Thursday, May 21, 2009

Financial Risk and Moral Responsibility

John Tiemstra of Calvin College writes an excellent article entitled Financial Crisis and a Culture of Risk in Perspectives Journal.  He does a wonderful job in a short essay of discussing the moral implications of risk in investing and banking.  How one views risk, whether as a moral reality or as a commodity to be packaged and sold has great bearing on the future of our economy and our financial security.  I encourage you to read it and reflect on your own personal investment strategies and debt accumulation both in the home and in your business.

1 comment:

  1. Good article. Thanks for taking the time with this.

    Accountability and stewardship work best on a small community level. What we have now is an out of control beast that is unpredictable in every sense, except being unsustainable. We have been giving our money to strangers and when our expected yields evaporate, often times with the principle (see Madoff), we are indignant. Should it be any surprise that corporate and government incest only fosters destruction of family and community--it is in their best interest that you do not separate, that you participate in their system that is failing; it is in our best interest to abstain and seperate to avoid sharing in their "plagues" of debt and the inevitable destruction that will fall upon the medium of exchange backed by the full faith and credit of the US gov. What about the full faith and credit of a God who will provide for His people who likewise should provide for each other in community?
    Small sustainable communities with little debt and consumption, starve the unruly beast that is our present debt-ridden and debt backed economy. Spending (via coveting) got us into this mess and more spending will get us out of it? Talk about the disease masquerading as the cure.
    I hope we can work toward greater and greater community so my children will have the best context in which to remain faithful to God's promises in fellowship with others as opposed to the faith we put in the promises of man (401ks SSI).
    Now the hard part, to be open to the will God wants to work in me.

    ReplyDelete