Not Whether To Help, But How

Let me be clear: Divine justice operates in an entirely different economy than the one on which our President-elect and his advisors are focused. Therefore, we cannot expect for the American economy to be ruled by the same grace that rules the divine economy.

And yet, as per usual, we can take some important lessons from our faith lives to our public lives.

Let me be clear: Divine justice operates in an entirely different economy than the one on which our President-elect and his advisors are focused. Therefore, we cannot expect for the American economy to be ruled by the same grace that rules the divine economy.

And yet, as per usual, we can take some important lessons from our faith lives to our public lives.

1. Other people’s gains do not have to be our losses. When we receive an undeserved blessing, we say, “I am blessed to be a blessing.” By this we mean, a blessing need not benefit only one person or group of people. When one is made better, all those around stand to benefit. In other words, bailing out certain industries should benefit all of us. Not every company will handle their blessing responsibly, but we shouldn’t assume the money as lost and gone forever, it will likely be passed on to others.

2. Many times, punishment benefits no one. Punishment can only be carried out when it rights a wrong or helps a person learn a valuable lesson. Without these, punishment is merely vengeance. Vengeance is sin for a reason. It benefits no one and hurts everyone.

3. New life often requires death. The most obvious example is baptism, in which we die to our old self and are born anew. But the truth of this is not just liturgical. Many a great disciple was born out of a moment when their life seemed to be falling apart – Saul lost his sight, Ruth lost her husband, Job lost everything. Although terrifying, the failure of old institutions may lead to the birth of new opportunities.

4. Some investments are obviously better than others. Jesus taught us not to sow among the rocks or thorns because the seeds are not likely to produce grain there. Jesus taught us to invest our talents wisely so that they might multiply. God supports smart investments.

My conclusion then, is this…

If you believe that the big three auto makers are a good investment for America, then support the government’s bailout. On the other hand, if you believe (as I do) that the auto industry is not a good investment, then tell the government not to invest in the big three – let it declare bankruptcy and hope that it finds new life after death.

Whichever conclusion you reach, the decision should not be based on resentment or anger against those who have sinned in their greed or acted foolishly with the gifts they were given. The question is not whether they deserve our help, but whether they need it. The workers at the big three automakers, and all the other workers around the country whose jobs depend on the auto industry certainly need our help. If we don’t give it in the form of a bailout for the corporations, we must certainly give it in another way.

The question for Christians is not whether we help, but how we help.