America's Dangerous Direction

Translated/Taiwan Crown Truth Financial Association

The clearest indicator of a person's direction of action comes from his "money footprint."
This is true not only for individuals, but also for businesses and governments.
According to data, the United States has gone from being the largest creditor country in the world to
Transformed into the world's largest debtor nation...

When trying to manage finances, people often ask me, "What role should money play in our lives?" It's a good question to think about—and the Bible has the answer. Jesus said:"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Luke 16:13)

Jesus described the great danger of letting money be our master instead of Him—when money becomes our master, our entire life is controlled by the wrong master, and it almost amounts to contempt for God.

Many times, the clearest indicator of a person's direction of action comes from his "money footprint." Just looking at how they use their money will show them the direction they are heading. This is true not only for individuals, but also for businesses and governments.

Dr. Wen Yingqian is an outstanding economist (refer to his resume on page 10). I was honored to interview him recently on our Money Life radio show, and I hope you will heed his words of wisdom. (Editor's note: This program was broadcast on August 18, 2010, and can be accessed online: http://media.crown.org/audio/moneylife/mlflo20100818.mp3)

Through the financial footprint of the United States, Dr. Wen can clearly see that the United States is heading in a "dangerous direction." He believes our current path begins by violating God's financial principles, which are biblical warnings against borrowing and overspending.

The economist, who is also a devout Christian, said that the financial crisis in the United States is due to the failure to follow the conditions God gave to Israel (or any nation that claims to honor God) in Deuteronomy 28 - to obey God.

“If you obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe and do all his commandments, which I command you today, he will set you above all the peoples of the earth. If you obey the voice of the LORD your God, these are the things you will do. His blessings will follow you and come upon you." (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)

What are the financial rewards for a nation that obeys God?

"You will lend to many nations, but you will not lend to them. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and do them carefully and do not turn to the right or to the left or to serve other gods, then the LORD will That you may be the first and not the last, but the one who is above and not the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:12-13)

Notice the opposite economic consequences for nations that disobey God's commandments:

"The stranger who sojourns among you will rise higher and higher than you; and you will descend lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you cannot lend to him; he will be the first, and you will be the last. ” (Deuteronomy 28:43-44)

Looking at God's conditional promises, Dr. Wen said, "Statistically, the United States was the world's largest creditor nation in the 1970s." In other words, because God has given us incredible abundance, we can borrow money. to many countries. However, "beginning in 1985, the United States became an indebted country. By 2004, the United States had become the world's largest indebted country."

The reason we are on the dangerous path we are on is the result of our disobedience to God. Even more dangerous is the "rescue package" for economic recovery in which the federal government borrows more money from abroad. Dr. Wen said that increasing federal debt to stimulate the economy is effective in the short term, but in the long term it "seduce poison and quench thirst."

In addition to worrying about the U.S. government’s excessive borrowing and excessive consumption, Dr. Wen also noticed that the American people are in a similar situation. The average American household has high levels of debt but little savings. Debt and interest payments alone cost 14% of after-tax income, while the savings rate is less than 5% of annual pre-tax income.

What should Christians do?

The renowned scholar offers the following straightforward advice:

1. We should pray for America and Europe, these countries have enjoyed the economic blessings given by God in the past, and now we hope that they will turn back to God instead of continuing to turn away from Him. We should ask the Lord to have mercy and give them a spirit of repentance to resist sin and corruption and embrace the Word of God again.

2. We should use our influence, and exercise our civic responsibility to elect leaders who will curb government overspending and continued debt borrowing.

3. Personally,We should return to the teachings of the Bible. Because we belong to God, our resources belong to Him—we are stewards, not owners. We must be faithful and obedient stewards of God. In practical terms, we should increase our savings and work hard to pay off every debt, including home loans. Finally, we need to live a life of contentment and not love money (see Hebrews 13:5).

I am honored to announce that Dr. Wen and his wife Ms. Wu Guiying have joined Guan Mian as volunteers. They will continue to live in Washington, D.C., and serve as the Director of Chinese Outreach Ministries at Crown USA. In addition, Dr. Wen will serve on our upcoming Economic Advisory Council. I thank God for sending us such a capable servant at this time.

(This article originally appeared in the Money Matters Newsletter, September/October, 2010, pages 4-5, 18, by Chuck Bentley, CEO of Crown Financial Ministries, Crown Financial Ministries, Gainesville, Georgia, USA. Translated into Chinese by the Taiwan Crown Financial Ministries Association , published in the 18th issue of "Growth Network" published by the association).

Crown Financial Ministries http://www.crown.org
Crown Financial Ministries in the United States was established in 2000 by the merger of two organizations. The first was the Christian Financial Concepts founded by Larry Burkett (1939-2003) in 1976. Ministry" (Christian Financial Concepts, CFC); the other is "Crown Ministries" founded by Howard Dayton in 1985. This organization has become an international Christian non-denominational non-profit organization and the largest Christian financial management and stewardship ministry in the world. At present, the ministry has developed to more than 80 countries on five continents around the world, including Taiwan and China; more than 50 million Christians have accepted its biblical financial teachings.
"Taiwan Crown Truth Financial Association" (http://www.crown.org.tw) was established in 2006. It introduced the ministry concept, operation model and resources of the American Crown to serve the churches in Taiwan.

Dr. Wen Yingqian holds a PhD in political economics from Johns Hopkins University. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certificate from the United States and a securities analyst certificate from Taiwan. He served at the World Bank for more than two decades as a senior economist. After retiring in 1996, he applied to teach at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan, where he served as director of the Mainland Research Institute, director of the Department of Economics, and director of the Institute of International Economics. In January 2005, he was appointed by the Taiwanese government as a director of the Central Bank for a five-year term. Taiwan's foreign exchange deposits managed by the bank reached US$382 billion at the end of 2010, and it is also one of the largest creditors of US Treasury bonds. Currently he is an honorary professor at National Dong Hwa University.

Chuck Bentley

Executive Director of Crown Financial Ministries USA. Currently, Crown Ministries has spread all over the world, with co-workers on every continent, media broadcasts in North and South America, and the publication of books and teaching materials to serve all those in spiritual and financial need.

Bunchak is a frequent speaker on biblical finance to church and business leaders. He and his wife, Ann, have been married for thirty-one years. They both graduated from Baylor University. They have four sons, one of whom is currently married, and they recently received a grandson.