How Closed Minded Are You? (Article 2 of 6)
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- Created: Tuesday, 01 November 2005 18:41
- Written by Tom Lipp
Each of us has to ask ourselves a very important question. I alluded to it in the August and again in October. Am I living in a closed system or an open system? Now what on earth does that mean?
By the word “system” I refer to a process that has known inputs, operations and outputs. Many years ago I had the privilege of visiting Dr. Francis Schaeffer at his L’Abri headquarters in Switzerland. I had just finished university and was touring Europe with our church youth group. Schaeffer was probably the greatest Christian apologist and philosophical thinker in the 20th century. He observed that the most modern economic and social policies are based on closed-system thinking with no room for the supernatural. What you see is what you get. That’s it. That’s all.
The Economics 101 textbook, by Smith and Samuelson, used by almost all universities states that all economics and the laws of supply and demand are based on scarcity of supply. “Economics is the study of how people and society choose to apply scarce resources that could have alternative uses in order to produce various commodities and to distribute them for consumption.” (Emphasis added)
If we are unwilling to pray and ask God to help us with every aspect of our finances, then we have conformed to the world and bought into the lie that there is no God.Scarce resources. We also use the expression, non-renewable resources. Maybe they are non-renewable by human means. But, since when, is God limited in His ability to create something out of nothing? Remember when God changed ordinary water into precious wine? How about when oil just kept on running until all the containers were full or when Jesus made bread and fish materialize out of thin air? All these are examples of an open financial system. Scarcity means nothing to God. It is a joke. Therefore if, God’s children impose a closed system constraint upon themselves, they will not only regret it in the future but also indirectly insult their Father now.
Closed system thinking has huge implications on our financial strategies. It limits our financial options to our own efforts and human productive capacity. The hammer and sickle flag of the former Soviet Union may best illustrate this type of thinking. It assumes that a nation’s wealth is all-dependent upon its own hard work.
Human-centric thinking ignores the God who both grants and withholds bountiful harvests. The biblical account of Job illustrates someone who did not live in a closed system. Job looked to God to provide in thick and thin.
Closed-system thinking operates on sight, not on faith. Its basic financial strategy is to accumulate as much wealth as possible and thereby insulate yourself against harm. It promotes insurance upon insurance. God says this is stupid! A closed system, such as the former Soviet Union, is doomed.
Closed system economics teaches there is no God. By the way, that’s exactly what the fool says to himself according to Psalms 10:4, 14:1. 53:1. (Note the repetition to emphasize this point.)
However, just because God has infinite resources, does not mean that He carelessly throws them around. No. He does not operate in mindless ways. He is a God of incredible complexity as the scientific community is discovering more and more. Consider the growth of the intelligent design movement. This applies to finances as well. Many operating in a closed system understand the importance of order and logic in their financial affairs. Those who operate in an open system should do the same, but first they should seek the direction of the system director. That means pray.
If we are unwilling to pray and ask God to help us with every aspect of our finances, then we have conformed to the world and bought into the lie that there is no God. Prayer is the key to a truly Christian financial strategy.
More about prayer and finances next month.