I'm not an economist. I know very little about micro or macro economic principles, but as much as I do know is this: our free-market capitalist economy is driven by any sort of productivity that is saleable, whether that be in manufacturing or in service industries. It is consumer-led rather than quality led. So to keep going it needs to continually find saleable forms of productivity. And as a system it seems to be struggling. We are in a global downturn as the many nations that have embraced "democracy" find that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and the ones in the middle are increasingly miserable as they frantically try to keep up with the built-in obsolescence of their luxury goods. Our manufacturing base seems to be reliant upon making things that no-one really needs, and our service industry supports those who are succeeding within the system.
So in my ignorance I had a thought. Perhaps this down-turn is a Godsend, giving us an opportunity to speak into society about what is really important. Imagine an economy built upon manufacturing things that people really need, and a service industry that supports that, ensuring that everyone gets what they need. Price and wealth wouldn't matter because we would all have what we require. We Christians pray about this all the time when we ask God to "give us this day our daily bread".
So here's the big question...Are we prepared to do more than pray it? Are we Christians ready to speak out about what is really important in today's world and to stand against rampant consumerism, offering an alternative way of ordering our society that is built on foundations of rock (no, not the music!) rather than on shifting sand? Do we have something to offer to those in our communities who are struggling to keep up with their rising debts and don't even know why they have got them?
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