Does this mean we should not enjoy all the earthly riches and goods? No. Enjoy them. Earn them. It is a misconception that one has to be poor to be spiritual, and that hard work should not be rewarded. What is important is finding the balance between greed and having enough, and defining what a joyful life means to us….
So how are we to correct the negative traits of capitalism? A Robin Hood tax, or Tobin tax, has been suggested. Yet there is a risk that such a tax is more likely to hit investors than banks. And it is not yet clear how it would discourage risky behaviour by banks.
We cannot tax ourselves out of this and hope that this will solve the problem because we are not addressing the root cause of the behaviour. We are in self-denial because we are treating the symptoms, not healing the patient.
Better than what I thought it would be, but not quite good enough. Left out was the God/Jesus aspect of transforming our lives to enable us to first love God with all our heart and then to love others as ourselves. I would very much have liked them to formally declare that the state cannot compel “good behavior” over the long run; only love for God can. If the state could create a just society then the Soviet Union would still be thriving.
An Anglican Archbishop says something intelligent about the FTT!
For me it comes as something of a relief.
Thank you for sharing this Kendall. May we all be spared from placing our political and economic philosophies ahead of our commitment to our Savior and our Lord.