Building His Church

Russell Moore wrote a fantastic article that the future leaders of the church may be her current enemies.

Whenever I’m tempted to despair about the shape of American Christianity, I’m reminded that Jesus never promised the triumph of the American church; he promised the triumph of the church. Most of the church, in heaven and on earth, isn’t American. Maybe the hope of the American church is right now in Nigeria or Laos or Indonesia.

Jesus will be King, and his church will flourish. And he’ll do it in the way he chooses, by exalting the humble and humbling the exalted, and by transforming cowards and thieves and murderers into the cornerstones of his New City.

So relax.

And, be kind to that atheist in front of you on the highway, the one who just shot you an obscene gesture. He might be the one who evangelizes your grandchildren.

Source:

Russell Moore, "The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now" 2 January 2012 http://www.russellmoore.com/

 

Gambling Away Reality

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I inwardly groaned when I heard on the radio this morning that there is a new proposal to build a casino in downtown Toronto.  I have long-held that casinos (and gambling in general) redistributes wealth from the poor to the middle class and wealthy and in the process leads to significant societal problems.

The local residents who expressed concern on the radio about the casino were mostly worried that traffic levels would increase.  Perhaps. But there's a whole lot more at stake than congestion.   

The Globe and Mail had a live chat with an expert on gambling from the University of Lethbridge.  I was pleased he pointed out something that the people worried about more cars (and also the politicians who support revenue generating proposal), probably hadn't thought of.

"It is true that all government revenue is used for the good of the people. However, the important thing to remember about gambling is that it is a type of industry that simply involves a transfer of wealth, not a creation of weath (e.g., as you would have in a manufacturing industry). Hence, all this new revenue and employment has to come from other parts of the Ontario economy. The primary economic losers would be a) neighbouring casinos and slots at racetracks, b) other retail businesses in the Toronto area, and c) the citizens and city of Toronto, if the revenue contributed is not returned in equal measure in terms of provincial services. Furthermore, although there would be some economic gains for the very local area, this transfer of wealth creates social costs in terms of increased rates of addiction and a small increase in crime."

 

He continues,

 

"Only last point I would want to make concerns where the money is coming from. Governments always correctly point to where the money goes (i.e., to support education, heatlh care, infrastructure, and other good causes). However, we cannot ignore where the money comes from. Research shows that 1/3 of Ontario govt gambling revenue comes from gambling addicts (a much higher percentage just for casinos). Thus, raising money in this way become a potentially ethically problematic enterprise"

 

Source: http://live.theglobeandmail.com/Event/Discussion_The_Globe_talks_with_gambling_researcher_Dr_Robert_Williams_on_the_OLGs_Toronto_casino