Capitalism is making me sick!

As many will know - my life before full time ministry was in finance and stockbroking. I would descibe myself as a compassionate capitalist if I had to identify my preferred economic position. Of all the systems we have for operating in our world capitalism seems to be the best in a democratic society. However, the capitalism I see in our world today is making me sick! There is little compassion and we seem to have learnt little from the GFC.

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Hartcher (25/9/09) called 'Greed is God again, and we have learned nothing!' is very insightful - I would recommend you read it if you didn't catch it.

In essence he says that the banks are immune from impunity when it comes to their failings because the Government cannot afford to have them fail - and so they bail them out with billions of dollar of tax-payer money. So what has the GFC taught the banking sector? You can't lose!

The excessive salaries to incompetent directors and there bonuses make me sick! We seem to be well and truly back where we began - greed is on the rise yet again. The stock market has risen so quickly you could be forgiven for feeling a little dizzy at these heights.

Why am I ranting and raving? Because something is fundamnetally wrong in a world where there is little attempt at justice in a rorted financial system. When banks bet the lot and then get bailed out by governments - and yet if I fail to pay a disputable parking ticket I am threatened with gaol! Where company directors lose millions and keep their jobs while the average worker - gets the bullet if he so much as fails to make a ridiculous sales target!

There is something fundamentally wrong in a system like that - driven by greed and economic rationalism that fails to consider - people! Yes, people, who have homes and families, who have feelings - who are imperfect - but simply want a fair go.

As Christians we need to be sure that we stand apart in these days of greed. We need to show people that Christ is what drives us - not financial gain!

Capitalism is on shaky ground when it rewards failure and continues to send the message that the goal of life is to make easy money any way you can. We will end up a soul-less society that will wonder what went wrong! God help us!

Jesus said, 'It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle!' It would seem this is a messsage we need to keep hearing. As Jesus also said, 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?'

Oh by the way - congratulations Tiger Woods on winning the Fed Ex points score and collecting prize money of $11.5 million. I think I feel sick again! And they wonder why empires fall and people rise up when they have had enough!

I know we live in a complex world but if you never swallow the medicine you will never get better! We missed our chance to swallow the medicine following the GFC and now further ills await us.

Thank goodness there is good news in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In a world that has gone mad in so many ways - give me the good news of Jesus any day. Here is someone with integrity, who shows compasion and love and who holds out the hope of justice and a better world to come. What an inspiration he is!

Did someone mention the NSW Government? Don't get me started! Michael