their own pockets at public expense. In simple terms, the Government handed out contracts for the building of hospitals and schools paid for largely by foreign investors, who have leased them back to the Government at exorbitant rates of interest in conditions that make vast profits for the investors.

Even after Carillion had issued ‘profits warnings’ indicating that it was in financial difficulties, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling awarded them a contract on part of the High-Speed Rail (HS2) construction.

Carillion have been in trouble for a long time but instead of following a policy of clearing their debts on each project before moving onto the next, they recklessly increased their debts in a kind of commercial Ponzi scheme, by taking on more contracts to help pay off the interest on earlier commitments. Eventually the point was reached where their debt mountain became so massive, and the profits had all been squirrelled away by greedy management, that it became impossible to pay off the debts and the banks would not lend any more.

Day of Reckoning

This has all the feel of the darker side of capitalism and was probably the kind of operation that Marx had in mind when he said that capitalism contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. I’m not making a case for Marxism, but simply pointing out that there were some things that he got right.

The fundamental weakness of Marxism lies in its dogma of ‘economic determinism’ which sees all human beings as products of their environment. All thought thereby becomes conditioned by matter, because it is a product of matter in motion, which philosophically sets aside the whole notion of human accountability.

It is beyond belief that our politicians put our hospitals and schools in the hands of these greedy rogues, who have lined their own pockets at public expense.

It was this conviction of human accountability to God that was the driving force behind the ministry exercised by the prophets of Israel recorded in the Bible. Listen to this from the Prophet Amos:

You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth. You trample on the poor…You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. (Amos 5:10-12)

Amos then goes on to tell the leaders of the nation who are eagerly awaiting the Day of the Lord that it will be a day of darkness not light, because God is a God of truth and justice who holds human beings accountable for their actions.

It is this accountability to a higher authority that is missing in our secular humanist society today. The very existence of these concepts of truth and justice depend upon our recognition of the God of Creation who built these values into the fabric of the universe. When we take God out of the equation we actually destroy the whole structure of society because there are no ultimate values or accountability. Without God we human beings are on our own to make up our own rules that suit our particular needs at the time.

The Underlying Problem

But we live in a moral universe that we ignore at our peril, as the Carillion debacle vividly portrays. The big question now is whether or not our political masters will have the courage not only to take responsibility for clearing up the mess of the disastrous policy of former Governments, but to recognise the reason why the nation is having to bear the huge cost of this folly.

We live in a moral universe that we ignore at our peril.

Will we recognise that by departing from the ‘gold standard’ of the word of God we have brought all this trouble upon ourselves? And will we come humbly before God seeking his ways that lead to blessing and prosperity?

It may be that God has allowed the Carillion economic disaster to come upon us as a warning sign to the nation that all is not well; and that unless we face up to the bigger moral and spiritual problems in the nation we will never get the economy right or solve the nation’s social problems.

Some thoughts about Hurricane Harvey.

The fierce storm with hurricane-force, 120 mph winds that hit the State of Texas in the USA last week has been headline news in the UK as well as in America.

The unprecedented quantity of rain that has been dumped on and around the city of Houston has caused enormous damage and left thousands homeless, triggering a major rescue operation. Amazingly the loss of life has been very small but the damage to property has been colossal.

We would like to express our condolences to all those who have suffered. Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people, especially those in the ‘Bible Belt’ of the USA? Many of the volunteers taking part in rescue operations expressed thanks to God for their own survival as they rescued others, which was a good witness on British TV.

We know that only those who are resident in Texas and who both know their Bibles and are aware of the moral and spiritual condition of their communities are able to know what God is saying through this natural disaster. But as a Brit who has family ties to the US and a genuine love for the country, I would like to offer some thoughts in this editorial.

The 1987 Hurricane

Back in 1987, on 16 October, a mini hurricane hit the south-east coast of England with winds gusting well over 100 mph causing enormous damage to buildings and ripping up some 15 million trees, smashing cars and power lines, blocking roads and rail travel from the south coast to London. It affected the richest area of the UK and for the first time in history the stock exchange in London was unable to open as its workers could not reach the capital.

The storm struck at 4am when hardly anyone was out of doors, so there was a minimum loss of life. But the damage to property was immense, affecting many of the richest houses in Britain, with trees crushing Rolls-Royces and Ferraris. If the storm had struck a few hours later in rush hour, the death toll would have been enormous. Amazingly also, the storm only affected the south-east area of England – 50 miles north of London there was hardly a breath of wind!

Texas is known for its Christian population – so what is God saying to his people through Hurricane Harvey?

We wrote about this at the time in the magazine Prophecy Today, asking if there was any word from the Lord. 48 hours after the hurricane, world stock markets began tumbling and London experienced the worst crash of all with millions of pounds wiped off share values. ‘Hurricane Friday’ was followed by ‘Black Monday’ in the City as winds of panic swept through the world’s financial markets and judgment on the rich nations began.

Hurricane damage, 1987. See Photo Credits.We saw this as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nations. There had been many other warnings but this one was so specific, confined to property and in the richest area in the UK – its message should have been obvious even to those who never read the Bible.

History shows, however, that the warnings were ignored which eventually led to the great economic upheavals in 2008 when many great financial houses collapsed – and from which the economy has still not recovered.

The Rich in Laodicea

Today the oil-rich state in the richest nation in the world has been hit by a far greater hurricane and storm than the one that hit Britain 30 years ago. Also this week, floods have done enormous damage in Mumbai, the financial capital of India. Is this just coincidence, or is God saying something significant about the financial affairs of the world?

Here is another ‘coincidence’ – in the year AD 17, exactly 2,000 years ago, an enormous earthquake hit Asia Minor (now part of Turkey) destroying the great city of Laodicea, the richest city in the region. It was part of the Roman Empire at that time and Rome offered financial help in rebuilding, but the city elders refused saying that their own resources were perfectly adequate! They were adamant that they had sufficient wealth to meet their own needs and had no need of any help!

We saw the 1987 hurricane in England as the final warning about greed and corruption in the financial affairs of the nation.

40 years later the Apostle Paul, on the road between Antioch and Ephesus, stopped at Laodicea, newly rebuilt with amazing buildings. The people were rich, proud and self-sufficient. Paul planted a church there leaving a man called Epaphras in charge, who also oversaw the nearby congregations in Hierapolis and Colossae.

The three cities were joined by a huge stone aqueduct carrying water from the hot springs of Hierapolis at the top of the mountain to Colossae in the valley.¹ The water would have been lukewarm when it reached Laodicea and when writing his letter to the church in Laodicea the Apostle John charged the Christians with being lukewarm in their faith (Rev 3:16).

The message at that time was, “You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev 3:17). This must have been a devastating message for the Christians in Laodicea who were all living nice comfortable lives very similar to those of their non-Christian neighbours. The message to them was a call for repentance and to recognise the extent to which they had imbibed the values of their rich neighbours, ignoring the plight of the poor down in the valley at Colossae.

Take Note!

I wonder if this is saying anything to our Christian friends in Texas? It is for them to take it before the Lord in their prayer times and it is not for us to judge. But in Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation where top businessmen, officials and celebrities are paid vast sums of money while the poor struggle to make ends meet.

This same injustice can be seen on a vast scale on the world scene where two thirds of the world’s population go to bed hungry every night. The rich nations with their control of global monopolies, patents and copyrights wield power over other economies, ensuring that wealth stays concentrated in the hands of the rich and the poor are kept in their place.

In Britain we know that there is still huge corruption and unrighteousness in the financial affairs of our nation.

The God of Creation who holds the nations in his hands as a drop in a bucket (Isa 40:15) scoffs at the nations, according to Psalm 2:4, when they do not realise their feeble situation and attempt to throw off all restraint in their greed and avarice. But to ignore the laws of the God of the Bible who hates injustice and oppression (Jer 7:3-11) is foolhardy and dangerous: it leads to disaster which comes suddenly without further notice when all the warning signs have been ignored.

Christians throughout the rich nations of the West should be taking note of the warning signs of the great storms that hit Texas and the financial centre of India this week. When God gives warning signs they should never be ignored. The message Isaiah received was, “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly in an instant” (Isa 30:12-13).

May the rich nations of the world take note!

References

1 See: Hill, C and Hill, M, 2005. Ephesus to Laodicea. Handsel Press, Edinburgh, p94f.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is one of God's great successes. Paul Luckraft reports on what CAP is doing today and how you can get involved.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is one of God's great successes. This week on Prophecy Today we are reviewing the book Nevertheless, which records CAP's origins and early progress. Our Resources Editor Paul Luckraft decided to investigate further and caught up with Helen Norris, CAP's Partnerships Manager for London, to find out what CAP is doing today and how you can get involved. Here is his report.

Transforming Lives

It is always encouraging and stimulating to discover how God is at work in society and how each one of us can take part in the transformation of lives. CAP provides such an opportunity as it always works in partnership with local churches. CAP's aim is not to do it all but to empower Christians to serve Christ within their own communities. There are now four ways in which this can happen. The primary method remains the Debt Centre.

Debt Centres

With 1 in 12 people in the UK now in unmanageable debt, a Debt Centre is a lifeline to many. Every church can become a Debt Centre. CAP will train a Centre Manager to oversee the deliverance of the most comprehensive debt counselling service available anywhere. A Centre Manager doesn't need in-depth financial knowledge. He or she is backed up by over 150 professional Caseworkers and Specialist Advisers at head office.

CAP takes care of all the basic elements of debt counselling centrally, putting together budgets and negotiating with creditors. It assesses the best route for each client to become debt free and equips the volunteer workers and befrienders to take this solution into people's homes, together with the love of Jesus - for it is an essential ingredient of CAP to offer the gospel alongside the financial service. As people find relief from the misery and stress of debt then new hope grows and they become more open to the Christian message.

With 1 in 12 people in the UK now in unmanageable debt, a Debt Centre is a lifeline to many - and every church can become one.

To date CAP has 290 church-based Debt Centres, covering 60% of the UK. The aim is for 500 to cover the whole of the UK. Could your church become a CAP Debt Centre?

Money Courses

More recently CAP has started running Money Courses as a preventative measure. As financial illiteracy is a major cause of debt and poverty this is a vital practical tool to help people avoid getting into debt in the first place. As always this venture is done in partnership with local churches and blended with their passion to share the gospel at the same time as passing on skills that will have a lasting impact on people's finances.

The CAP Money Course has become their greatest weapon against debt. In a society increasingly reliant on credit cards and loans this course provides the simple principles of how to budget, save and spend wisely, giving people a better chance to take control of their finances. CAP is now the largest provider of adult face-to-face money education.

CAP trains volunteers to run these courses in their local churches. Could this be your way of contributing to CAP's work? If you have the confidence and basic skills to present the material, then with extra specialist training you could make a real difference. The course is usually run over three 90 minute sessions, one per week, but this can be flexible. Each session involves a DVD and interactive discussions. By the end of the course those attending will know how to build a good budget and keep it balanced, understand the importance of savings and how to deal with debt. The motto is, prevention is better than cure!

Although primarily designed for adults, there is no reason why these courses cannot be used with youth groups or taken into schools and colleges. Such basic money management is often ignored among young people, at a time of life when it is most needed.

Job Clubs

A CAP Job Club is another tool in the fight against poverty and is designed to equip people to find employment while rebuilding their confidence and self-esteem (often lost when unemployment strikes). These Clubs are, as usual, run through local churches and have become nationally recognised and recommended by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The CAP Money Course has become their greatest weapon against debt, providing people with the simple principles of how to budget, save and spend wisely.

The Club meets once a week and is run by a trained CAP Job Club Manager. A key aspect is the Steps to Employment course, an interactive course that covers practical topics such as CV writing and interviewing techniques, all designed to improve employability. Coaching sessions are then run alongside the course to give members chance to discuss their individual needs in more detail and set goals for themselves. All this is set in a friendly and inclusive environment that combats isolation and also provides members with the taste of a church family.

The first Job Club was opened in 2013 and there are now 140 such clubs, but more are needed. Is this an area where you can help? CAP offers the necessary training so you can provide one-to-one coaching over an 8 week course. The format is flexible enough to run successfully in both small and large churches.

Release Groups

The fourth way to help is the most recent to be developed. A Release Group aims to tackle addiction and dependence in whatever area is needed, not just financial. CAP Release Groups provide a safe, confidential place for people to seek help alongside the support of others who understand what they are going through. The groups teach people practical steps to tackle their dependency head on through interactive sessions and individual coaching.

The eight week course is run by a trained CAP Release Group Coach and offers a place of trust and security for people to take steps to find freedom from their life-controlling habits. Clearly over-spending is one such addiction and one of the main causes of debt and poverty, but the course is flexible enough to cover other addictive behaviours. If your heart is to see people released from addiction then perhaps this is where you could become involved!

Release Groups aim to tackle all kinds of addiction and dependence, providing people with a safe place and practical help to find freedom from life-controlling habits.

Funding

CAP is well respected in the credit industry and in 2015 was the UK Debt Advice Provider of the Year, as awarded by Credit Today.

As their mission statement declares, CAP is passionate about releasing people from a life sentence of poverty, debt, unemployment and addiction. Their vision is to serve the poor and save the lost through 1,000 church based CAP services, so that anyone in the UK can access their life-transforming help.

But how is this funded? There is no Government funding as this would force CAP to give up their Christian emphasis. Sharing the gospel and God's love is key to their mission and all workers do this (90% of the clients accept this as they understand the help is from a Christian organisation and provided via local churches). Funding is provided by 27,000 regular givers (or Life Changers) who give monthly. All donations are welcome, however small. This provides 70% of the annual £10 million budget. The rest comes from legacies and other one-off gifts.

It is important to stress that money is never given out to those in debt. Handouts are not provided. All the money goes towards training and support so that people find their own way out of debt and dependency.

Get Involved Now

Debt is a very pressing social problem. It cripples lives and often leads to other problems. Families and relationships can be destroyed, and medical issues frequently follow as fear and depression set in. The very nature of Christ and his love means that necessarily Christians are against poverty. The only question is what they do about it. Through CAP there is a very real and successful way of putting our faith into action.

How you can help:

• Could you run a CAP Money Course and help give people the basic skills to take control of their own finances?
• Could you start a Job Club and work to equip people to find employment?
• Could you become a CAP Release Group Coach and help free people from addictive behaviours?
• Could your church become a CAP Debt Centre to serve the local community?

To help in any way or to get further details about any aspect of CAP's work, email the Church Partnership Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01274 760580, or visit capuk.org. All enquiries are welcome.

Is the Greek banking crisis really over, or have they just kicked the can down the street? Does the new bailout bring real hope or just delay the day of reckoning? Clifford Hill believes biblical principles hold the answer...

The problems facing Greece raise much wider issues that affect all of Europe because there are biblical principles that should have been applied: and if they had been applied the whole situation would have been very different.

All the nations in Europe have a Christian heritage. Their shared belief system based upon the Bible should have enabled a common approach to financial dealings. It is because the European nations have abandoned their Christian foundations and lost their biblical heritage that they are in such trouble today."

Lending and Borrowing in Scripture

The Bible sets out clear rules for lending money. "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God so that your countryman may continue to live among you. You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God" (Lev 25:35).

Surely that could not be clearer? Within the family of Israel, despite all the differences of tribes and clans, there had to be just one rule for everyone. If anyone became in need of help, through illness, accident, or a bad harvest, or even through mismanagement of resources, he and his family had to be helped by the rest of the community. There were no exceptions to this. They were one family of people with a shared belief in God and a shared covenant relationship with God, which created a shared relationship with each other. Therefore they had mutual obligations within the family of Israel.

Those who had resources were to help those who were in need. If they cared for one another in this way they would all prosper and they would enjoy a healthy society where no one was exploited and the whole nation benefited. Indeed, the exploitation of the poor and needy by the rich and powerful was forbidden.

No Blame

The regulation given to Israel in Leviticus 25 does not lay blame on how someone became poor. It simply states "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself" then he must be helped. That becomes a sacred obligation because it is an out-working of the covenant relationship within the nation of Israel, because of her relationship with God.

Our biblical heritage should guide Europe's thinking, so that when one nation becomes poor that nation should be lent money by the other nations of Europe without interest. There would, of course, be an obligation to repay the amount loaned. The biblical principle is stated in Psalm 37:21 "The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously".

The bailout that was reached last month was the worst possible solution for the people of Greece and only makes them poorer. Already they have 60% unemployment among their young people. This deal, with its increased austerity, will make things worse, driving people into hopelessness and despair. It is a cruel exercise of power of which Germany and France are the chief perpetrators.

Historically both these nations have a record of trying to dominate Europe and rule their neighbours.

• Napoleon was defeated 200 years ago at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo
• Bismarck tried and failed to conquer Europe by force of arms in 1870
• The Kaiser tried the same tactic in 1914 with the resultant deaths of millions of men
• Hitler tried to enslave the rest of Europe in 1939 with disastrous results

Have the Germans and the French really learned that power should be used to promote the common good; not to oppress others, especially their brothers and sisters in the Christian faith? However, we live in post-Christian Europe where biblical values have been abandoned and even the Church relies on interest on its investments!

Different Theological Interpretations

Ironically, although usury (money-lending at interest) was forbidden among the Jewish community, the Bible does not forbid lending to those outside that community. The teaching of Jesus was "And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:34-35).

The Catholic Church interpreted this to mean that those who lend should not expect anything in return – not even the original loan. This discouraged any lending. Consequently, the Jews became the money lenders for the Christian community across Europe in the Middle Ages. The Protestant Church similarly forbade usury, but Calvin argued that lending at low interest should be allowed and that the prohibition should be against 'extortionate' interest.

Protestant Work Ethic

His influence extended to German sociologist Max Weber – one of the fathers of Sociology - who noted the distinction between the culture of northern European and southern European nations. In his analysis he noted that the most powerful influence was religion – the differences between Protestantism on the one hand and Roman Catholicism and Greek Orthodoxy on the other. He noted that Catholic and Orthodox beliefs were largely controlled by priests who had great influence over the people.

By contrast, the Protestant nations followed the teaching of the Apostle Paul that each individual believer should work out their own salvation by seeking a personal relationship with God, to whom they are primarily responsible for the stewardship of the spiritual gifts and physical resources they have been given. Weber believed that it was this fundamental difference in religious belief within Christianity that accounted for the difference in national culture between Europe's northern and southern nations.

German sociologist Max Weber argued that religion has powerfully shaped European culture, creating a divide between the northern Protestant nations on the one hand, and the southern Catholic and Orthodox nations on the other."

He noted that the northern nations were driven by what he called the "Protestant Work Ethic" which promoted industrialisation and the maximisation of resources, and included an aesthetic element which prevented them from simply consuming the profits of their labour. They ploughed the surplus back into their business enterprises which became increasingly profitable; whereas people in the southern nations of Europe were not driven by such ambition and were simply content to live life from day-to-day.

This cultural difference still exists in Europe today, particularly among the older generation. Many Greeks remember the Nazis' brutal treatment during the Second World War and that legacy sours the relationship between Greece and Germanythe two countries. Young people are much more influenced by the secular humanist ideology that is circulating freely across Europe and the Western nations. They do not share the faith of their parents or grandparents so they live with a different world-view which is less nationalistic. They accept a different set of values and are not even aware of the biblical values that laid the foundations of all the nation-states of Europe.

Road to Financial Bondage

The traditional north-south European religious divide, as Weber showed, still underpins the Greek crisis as German efficiency is contrasted with perceived Greek fecklessness.
The Germans look upon the Greeks as inferior and lazy people who should be treated harshly and made to conform to northern European standards. The German press day after day vilifies the Greeks. They are determined to impose their Protestant Work Ethic culture upon the people whom they once physically enslaved.

Angela Merkel and her fellow politicians have certainly learned that military might is not the best way of achieving their objectives, but the principle of oppression and the brutal exercise of power leading to enslavement (in this case financial bondage) is the same.

The traditional north-south divide still underpins the Greek crisis, as German efficiency is contrasted with perceived Greek fecklessness."

Biblical principles governing finance show that to profit from the enslavement of others is the worst of crimes! But this is what the euro nations are doing to Greece – they are virtually enslaving them! What they don't realise is that they are creating a situation that will bring disaster, not just upon Greece, but upon the whole of Europe. Unrighteousness has a day of reckoning! Europe is stoking up a mountain of debt in Greece that will become a volcano which will eventually erupt and pour its lava across Europe because the whole system is built upon unrighteousness, exploitation, and enslavement.

Justice in Right Relationships

God has built into his Creation principles of justice. When they are ignored they bring disaster upon those who defy the truth that it is right relationships which bring prosperity and well-being. Michael Schluter in his book After Capitalism – Rethinking Economic Relationships says that the current financial crisis is a result of a sustained culture of debt which is based upon 'reward without responsibilities', 'investment without involvement' and 'profit without participation'.¹

In all our dealings, whether of a financial or social nature, the most important thing is our relationship with others. Ezekiel, the Prophet of the exile in Babylon, taught the people about the importance of right relationships with God and with each other. Ezekiel 18:16-18 says that the righteous man: "does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor and takes no interest or profit from them. He keeps God's laws and follows his decrees."

These are the biblical principles which establish righteous financial policies based upon just and merciful relationships which the nations of Europe should be following. This would ensure justice for the poor in times of hardship and shared prosperity. These biblical principles are already there in the Christian heritage of Europe which has been largely abandoned in the age of secularism that has swept the Continent. The only real hope for the future prosperity of Europe is to reassert the principles of righteousness in our biblical heritage.

References

1 Jubilee Centre, Cambridge, 2012, p24.

How to pray as the Greek crisis goes global...

This weekend the leaders of all the countries that are part of the European Union have been called together to consider how to deal with the so-called "Greek Crisis". The referendum held by the Greek Government last Sunday produced a resounding 'NO' to the austerity measures which the Euro club countries are trying to force upon them.

The people of Greece have said "Enough is enough"! Years of austerity have done nothing to improve the national economy crippled by debt. It has simply increased the unemployment rate so there are less people able to pay taxes and the country has become poorer and poorer. But the powerful nations of Europe, led by Germany and the European Central Bank, are blindly demanding yet more austerity.

You don't have to be an economist to know that if the present policy is not working it is sheer madness simply to press on enforcing the same policy with even greater stringency! The ordinary people of Greece have recognised this, and they have bravely determined to confront the bankers and say "Can't Pay: Won't Pay!" (It would be even better if they said Can Pray: Will Pray! But of course, you have to know how to pray and what to pray for!).

You don't have to be an economist to know that if the present policy is not working, it is sheer madness to press on enforcing it with even greater stringency."

Underlying Crisis

Of course, there's lots more to it than that! Most Greeks are aware that there is great need for reform in their national lackadaisical approach to the duty of ordinary citizens to pay their taxes, and that there is endemic corruption in their political system. But they have also been the victims of grossly corrupt banking practices on a global scale. Their banks have been used for sharp practices by Russian oligarchs as well as their own wealthy Greeks, whose sudden withdrawal of investments triggered the crisis.

But what began as a problem for a national bank in one country has now become a crisis threatening to unravel the whole of the European Union and the stability of NATO which has an effect upon east-west relationships that is causing great concern in Washington. If Greece leaves the Euro and turns to Russia or China for help in coping with its financial chaos, this will have an immediate effect upon the balance of world power.

The People Revolt

There are similarities here with the peasants' revolt in 18th century Britain over the inflated price of bread, due to imported corn being cheaper than homegrown corn. Their protests threatened to destabilise the nation at a time when Britain was at war with half the world. So too the peasants' revolt in Greece is likely to have far wider ramifications.

It is time to recognise the fundamental weakness of the whole capitalist system that has built up vast sums of national debt that struggling national economies are unable to meet. Greece is not alone in facing a burden of debt that is beyond any possibility of being repaid. If the International Monetary Fund cancels even part of the Greek debt, others will demand equal treatment. Already there are strong anti-austerity protests in Portugal, Spain and Italy. The unfairness of the whole debt-ridden world economy hits the poor harder than the rich. The peasants' revolt in Greece is likely to spread like wildfire across Europe. This is the fear gripping European bankers.

It's time to recognise the fundamental weakness of the whole capitalist system: Greece is not alone in facing a vast burden of debt that is beyond any possibility of being repaid."

Unjust System

Karl Marx was surely right when he said that capitalism contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction. You don't have to be a Marxist or even an anti-capitalist to recognise the truth of this statement. There is something fundamentally unjust in a system that allows 1% of the population to live on vast excesses of wealth whilst the rest of the population struggles to make a living, many experiencing malnutrition and disease which could be eliminated if there were a fairer system of wealth distribution.

The Bible foretells a day when God will deal with this injustice. He will humble the proud and lofty, according to the prophet Isaiah (2:12-21). The oppressors will be overthrown and God's justice will be seen. Maybe the Greek crisis is part of God's plan to allow the whole financial system to collapse, so that his justice can be established. Christians should be careful not to pray against the great shaking of the nations. If this is how God is working out his purposes, we must trust him.

Christians should be careful not to pray against God's purposes being worked out. We must learn to trust him."

Right Prayer

If you pray "Peace, Peace" when God is saying "There is no peace" – you put yourself against God! The next verse in Isaiah 2 says "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" If our trust is really in God we can trust him with our lives – even if we are nervous of how we are going to survive the storm.

If God is at work shaking the nations, it is wrong to ask him to stop the shaking. The right prayer is to ask God to fulfil his purposes and to make the shaking effective! He will certainly take care of those who put their trust in Him.