war economy or renewable energy economy?

Okay, trying again to finally finish this post...

This is a post I started last week but was too tired to finish.  So I'm going to try and finish it now.

Last night, I walked to the mall with my roommate to grab some dinner at the food court.  We were talking about American politics and it was really interesting to hear his perspective since he had lived in the states for a couple of years with YWAM I think.  He studied international economics and we have ongoing disagreements that the US needs to go to war to turn their economy around.  I told him that was for people who have lost their imagination.  Personally, I think we can do a lot of good if we start changing who we give subsidies to in the energy industry.  As it stands now, we give a ton of subsidies to the fossil fuel industry and very little to the renewable industry.  What would happen if we gave subsidies to the renewable industry instead of the fossil fuel industry?  We could have a new green economy with a ton of new jobs in the renewable energy sector.  We could start to really work our way off of oil.  My dad says we won't run out of oil for a hundred years but I think we need to start down that path sooner rather than later.  We need to think about our grandkids and their future as well instead of just our own.  What kind of world will we leave behind for them?

Yes, gas prices would probably go up.  I don't see this as such a bad thing though.  Would it kill us to make our vehicles more efficient?  Now, I will say I think we need some research and development on how to retrofit vehicles in order to make them more fuel efficient rather than expect everyone to go out and buy a new vehicle.  However, my Honda Civic gets 30 mpg and it is 11 years old.  Obviously, a Civic is not practical for everyone, particularly those with a family.  I would say, though, if you have 1 or 2 small children, why not have a Civic for a few years until minivans become more fuel efficient?  Plus, if you have older kids, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't minivans typically get way better gas mileage than SUV's?  I'm not sure on that one, I'm just going on what friends have told me in the past.  I guess I just fail to see the practicality of a SUV for most of the people who drive them.  Are you planning on going off-roading and/or mudding on the way to pick up your groceries?  It would make more sense maybe in colder climates if the 4WD comes in handy but I'm pretty sure some cars come with that option, particularly Subaru's, right?  The only negative I see about high gas prices are how they would effect the poor.  I don't have an answer for this, however the truly poor that I know ride public transportation or ride bikes anyways.  Also, would it kill us to carpool more?  How much gas would that save the average person?

When we planted the church that I'm a part of, we had a dream of having a member on staff that we would pay to repair cars for people who couldn't afford car repairs.  How cool would that be?  Maybe we will revisit that idea if we can get our budget together.  Or have a designated fund for car repairs or something similar?  We have a guy in our church who has worked on my car several times already and done a wonderful job.  We, as a church, could offer to pay for his service for people who couldn't afford it.

To be smart about it, I think we should at least sit down with them and develop a budget if they struggle with how to handle their finances.  A few years ago, a roommate of mine asked for a loan of $300.  I agreed to it on one condition, that he would sit down and make a realistic budget and ask any pertinent questions if he had them.  He ended up making the budget and was faithful in paying me back within 3 months and was well on his way to handling his finances much better.

In the fall, several of our Creek communities are planning on going through a financial stewardship program.  The benefits of this are two-fold in my opinion.  First, it helps people know how to manage money God's way and gives them some breathing room.  Secondly, it frees up some of their income to give to either the church or neighbors who need some help.  Personally, I was blessed with parents who have always been very wise with their money and took the time to educate my brother and I on how to handle our finances wisely.  Not everyone is blessed in that manner, though, so the Church needs to step up and provide instruction in that area.  As far as I know, high schools don't offer any type of financial literacy courses in order to graduate.  Than they go off to college and are bombarded the first week with credit card offers who offer a free T-shirt just to sign up.  And what 18 year-old doesn't want a College shirt from the iconic movie "Animal House" to start their college careers?

This is truly counter-cultural though, isn't it?  It's hard to swim against the strong current of consumerism that so easily envelopes us.  Many of my friends complain about money being tight.  Many, but not all, of these same friends always have the latest gadgets that are completely unnecessary and will come down considerably in price when the newest model comes out a year or so later.  We must teach people how to say no to some of their wants and/or their children's wants.  It is a sign of maturity to be able to say no to some things so that you can save more and give more.  The rich are commanded to be generous in this present age in scripture.  And if you're middle class America, you're rich.  Don't believe me?  Go on a mission trip to a 3rd world country and you will quickly change your mind.  Or, perhaps more practically, take a homeless person out for lunch or dinner or serve at your local soup kitchen.

culture shock/mind=blown

For this post, I couldn't decide on a title, so I just used both of the ones I had in mind.  In Turkey, I seem to have had the most culture shock than I've either ever experienced or experienced in a very long time.  The things people are telling me are just so foreign to my previous experiences.  Obviously, it's foreign since I'm in a foreign country, but they're somehow more foreign than other things/places I've experienced.

For one, and I think I mentioned this in my last blog but will again just to emphasize it, people simply do not use the "M" word here.  The "M" word is missionary.  It has a really negative connotation with it here so people choose not to refer to themselves as missionaries but rather as workers.  You basically have to work under cover here to do ministry.  In fact, my roommate told me about a short term group that was here a while back who decided to evangelize at the mall.  My roommate and the locals here had warned them that you have to establish relationships here first before you share the gospel but they chose not to listen.  After a short while of sharing, people starting shouting "Missionary, missionary" and the security guards asked them to leave.  Last night, I was talking to my pastor back home and was telling him about the missionary dilemma here and my Christian roommate knocked on my door and told me not to use that word, I guess bc our other roommate is Muslim and might hear me.  How crazy is that?!

On Monday afternoon, I went to a nice hotel with a pool with some people who are 'workers' here in Istanbul.  We all hung out by the pool all afternoon and had a very enjoyable time there.  This is also the place where my mind was just blown away.  2 people shared their story with me and it just really made me think a little differently about faith.  One was a Turk who shared that when he became a Christian, he didn't tell his dad for 2 years.  When he finally decided to tell his dad, his dad kicked him out of his house, after yelling and throwing things, and didn't speak to him for 10 months.  This was simply beyond my comprehension.  At a very young age, probably 9 or 10, I got baptized by my dad, and I still remember him saying it was one of his proudest moments.  I never realized how blessed I really was to not only grow up in a Christian household but also to have my parents' complete support and joy when I decided to become a Christian.  Thankfully, the Turk and his dad are on speaking terms again, but his dad still refuses to listen to his son talk about his relationship with Jesus.

Later that same day, a guy who is on the team decided to share with me a little bit about his background.  He is from South Korea and worked in Iran for 3 years, in  Tehran to be more specific.  He and his family were kicked out of the country for sharing the gospel.  He kept telling me, "Don't forget about the believers in Iran."  He also shared about their need for more resources, talking about how in the states we are so resourced and in Iran not resourced at all.  He also told me that NGO's from the states are not allowed in the country.  What was really interesting is that he wants to go back there if they'll accept him into the country.  He said he likes Istanbul well enough, but Iran is his home now.  There are estimates of between 1 and 3 million Christians living in Iran now, which I had no idea about.  We talked about how crazy their dictator is and how the people are suffering at the hands of the regime.

In college, I remember a few missionaries coming and sharing at our campus ministry.  They emphasized the need for believers to go to the 10/40 window, I think referring to latitude and longitude or something but don't remember for sure.  I do know they were referring to the Middle East basically and the need for the gospel to go there.  The problem was that they acted as though you weren't a Christian if you weren't working in that window, that somehow that was a holier decision than working in the states on mission.

On Sunday, I attended a local church with my roommate that was in Turkish.  It was really cool because a girl got baptized.  Later, I found out that was the first one in about a year.  The pastor takes them through 25 lessons to make sure they're well aware of what's involved.  A little intense if you ask me, but that's what he sees as best.  A guy I met on Sunday, a Mexican American who is working here now, said the decision to follow Christ here is really a decision to die to yourself.  There are no nominal Christians here.  As I've said before, to be Turkish is to be Muslim.  This means that you really are dying to your old self and taking on a completely new identity.

situationally religious

At this point, I've been in Istanbul for a week.  So far, I love it!  I'm living with a guy from Kazakhstan and a local from Istanbul.  The Kazak is a Christian and the Turk is a Muslim.  Maybe the first or second day I was here, the prayers from the Mosque went off.  The Muslim just sat there and did nothing.  Curious, I asked him if he was supposed to pray towards Mecca, as I thought this was what Muslims did.  In response, he said he wasn't a good Muslim.  A couple days later, he returned from the gym and was talking about the chicks he saw there.  He has a girlfriend from Poland who lives here, and when my other roommate brought it up, he said, my religion allows for 4 wives.  He said he's religious in the right situation.  I wonder how many people in every religion are only religious depending on the situation.  A lot of Christians in particular say religion is a bad thing.  Personally, I couldn't disagree more.  Whenever I hear the word religion, I always think of the verse in James that says pure and faultless religion is looking after the widow and orphan.  I don't see how that is at odds with the way of Christ.

So far this week, I've had many new experiences, all of which have been good.  I find myself in the minority for once, which is a very good thing to experience in order to have empathy when I'm not in the minority like back home.  On Thursday night, I had Turkish club followed by English club.  At Turkish club, there was a Kazak, a South African, a Turk, a Brazilian, and myself the American.  The next night, I had dinner with the same Kazak, a different Turk, a Pole, and again myself the American.  I love that type of diversity.  And I'm grateful most of the rest of the world speaks English so I can understand.  It reminds me of my school that I teach at back home.  Some friends of mine once said that Sarasota has no diversity.  To this, I instantly thought of my school.  It's true that most of Sarasota is not diverse, but there is a hispanic pocket as well as a black pocket.  My school is located in the hispanic pocket.  65% of my students speak English as a second language.  This presents its own challenges of course, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Today, I went to church with my Christian roommate and really enjoyed it, although I obviously didn't understand the sermon since it was in Turkish.  What was really cool was that a young woman was baptized today.  They said it was the first one in about a year.  The reason is that it's taken a lot more seriously in a nation such as Turkey.  It is truly saying that you're dying to yourself and living for Christ.  To be Turkish is to be Muslim, so in a very real way you're giving up your identity for a new identity with Christ.  It is not some add on like it can often be in the states or other countries that have true religious freedom.

Something else that is really interesting that I learned this week is that the word 'missionary' has a very bad connotation here.  Turks associate the word with the Crusades I think.  There was a team here a while back who was evangelizing at a mall somewhere and people started yelling "Missionaries, missionaries" and they were asked by the police to leave the premises.  The head guy here said it's fine to evangelize here, but you have to build a relationship first.  I really like that anyways.  My roommate was working with that team and said they didn't feel like they were 'doing ministry' unless they were specifically evangelizing or handing out Bibles or something like that.  To this, my rommate told them, "Do you just walk up to strangers in your own country and start sharing the gospel like that?"  The scary thing is, some people do, like people who do the whole "Way of the Master" nonsense.  Meanwhile, back home in the states, there is a growing movement for Christians to start thinking of themselves as missionaries in their own contexts.  This is certainly something to keep in mind if we decide to go overseas and become missionaries to another context that might have a really bad idea of what a missionary is.  Yesterday, I started watching a video online by a church planting network titled "Getting people from consumers to missionaries."  So far, it's really good and I look forward to watching the rest of it, maybe tomorrow.

Back home, I am part of a church plant in Sarasota/Bradenton area.  I miss it dearly.  This trip has made me think a little more critically about it.  We are looking to plant more churches very soon.  The church's purpose is to bring glory to God.  This is not a private matter, but one that must penetrate every area of every society.  What can a church do to bring the good news to a location?  The possibilities are endless.  What we must not forget though, is that there must be a proclamation of the gospel.  At the same time, we must not forget to meet the other needs of the people around us that we are serving.  Are physical needs only physical, or are they somehow intertwined with a person's spirituality?  Christ says we are serving Him when we serve the least of these.

While we're talking about the poor, I have to ponder something here, maybe some of my conservative Christian friends can help me out.  Why does it seem that many conservative Christians, including the CEO of Crown financial ministries, are more concerned with defending the rich than worrying about the poor?  Just something I've been thinking about.  If tax cuts for the rich are supposed to result in them creating more jobs, then why were more jobs created during Clinton's presidency than during Bush's presidency?  Just something to think about.

Thoughts on "Fixing the Moral Deficit" by Ron Sider

This morning, I just finished reading a book entitled "Fixing the Moral Deficit: A Balanced Way to Balance the Budget"  It was super interesting and engaging, if you find economic policy and politics in general as intriguing as I find them anyway.  It had a lot of stats of course, some interesting and some not so interesting.  Here's one for example, "In 2004, the richest 0.1% had more combined pre-tax income that the poorest 120 million.  That means if you divided the total U.S. income among one thousand people, the richest person (one person) would have as much income as the poorest 387!"  Or this one, "From 2005 to 2011, American taxpayers paid more than $30 billion to provide subsidies for corn-based ethanol.  Most of those subsidies went to big oil companies to "encourage" them to use ethanol in gasoline even though they were already using ethanol and did not need subsidies to use it.  Today, one-half of all U.S. grown corn goes to produce ethanol-dramatically increasing global food costs."  He also talked about closing a lot of tax loopholes and of course raising taxes in certain areas.

He talked a lot about Senator Paul Ryan's budget and how it disproportionately would effect the poor.  The interesting thing about Ryan's proposed budget is that while it would make drastic cuts to effective anti-poverty programs, it would at the same time raise the military budget by 20% over the next ten years and give yet more tax breaks to the super rich.  A lot of conservatives argue that lower tax rates will lead to job creation, but I think that's simply misinformed and let me tell you why.  "First, we have little evidence that cutting taxes for the wealthy inevitable spurs job creation.  In fact, recent history suggests the opposite.  The tax cuts enacted by President George W. Bush did generate some employment growth, but it was only about 1% a year-slower than any decade since 1940.  During his eight years in office, net employment rose by about 3 million jobs.  In contrast, despite an increase in the top income tax rate, President Clinton's tenure in office saw the net creation of 23 million jobs."  Hmm, maybe conventional wisdom by conservatives isn't so wise after all?

Sider also does suggest the need for spending cuts, saying that we need about 50% spending cuts and 50% increases in tax revenues.  If programs aren't effective, than we need to cut them and/or replace them with more effective ones.  Here's another interesting thing to consider.  Capital gains are taxed at only a rate of 15%.  Where does much of the income of wealthy people come from?  Capital gains of course.  "Is there any reason why twenty-five hedge-fund managers who made $25 billion in 2009 should only pay income taxes at a rate of 15% on that incredible income while people making vastly less money paid the top tax rate of 35%?"

Furthermore, can we please end corporate welfare sometime soon?!  "A study by Citizens for Tax Justice revealed that from 2008-2010, 280 of the most profitable U.S corporations, with total pretax profits of $1.4 trillion, received a total of nearly $224 billion in tax subsidies from the government.  More than half of these subsidies went to four industries: financial services, utilities, telecommunications, and fuel (oil, gas and pipelines)  Closing these subsidy loopholes would make up all of the cuts to food stamps planned by the Ryan budget, as well as covering the entire costs of WIC and foreign food aid, over the next ten years.  For the amount that taxpayers have given up to ultra-wealthy corporations in just three years, we could feed all of our most vulnerable families at home and millions more around the world for a decade."  Surely that's something to think about to say the least!