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Friday Five: Christian Stewardship and Why It’s Time to Take the Debt Seriously

This week’s collection includes commentary on America’s debt, thoughts on Christian stewardship and more.

1. The Spending Splurge and the End of Sacrifice: Our continued failure to address the debt, Ray Nothstine of the Acton Institute argues, speaks to a growing spiritual deficiency in our society—the inability to sacrifice.

“Redemption comes only through sacrifice,” Calvin Coolidge once reminded Americans. Failure to sacrifice now will in the end require a different variety of sacrifice. It will be for and in the name of the state. That kind of sacrifice will prove more costly, and will come at the expense of our political and spiritual liberties.

2. How to Fight Global Poverty: Prof. Steven Davies describes why the number of people suffering from absolute poverty in China decreased from 65 percent to 4 percent in just over 20 years.

3. History Will Be Kind to Those Who Pay the Debt: Jacque Isaacs makes an argument for why Millennials must take the lead in dealing with our country’s debt.

This is an area where Millennials must lead, since our current elected officials seem unwilling to—they are handing $17 trillion worth of accumulated debt to us after all. We need to realize that even if it is messy in the present, the fight to cut reckless spending is worth it.

4. There is No Going Back: Hugh Whelchel of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics provides encouragement as we strive to overcome the challenges of Christian stewardship.

For those of us who have tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the coming age (Hebrews 6:4-5), there is no going back. Sitting in the middle of the road is also not an option. We must push forward, following the road God has called us to travel.

5. Religion and the Foundations of Morality: Writing for Public Discourse, Kenneth Kemp contributes to the discussion about whether religion is a necessary foundation for morality.

We don’t need to know that God exists to know good from bad. It is enough to know human nature—what kind of being we are and what kind of actions will bring us to fullness of being.