Praying For a Bailout.

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Government bailouts are a terrible idea. Or so I thought. The idea of “We The People” as co-owners in everything from banking to private residences to the auto industry has never appealed to me. “Is this how capitalism is supposed to work?” was the pervading thought in my head.

With the heads of the “Big Three” (GM, Ford, Chrysler) pandering Capitol Hill for some much needed dough, I thought I had reached a place where I could say, “if they fail, they need to fail.” After all, businesses close all the time (Kate’s in West Glen and Billy Joe’s most recently here in the DSM metro) with little to no help from the government. “What makes the ‘Big Three’ so special?”

The answer to that is a complicated one and outside of my understanding. There are a lot of jobs at stake (some estimates say 2 million); there’s a lot of money at stake (execs are asking for $25 billion); there’s a lot of emotions involved on either side of the struggle.

Bailouts seem to be an easy way to “fix” (and by “fix” I mean temporarily stop the bleeding) a gaping economic head wound. You may not agree with that opinion, and that is perfectly okay. However, I saw something on the news this morning that made me step back and think, “This isn’t as easy as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer” when questioning whether or not to bail out a a struggling industry.

I watched a story on how Detroit churches were “praying for a bailout.” They showed footage from services held in Detroit churches this weekend past where the pastors were fervently leading their congregation in prayers to God asking for Congress to pass the proposed “bridge loan bailout.” Here are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, faithful followers of Jesus, asking God for something that I fundamentally do not agree with. Wow. How’s that for a test of your theological beliefs?

To a single mother of three who lives in Detroit and works at a GM plant putting fenders on cars for a living, this bailout is a very good thing for her family. It will allow her to continue in her job, which provides a salary, which provides her the ability to buy food, shelter, clothing, etc. for her family. Contrast that with someone like me who thinks bailouts are a bad idea. Someone as far removed from this situation as possible, other than the fact that I drive a car and will probably buy one another one in the future. Simply put, I would prefer this bailout to not pass.

It got me thinking about perspective. God’s perspective, more precisely. This whole issue boils down to perspective. If I see God as one who “picks and chooses” what prayers he answers, I will have a strange picture of God. If, for whatever reason, this bailout doesn’t pass, does that mean that God did not answer the prayers of our single mom in Detroit? Does it mean he did answer the prayers of those faithful Christians who are praying against a bailout? Either situation puts one party in an uncomfortable position.

As Americans, we can argue all day long regarding whether or not the bailout is a good idea. But what we cannot do is teetotal a situation as complex as this one is with a blanket of “wholly good” or “wholly bad.” As a Christian, I cannot assume that I possess the knowledge of what God’s sovereign will is with this situation. There’s nothing in the Bible about governments bailouts of giant conglomerate auto manufacturers.

I have to be willing to believe that I could, in fact, be wrong about my beliefs in this situation.

So, to my brothers and sisters in Detroit and to those around the world who will be affected by this decision (either way), I pray that your trust and faith in God will increase, no matter what. That, I believe, is the faithful position to hold.

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Contributor: Justin Wise

I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me
  • No Surprise that GM had to sink like the Titanic.. Just the pain and hard work of 300 Million Taxpayers going down the drain.. Whose responsible for that?
  • Alex Schroeder
    Just in case God would miss it, they decided to put the cars right up on the altar. Not quite the same as praying to a golden cow, but pretty close.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/us/08pray.htm...
  • "...thy will be done..."
  • Nice. That's really what it all boils down to, doesn't it?
  • Alex Schroeder
    Bailout or not, we are the wealthiest nation in the world. God gives Americans more blessings than any of us deserve. Even homeless people in America have more than the majority of people in the world. Let's all get over ourselves and stop treating God like our personal Genie.

    I was stunned to read an article about Christians laying hands on the Golden Bull statue on Wall Street. They were praying for our economy to turn around. Praying to Golden Bull statues for our financial wealth? Thankfully for them, God doesn't smite people nearly as often as he did in Old Testament times.
    http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/cindy_ja...
    http://wonkette.com/403920/jesus-people-pray-th...

    Or pray for lower gas prices. Keep it up, it looks like this prayer is working.
    http://www.thehilltoponline.com/biz_tech/1.461045

    Maybe I should pray to win the Lottery. Then I'd have everything. Right?
  • Dude, with a nickname like yours, you've already GOT everything :)
  • Here is what I know:

    1. The union workers for these companies are some of the highest paid union workers in America. Most union workers do not come close to earning what these workers have earned.

    2. The bailout is seen as a way to "save jobs." However, in the Big 3's plan to cut costs they are planning on eliminating thousands of jobs. Is that ironic to anyone else?

    It seems to me they should be able to find away to get some help, reduce costs, and keep jobs. Which is better, eliminating thousands of jobs so some people can be overpaid? Or keeping all the jobs and reducing everyone's pay slightly.

    In a time like this we need to look at another struggling auto company who pulled it all together and kept their business running while retaining all the employee's jobs: Callahan Auto Parts.

    That's right, the auto company that was saved by Tommy Boy. He worked hard to save the company and took personal responsibility for is poor actions in the past. I think this best sums it up:

    You can take a good look at a T-bone by sticking your head up a bull's ass, but wouldn't you rather take the butcher's word for it?
  • Where's Farley when you need 'im?

    I'm of the opinion that if a business goes bankrupt, they probably shouldn't be in business anymore. Why? Because they lost all their money. They have shown that they do not know how to run a business properly.

    Now, learn from your mistakes and relaunch as a different, more financially sound auto company!
  • Amen. God's Kingdom and will isn't as black and white as I once thought it to be. God works in ways so much bigger that our minds can understand. Do I believe God can work through the government to help people? Absolutely. My own personal thoughts parallel with yours Justin, but I will not put God in a box. I've done that too many times before with very negative and judgmental results.
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