The Church Fathers (Ep. 5) - Ethical investing, Righteous Pension Plans, and Money-Saving Wisdom

We thank and congratulate you, bright-eyed and stout-hearted listener, for continuing with us along this merry road into our fifth episode.

What do you do with your hard-earned money each month? When (if at all) do you think about putting money aside for the proverbial rainy day (or these days, catastrophic, world-ending, CO2-induced apocalypse)? Do you tithe, and if so, with a joyful or begrudging heart? Do you trust the investment and increase of your money to someone else?

Tom leads a pertinent conversation on financial investment and the future-oriented mindset of the righteous man, who plans for the autumnal and wintry seasons of his life. For he knows that no matter his opinion on the matter, a clock is somewhere ticking that counts down the days. Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce... but he approaches as inexorably as the ocean tides.

But the righteous man can and should rejoice, orienting his days and decisions with confident wisdom, knowing that his future (and indeed that of the planet, you enviro-fascist doomsayers) is in the safest hands.
We touch lightly on 'retirement', leaving the faintest of imprints for another day. It needs and deserves more than a passing comment, as this topic is overgrown with worldly weeds, such that humanistic rot can be quietly and naively assumed without any rootstock consideration.

Herein lies the practical and hard-to-swallow kernel of truth that Tom wanted to bring up – “What are we doing with our money?” More broadly, he poses the questions, “What are we saving for?”, and (based on his professional experience) “How mindful are we of the decisions that others (that dreaded expert-class) make with our money on our behalf?”

Ben and Tom wade into the shallows of financial investing, talking about the pitfalls of passive investing (ETFs, index funds, pension plans, etc.) for the heavenly-minded man, who nonetheless wishes to see every penny put to good use and everlasting profit.

Although the difference between a penny and a pound is only volume, this offers no excuse, for God is deeply concerned about our deployment of even the most seemingly insignificant mite (Mark 12). Let us consider with boldness and honesty the real-world Kingdom-building that we have missed (and could miss in the future) with unmindful, unwise, undisciplined, and unthoughtful action.

Ethics lies at the heart of this conversation about investment, and similarly, ethics and justice lie at the core of the Biblical worldview, which Jesus Christ calls Christians to establish, enrooten, and propagate throughout the cosmos*.

Do not be like Smaug, you wyrm, sitting atop your mound of treasure, neither risking nor enjoying the wealth that has the throne of God as its source. Do not be a tight-fisted miser, who never shares, tithes, or rejoices in the God-ordained pleasures (no matter how short-lived) that the world offers - ale, cheese, and paté, for instance, as well as the occasional cruise trip and/or three-piece suit. Walk with a bold bounce in your step along the Way, but watch out for ditches, potholes, and the temptation of a hard heart as you go.

May the peace of Christ be upon you,
Ben and Tom

*Hopefully that includes extra-terrestrial planets, terraforming of airless wastelands, and therefore also rocket ships!

+++

At some point in the not-so-distant future, this will be a slick, professional YouTube channel with links, giveaways, and a high-tech viewing experience (with no falling phones).

Until then, join us for weekly episodes and enjoy the banter, #dadjokes, and down-to-the-root, Biblical analysis of wider culture in the #messywest

Please like, share, and subscribe to propel this commentary (near-extinct and badly needed in 21st century Britain and Europe) onto the interweb...

...and our faces onto the FBI's list of 'Most Wanted Dangerous Extremists' - a boy can dream! #bucketlist