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God Damn Wall Street!

By: Paul Raushenbush

Saturday January 31, 2009

Categories: Christians, Poverty

Ok, I had to get a little Jeremiah Wright off my chest because the disgusting behavior of Wall Street while our economy crumbles has made it tough to maintain equanimity.  

 

The rip off disgrace of Bernie Madeoff, the spa adventures of government bailed-out AIG, the $100,000 office antics of Merrill Lynch's John Thain, - these have been enough to wish for some good old fashioned Divine judgment.  But now the New York Times recently reported that hefty bonuses were awarded on Wall Street. 

 

"Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year.

That was the sixth-largest haul on record, according to a report released Wednesday by the New York State comptroller."

The sixth largest haul in what people are called the next great depression!  What exactly have the Wall Street empoyees accomplished for which they should be awarded bonuses?  There is a complete disconnect between the bubble of downtown Manhattan and the rest of the country which faces foreclosures, rising poverty, and unemployment figures that will likely reach double digits in the coming year. It is time for some deep soul searching among those who just got these fat bonuses in this time of crisis. 

 

I do not pretend to speak to people of any other faith, but as a pastor I encourage any Christians who got a bonus this year to give 100 percent of your bonus to the charity of your choice.  Maybe a job center, a foodbank or a public health care facility. Like the rich young man, you are loving money too much and your greed is a stumbling block to your own salvation.  This is your opportunity to respond to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25 and help those who are hungry, sick, captive, and naked.  Repent, before it is too late. Save your soul, and help your fellow citizens while you are at it.

Comments (9)
Filed Under: AIG Bail Out, Bernie Madeoff, Christianity, Jerimiah Wright, John Thain, Matthew 25, Money, politics and morality, politics and religion, Wall St
posted by Paul Raushenbush @ 9:35pm Permalink email icon Email This arrow Add to »
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Comments
James Gilmore
February 2, 2009 9:51 AM

Why don't you get this upset over wasteful government spending?

You mean like the trillion dollars it will cost to fight Bush's immoral, irresponsible war in Iraq?

Think about that: One trillion dollars of our money - to say nothing of the cost in lives and livelihoods for our soldiers and Iraqi civilians - wasted on this war. One trillion dollars that could be strengthening health care, improving schools, rebuilding roads and bridges, or not being spent and added to our debt...

Sam
February 2, 2009 3:14 PM

Pretty clever, James. You managed to avoid my point.

So, you do/don't think the government spends too much money and wastes it?

And by the way, the bail-outs of the last year cost more than World War II did IN TODAY'S DOLLARS.

Furthermore, the government squandered OUR social security, but yet you trust them with health care? Do you really understand the ramifications of socialized health care? Also, schools don't need more money. We're spending an ENORMOUS amount on education. Believe it or not, throwing money at something to "fix it" is not always going to work. And your state should be responsible for your state's roads and bridges. Finally, your comment "money...not being spent" is what tells me everything about your thinking. You actually think the government might have not spent the money otherwise? The government is not rational like your family and my family when we have extra money. They will ALWAYS spend it.

The truth is the government is going to destroy our economy. This is why our founder's wanted a loosely associated federal government.

Susannah's Daughter
February 2, 2009 4:01 PM

Brother Paul, I have no problem at all with your prophetic preaching. You're doing exactly what a prophet is supposed to do -- call the people back to God's way and to God's justice.

I didn't get a job bonus this year; in fact, I'm about to lose my job. But I'm still giving money and resources like food to local charities, especially through my church. The hardest part is learning not to spend money I don't have, because spending money one doesn't have has been the primary engine of our warped economy.

The Institute for Progressive Christianity has published a new white paper on "Reclaiming Capitalism Through Principles of Distributive Justice." You can find it here.http://www.instituteforprogressivechristianity.org/?q=node/65337

Cassy Ynclan
February 3, 2009 12:44 AM

Wow, what a title for an article. I just really don't understand why people are always giving God a last name such as that! I'm not even going to read the article. I just want to give my comments on the title, if that's okay. Let me tell you. Anytime anyone (it doesn't matter who) says G. D., I go off the grid. I always tell them please don't damn God because He has never damned you. You place yourself in the situations you go via. I tell them that every thing that they do will always have a reaction.

non-metaphysical stephen
February 28, 2009 10:47 AM

This morning I read Amos 2 and 3 and thought for sure he was writing about the people in the credit industry. May God deliver us from our reliance on credit, and may God remove from power all those who make profits off of other people's financial difficulties. Amen.

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Diana Butler Bass and Paul Raushenbush both stand firmly within the Mainline Protestant tradition and, along with guest bloggers of all religious backgrounds are dedicated to the revival of religious progressivism and its influence in American politics.

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Diana Butler Bass
Diana Butler Bass is a commentator and scholar in American religion. She is the author of seven books including A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (HarperOne, 2009).
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Moderator of the Progressive Revival blog and the Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University.
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