SPECIAL EVENTS |
Our New Business FocusMonday 21 Sep 2009 For the past 12 months since we first launched the Missionaries News Service we have continued to evaluate our role within the Church and the effectiveness of the Missionaries News Service. During this time the Global Financial Crisis has hit hard and the government in the US has turned sharply to the left. This has changed the world for all of us. During this time, like many of our friends, we have been struggling to adjust to these difficult and challenging times and to also see clearly what is happening and where we are going. As part of this process we have been sharpening our focus to ensure that we are in tune with what it required of us in these times – how can we best serve the Church and what it is trying to achieve in the world today? As a result, we have decided that what is needed is: a good, reliable, Bible-based, Business News and Opinion Service. And so we have changed our name and will now focus more on bringing you Bible-based, Business News and Opinion, rather than general news that is covered by numerous other online services, including our good friends at www.assistnews.net. In making this shift, we want to thank all who have helped us with the Missionaries News Service; in particular, Dan and Peter Wooding of AssistNews.net. Without Dan and Peter’s contribution, we would not have established the service and come as far as we have. Ms. Thao Nguyen has also done a stellar job to maintain the service during this time. The Current Situation The situation in the world today is grave for many in the Church; and as a direct result, tens of millions of the desperate poor throughout the world who are suffering because of cutbacks that are now flowing through to missionary and other outreach programs. In this situation, the Church desperately needs Bible-based business and financial information. The Global Financial Crisis and the subsequent policies of the Obama Administration in the United States are causing these problems. There is no argument that the previous Bush Administration lit the fire; but the Obama Administration is pouring gasoline onto that fire. Their policies are now gravely affecting many Christians who have long been the cornerstone of small business and charitable giving throughout the world. This is the crisis for the Church. As almost always happens when left-leaning governments are elected, the exact opposite of what the electorate expects, actually happens; and sadly, this is now happening in the US, and consequently, is what is overflowing throughout the entire world: a massive transference of wealth from the poor to the rich is taking place; and the critical middle class is being systematically decimated. The widespread gains that freedom and free enterprise made in the 20th Century are being erased; and for many, they are lost forever. During the first six months of the Obama presidency, more debt has been accumulated than in the entire time, dating back to the first president, George Washington. Not surprisingly, the mighty US economy is staggering under this load; unemployment is rising sharply; families are losing their savings and their homes; the stock market is in the doldrums; and bankruptcies are soaring. Millions of Americans have seen their savings wiped out and now their hopes of some sort of a happy retirement are shattered. The message from the Obama Government, while all this is happening, seems to be: “Don’t worry; the government is here to help you.” Unfortunately, every student of history knows that this promise is hollow. It has been made by every Socialist Government in history and none have been able to deliver on it, because the world just does not work this way. It is contrary to God’s law, which is a law of individual responsibility. Consequently, wherever this impossible dream has taken hold, the nations have been destroyed; the USSR, Britain, and Europe being the outstanding prime examples. Smaller countries, with vast natural resources like Australia and Canada appear to have fared somewhat better during their flirtations with Socialism; but these economies are very isolated and do very little to contribute to the world in the way that the US, Europe, and Britain have done in the past. They look good only because they have vast natural resource wealth that is spread over relatively very small populations; even then however, as one can see from reading published data, their performance relative to the rest of the world is very ordinary. When the potential of their vast wealth is taken into consideration, Australia and Canada are very ordinary, under-performers. These are the issues that we will focus on with the Business Missionaries News. We hope that the contribution is helpful. Alan Metcalfe |
EDITORIAL
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