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Archive for the ‘Economics’ Category

Antichrist in America: A Few Closing Thoughts on the Visit of Pope Francis

Posted in Economics, Politics, Roman Catholicism, tagged , , , , , on September 28, 2015| 2 Comments »

Pope Francis_Unholy MixThe past five days have seen the citizens of the United States subjected to a most extraordinary propaganda campaign. As the result of pope Francis’ visit to Washington D.C., New York and Philadelphia, the airwaves and newspapers of our nation have been filled with countless images of and reports on the pope’s activities, nearly all of which serve to cast Francis and his church in the most positive light possible. If it wasn’t clear before, it should now be abundantly evident to anyone, Catholic or not, that the mainstream media in this country is more than willing to prostitute itself as a megaphone for the Man of Sin. This shouldn’t be surprising. The Roman Catholic religion is designed and built to appeal to the flesh, and papal pomp certainly makes for good television.

But for all its gaudy appeal, Rome lacks that most important mark of a true church of God: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Justification by Faith Alone. All Rome’s smells, bells, mitres, and masses put together cannot save a single soul. They cannot do so much as remit the guilt of a single sin. It is the righteousness of Christ alone imputed to believers by faith alone that saves sinners from death eternal. But this Rome flatly denies. And not only that, but it actually curses and damns all who believe this simple truth. The Roman Catholic Church-State is a false spiritual harlot of a church, teaching a false faith plus works non-gospel, presided over by the Son of Perdition himself. And yet this Babylonian Harlot-drunk-with-the-blood-of-the-saints institution is lifted up by the American press as representative of the best of Christianity. Watching this spectacle is enough to prompt any thinking Christian to repeat the words of the apostle John, who, when confronted with the vision of the Whore of Babylon, was astonished, declared, “And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”

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Antichrist in the House: Pope Francis Addresses Congress

Posted in Economics, Politics, Roman Catholicism, tagged , , on September 25, 2015| 7 Comments »

“Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.” – Pope Francis I

Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Antichrist continued his assault on our nation’s capital, breaking new ground as pope Francis became the first pontiff to address a joint session of Congress. The reaction from the members of the House and Senate was as expected, enthusiastic. The same with the press. The headline on Fox News was “Pope Francis delivers message of ‘hope and healing’ in address to Congress.” The New York Times proclaimed “Pope Francis Challenges Congress to Heal World’s ‘Open Wounds.’ ” The truth be known, the pope’s speech was a chock full of the standard collectivist claptrap we have come to expect from the Vatican.

One could spend a great deal of time unpacking all the economic, political, and theological errors in the pope’s address, ideas that are incompatible with the constitutional and capitalist foundation of the United States. But to keep this discussion brief, I shall mention only three: the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity.

The term “common good” is a buzzword in the social teaching the Roman Catholic Church-State invoked as a call for socialism. By my count, the pope used this term six times in his speech before Congress. In Roman Catholic social teaching, the common good is not merely used as justification for Rome to interfere in the economies of individual nations, but it is the basis for Rome’s long standing call for world government. John Robbins explains it this way,

The “common good” is the great fiction used by the Roman Church-State to justify government control of society and economy. It is also useful in arguing for a world government, as many popes have done. The Catechism of the Catholic Church points out that “Human interdependence is increasing and gradually spreading throughout the world.” The unity of the human family, embracing people who enjoy equal natural dignity, implies a universal common good. This good calls for an organization of the community of nations able to “provide for the different needs of men…food, hygiene, education…” (Ecclesiastical Megalomania, 187, 188).

Yes, the common good sounds so wonderful, Who could possibly be against it? But how many understand that behind such silken language lies the call for world government?

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Stupid and Evil: Congress’ Invitation to Pope Francis I

Posted in Economics, Politics, Roman Catholicism, tagged , , , on September 21, 2015| 1 Comment »

Pope Francis Bobbleheads

Pope Francis Bobbleheads

“In America we have a two party system,” explained the Republican congressional staffer to a group of visiting Russian dignitaries, “the stupid party [Republicans] and the evil party [Democrats]. “I’m a proud member of the stupid party.” “From time to time,” the staffer continued, ” the two parties get together and do something that’s both stupid and evil. This is called bi-partisanship.” Although there is some debate as to who actually said this – some attribute it to the late conservative columnist Samuel Francis – it’s a funny quote. And one that rings true as well. And in light of the endless propaganda blitz from the mainstream media about Jorge Bergolio’s (dba Pope Francis I) upcoming visit to the United States, it seems particularly apropos.

The visit, a result of a bi-partisan invitation to the pope by John Boehner (Republican) and Nancy Pelosi (Democrat), is the very definition of stupid and evil. During his stay in the US, the pope will, among other things, meet with President Barak Obama at the White House, parade through the streets of Washington D.C., deliver a speech to Congress, address the United Nations, visit Independence Hall and there deliver a speech using the same lectern used by Abraham Lincoln for the Gettysburg Address, and hold a Papal Mass for the World Meeting of Families.

The invitation is stupid, because politicians representing the people of the United States, supposedly a nation that values constitutional capitalism, have voluntarily brought the Antichrist head of the aggressively globalist, anti-republican Roman Catholic Church-State to our shores. Throughout its long, bloody history, the Babylonian Harlot of Rome has always favored repressive monarchies over against Biblical, representative government. It has always hated capitalism and favored collectivism of one sort or another. The pope is no friend of the Biblical ideas of limited government and laissez faire capitalism on which US was founded. Inviting him to trample three of our greatest cities with his parades, speeches, masses and blasphemies is an act of the crassest stupidity on the part of Congress.

The invitation is evil, because promoting the pope and his agenda is the same as putting light for darkness and darkness for light. While visiting the US, not only will the pope promote the unbiblical politics and economics of the Roman Catholic Church-State, but more importantly, he will be given the biggest possible stage, amplified by all the hype a star-struck media can muster, on which to advance Rome’s soul-destroying false gospel of faith and works, while those who believe the true Gospel of justification by faith alone are cast into the shadows.

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O Lord Keynes, Hear Us!

Posted in Economics, Scripturalism, tagged on August 24, 2015| 2 Comments »

The Sacrifice of Elijah Against the Prophets of Baal. Luca Giordano ca. 1650 -1660.

The Sacrifice of Elijah Against the Prophets of Baal. Luca Giordano ca. 1650 -1660.

In 1 Kings 18, we read the account of the famous head-to-head between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Elijah had challenged Baalites to a prophetic version of a pistols-at-noon duel. The supports of Baal would have their opportunity to call upon their god, Elijah would have his opportunity to call upon his. Addressing the people of Israel, Elijah set the terms of the challenge by saying, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are for hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God” (1 Kings 18:22-24).

Could the priests of Baal call fire from the heavens to consume the sacrificial bull? This was a fair challenge, and one the Baalites could hardly refuse. Had they taken a pass, they would have cast doubt on their entire belief system. Elijah had them cornered. Scripture tells us, “So they [the prophets of Baal] took the bull which was given them and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” (1 Kings 18:26). But for all their infinite passion, nothing happened.

This had to be enormously embarrassing for both the priests and for their royal patrons, King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Taking advantage of their obvious failure, Elijah mocked the Baalite prophets, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating , or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened” (I Kings 18;27). Faced with the prospect of a crushing defeat, Baal’s prophets doubled down on the only trick they had. Unfortunately for them, that trick, which already wasn’t working, was about not to work once again. Scripture tells us that in response to Elijah’s sarcasm, the prophets of Baal, “cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice (I Kings 18:28, 29).

What was their reward for all this effort, all this blood-letting? Crickets. The sound of crickets. The Bible tells us, “But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (I Kings 18/29).

Those familiar with the account know how it ends. The Lord answered Elijah’s simple prayer and sent fire from heaven that consumed “the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (I Kings 18:38). Adding injury to their humiliation, Elijah ordered the execution of the false Baalite prophets.

The problem with the prophets of Baal wasn’t their lack of passion. It wasn’t that they didn’t give it their all. The reason they failed was simple: they had a flawed concept of reality. They had turned their back on the Lord and embraced a lie. Professing to be wise, they had become fools.

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Book Review: Christ and Civilization

Posted in Book Review, Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Scripturalism, tagged on July 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Christ And CivilizationChrist and Civilization by John W. Robbins (Unicoi, Tennessee: The Trinity Foundation, 48 pages).

Many in the West have a vague sense that something is seriously wrong with our civilization. Predictions of decline and collapse are not especially new. They go back as least as far as Oswald Spengler’s 1918 Decline of the West. But the years following the 2008 financial crisis have seen anxiety about the long-term viability of Western civilization go mainstream. Government surveillance grows. Individual freedom shrinks. National debt spirals out of control, while politicians and central bankers talk openly about banning the use of cash, the better to control a financial system that threatens to collapse. There seems to be a general loss of trust in the mainstream institutions of society, and the rise of the alternative internet media is one sign of this.

In the opinion of the reviewer, people are right to be concerned about the future of the West. An unstable and unsustainable financial system, increasingly lawless government, and the decline of public morality are all hallmarks of our civilization in the early 21st century. Someone once made the witty observation that things which cannot go on forever, don’t. And from all appearances, the West seems to be on an unsustainable course. The question seems to be when, not if a major systemic shock will occur.

One of the few hopeful signs during this degenerate time has been the rise of the internet, which has provided a forum for commentary which in earlier times never would have seen the light of day. As one with a special interest in finance, this reviewer has been delighted at the remarkable amount of interesting and knowledgeable commentary about the ongoing financial crisis that is to be found on various blogs and You Tube channels.

But while many bloggers pour their heart and soul into documenting the decline of the West and advising people how to protect themselves against it, there is something missing from what they have to say. In this reviewer’s opinion, their biggest problem is that they lack a clear understanding of what made the West great in the first place and what has been the cause of its decline.

Christ and Civilization by John W. Robbins is the antidote to all that. Writing in the lucid, concise style that is characteristic of him, Robbins takes there reader on a tour of history beginning in ancient Greece and Rome, carrying through to the middle ages and the Reformation, and ending in modern times. This would be an impressive feat for any book. But what makes this book all the more remarkable is that Robbins accomplishes all this in the space of a mere 48 pages.

Originally published in The Trinity Review as an essay by the same name, Christ and Civilization posits that the West owes its origin and its success, not to Greece and Rome, but rather to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Form most modern westerners, subject as they are to secularist propaganda, this likely will come as a new thought. And herein lies the importance of Robbins’ work.

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No Soundness In It

Posted in Economics, Roman Catholicism, Theology, tagged , , , on July 13, 2015| 2 Comments »

From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it.

– Isaiah 1:6

If people think at all about civilizational collapse, they tend to think of the fall of the Roman Empire. Famously chronicled by English historian Edward Gibbon, the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 B.C. is considered a red letter date in history. Those who have not read Gibbon may reasonably suppose he stopped his account at that point. But such is not the case. Gibbon was just getting warmed up. From the fall of Rome, he want on the chronicle the rise of Islam in the 6th century and its conflict with, and eventual conquest of, the Eastern Roman Empire. He ended his history with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in A.D. 1453.

But as impressive as it is, Gibbon’s The
History of the
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is not the first or the best account of civilizational collapse. That honor would have to fall to Old Testament, much of which chronicles of The Decline and Fall of the Hebrew Republic. Established in Canaan under Joshua, the Hebrew Republic devolved into a monarchy under

BBC206171 Portrait of Edward Gibbon (1737-94) c.1779 (oil on canvas) by Reynolds, Sir Joshua (1723-92) oil on canvas 73.6x62.2 Private Collection English, out of copyright

Portrait of Edward Gibbon (1737-94) c.1779 (oil on canvas) by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92)

Saul in 1050 B.C., reached the height of its wealth and power under Solomon between the years 970 and 930 B.C., then split into a Northern and a Southern Kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam. From there, the fortunes of the two kingdoms trended downward over the course of several centuries until the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 722 B.C. and the final conquest of the Southern Kingdom by Babylon in 586 B.C.

The history of the Decline and Fall of the Hebrew Republic is exceptionally well documented, for it is given to us in the form of God’s inspired, infallible, inerrant Word. As such, we have a perfect record, not only of what took place, but God’s own interpretation of why it took place. One of the problems of secular history is getting the facts straight. But even if a historian were to be given perfect documentation of the period they were studying, there still would remain the issue of interpreting the events. Events do not interpret themselves. Events must themselves be explained. Those problems do not exist with the Old Testament. God has graciously provided to us both the facts and their correct interpretation.

Though many people do not seem to recognize it, we who are alive at the beginning of the 21th century are living through a civilizational collapse, one that has much in common with that experienced by the ancient Israelites and recorded in I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, and in the prophets. Many of the same ills that beset us in the 21st century are the same as those experienced by the Hebrews in the centuries leading up to the collapse of that nation. But not only are the symptoms the same – moral decline, economic decline, disastrous foreign policy, internal strife – the cause is the same as well. In both cases, the people turned their backs on God and his Word. And just as the Israelites learned that a godly heritage without actual godliness is no protection against disaster, so too are we in the West being taught that that same hard lesson

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The Sins of Central Banking

Posted in Economics, tagged , on January 26, 2015| 2 Comments »

Bail ins.  Bail outs.  Financial repression.  NIRP,  ZIRP, and QE.  These are just a few of the puzzling terms one is confronted with in the course of reading financial journalism.  And all of them, though intellectually defended by prestigious academics and widely practiced by powerful central bankers, are the unbiblical, unchristian, immoral fruit of economic thought divorced from the authority of God’s Word.  Describing the current world monetary system,  Ronald L. Cooper put it this way,

“[T]he monetary system is a Satanic monetary system.  It’s under the kingdom of Satan. There’s no place in the bible for a central bank” (The Failure of Secular Economic Policy, Trinity Foundation Conference on Christianity and Economics, Lecture 5).

Many Christians would recognize that there are problems with our economy.  Some would even own that, yes, central banking as practiced by the US Federal Reserve (hereafter, the Fed) is the source of much misery in this nation.  But to call the current economic and monetary system of the US satanic would very likely shock even most Evangelicals.  Surely that cannot be so.

And yet there is a great deal of evidence that central banking is indeed the satanic monstrosity Cooper made it out to be.  The aim of the following essay is to make manifest the reason why this is so.

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We Ought to Obey God Rather Than Men

Posted in Economics, tagged on December 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The study of ethics, what we ought to do, is one of the principle fields of philosophic inquiry. And many are they who presume to speak with authority on this subject. But as with all statements of all men, the Christian ought to compare all ethical claims by the standard of Scripture.

And what is the basis of Christian ethics? The law of God. A thing is right, for no other reason that God says it is right. A thing is wring, for no other reason than God condemns it Peter summarized this idea when explaining to the Sanhedrin why he disobeyed their order not to speak in the name of Christ. He told them, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:9). Understanding this one principle greatly simplifies the Christian’s task of judging the ethical merits of any proposed course of action.

For example, during the 2008 financial crisis, the powers that be so frightened Congress and the American people with visions of financial Armageddon, that TARP, a taxpayer financed $700 billion bailout package aimed at saving the so-called too-big-to-fail banks on Wall Street, was passed. It was just obviously the right thing to do. So much so, that one of my business school professors said it was boring even to question the decision.

But was this decision to rescue failing financial firms with taxpayer money self-evidently ethical? Where, for instance, in the Constitution is Congress ever given the authority to bail out anyone? More to the point of this essay, where does the Bible ever grant the civil magistrate the power to take from one person to give to another? The law of God calls this theft, and we are commanded not to do it. In short, the Bible condemns TARP and all those who planned, advocated, voted for, and benefitted from it. Guilty too are those who continue to defend it.


 

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Same-Sex Fascism

Posted in Economics, Politics on June 2, 2014| 2 Comments »

Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?

– Matthew 20:15

According to this article from the Aquila Report, Colorado baker Jack Phillips has been ordered by the state civil rights commission to, ” ‘stop discriminating against gay people,’ document any customers he refuses to serve, provide ‘anti-discrimination training’ for his staff, and report quarterly for two years.” What was it Phillips did to merit such a rebuke? As the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, he refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Although homosexual rights advocates constantly harangue the nation about the need for tolerance and diversity, the true colors of this unbiblical, satanic movement at clearly seen in this and other cases. And those colors are brown. As in brown shirt. As in fascist.

In a capitalist society, ownership and use go hand in hand. A capitalist would answer the above question in Jesus parable with a resounding “yes.” But the essence of fascism is the separation of ownership and use. In a fascist system, the means of production remain in private hands, so you can own your own bakery, but the use of it is dictated by Der Führer, Il Duce or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, all of whom would answer the question at the top of this post in the negative.

As one may suspect, the case in Colorado is not isolated. Elaine Huguenin, a Christian photographer from New Mexico, has run afoul of that state’s anti-discrimination laws as a result of her refusal to photograph a same-sex marriage.

Another troubling aspect of both cases is that the defense offered up by these Christian business owners appears to be weak an ineffective. In both cases, the Christians are relying on free speech arguments when what they should be doing is challenging the whole notion that government, be it local, state, or federal, has any authority to dictate the terms under which a business owner deals with the public. To do so would be to lay the axe to the root of one of the greatest threats to freedom in this country.


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From One Socialist to Another

Posted in Economics, Roman Catholicism, tagged on March 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

When President Obama met today with Pope Francis I, part of their agenda involved the giving of gifts. The president presented the pope with seeds of the sort used in the White House vegetable garden in a box made with wood reclaimed from the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The pope returned the favor by giving Obama two medallions and a copy of Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Francis’ heavily socialist Apostolic Exhortation released in November 2013.

Doubtless, the gift was warmly received.

For all the whining and posturing of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the contraceptive provisions of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), they must be delighted with the socialist tone of the current administration, which jibes nicely with historic Roman Catholic Church-State social teaching.

The only question seems to be, which will run out first, the pack of vegetable seeds or the US Treasury from paying for Roman Catholic inspired, socialist health care?

Please click here for a link to a New York Times article on the meeting.

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