{"id":204,"date":"2013-11-29T18:02:43","date_gmt":"2013-11-29T18:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/commonsensechristianity\/?p=204"},"modified":"2013-11-29T18:04:43","modified_gmt":"2013-11-29T18:04:43","slug":"put-your-money-where-your-beliefs-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonsensechristianity\/2013\/11\/put-your-money-where-your-beliefs-are.html","title":{"rendered":"Put Your Money Where Your Beliefs Are"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
While we live in one world, it is a world of infinite variety — both in its people and its landscape. Indian Hill, original oil painting by Steve Henderson, sold; licensed open edition print at Light in the Box.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lately, the Norwegian Artist and I have been researching various Christian associations and noted speakers and leaders, specifically to find out if any of them have links to organizations that propound a political agenda that is repellant to us. “Globalism” is on our minds, and while this sounds so inclusive and fuzzy and sweet, what does this term, which some have boldly referred to as a New World Order, really mean?<\/p>\n

The knee jerk reaction of many, including Christians, is that New World Order is a conspiracy theory term, and as we are all regularly told, conspiracy theorists are nuts.<\/p>\n

But as a Christian, I’m used to be called nuts, and I can’t help but think of the book of Revelation, which goes into significant detail about a single globalized system under the rule of one beast, or Anti-Christ. Things don’t bode well for the saints in this book.<\/p>\n

As an individual and a Christian, I serve one Master, and He’s not a banker, financier, businessmen, political leader, or globalist. So I am not particularly interested in sending my hard-earned money to any person or group whose ultimate goal is not Christ-like at all. And building one world, under one master who isn’t Christ, definitely isn’t Christ-like.<\/p>\n

Wolves in Three-Piece Wool Suits<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Because wolves have been wearing wool coats — or three-piece suits — for a long time now, it’s important to recognize that it\u00a0doesn’t matter how fervently the person calls himself a Christian (and by the way, this is a good time to point out that the words “Christian” and “Republican” are\u00a0not<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0synonymous), when actions belie words, then words lie. Years ago, when a highly notable person talked about one world, one people, one unity, I was surprised at the absolute silence from the Christian community.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Peace is a beautiful word that doesn’t mean the same thing to all people. Peace, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the groups and individuals the Norwegian Artist and I rejected after our research we did so based upon their extreme superficiality, New World Order or not: think, television evangelists promoting a doctrine of wealth and prosperity. Their continued success, one generation supplanting another, leaves me agape.<\/p>\n

Mega corporations that run like any other secular business are a little harder to spot, but when you feel as if you are dealing with ShoppyMart, you stop and think. We dropped an organization years ago when it began using Negative Optioning, a popular method of deception that ensures regular revenue.<\/p>\n

You might have encountered Negative Optioning in a mail-order merchandise club: the goods or services are provided automatically, and unless you make a point of declining in advance of billing, you’re on the hook.<\/p>\n

Of course, this being a Christian organization, we were able to get out of the unwanted “contract,” but not without being made to feel like grubby little wriggling worms.<\/p>\n

Big, Efficient, Impersonal\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Another organization we said goodbye to has a calling center where you can order their products, but are unable to reach people who make decisions. As a writer, I wanted to show them my book, Live Happily on Less<\/a>, which I felt would be of real interest to real Christians who frequently struggle financially because they don’t play the games of the world, but was told that the organization only dealt with valid publishers, and not little people like me. Jesus, fortunately, still cares about little people like me. Or you.<\/p>\n

As I said, we dropped these Christo-corporations easily based upon business practices that looked like anybody else’s, which in itself is enough. Why are companies or people who purportedly believe in God’s power using so many of man’s methods?<\/p>\n

Digging Deeper<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now, however, we are going deeper, trying to discover which entities are going beyond employing contemporaneously accepted marketing ploys to embracing a belief system that is antithetical to Christianity. With this in mind, we type in names of leaders, administrators, and board members along with terms you may or may not recognize —\u00a0\u00a0 like Bilderberg Group, New World Order, One World Government, Mason, Illuminati, Fourth Reich and others. These terms, long associated with conspiracy theory, are increasingly coming out of the shadows, and it\u00a0behooves\u00a0us to recognize their existence and make a decision about them.<\/p>\n

It is no longer enough to simply snort, “Conspiracy theorists. What a bunch of weirdos.”<\/p>\n

Snorting aside, we have been intrigued by whose names, or what companies, come up where, and it is influencing the financial decisions that we make.<\/p>\n

Sadly, many organizations do what look to be good works, but as your mom always told you, you are judged by the company you keep. When an individual name or corporation is associated with groups whose goals do not align with Biblical principles, then I no longer sign the check.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lately, the Norwegian Artist and I have been researching various Christian associations and noted speakers and leaders, specifically to find out if any of them have links to organizations that propound a political agenda that is repellant to us. “Globalism” is on our minds, and while this sounds so inclusive and fuzzy and sweet, what…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":561,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,5,13,2,10,11,58,3,15,191,7,4,8,6],"tags":[271,272,115,277,34,103,85,268,273,276,270,62,278,267,194,261,269,275,274,239],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-christianity","category-encouragement","category-faith","category-family","category-home","category-hope-2","category-inspiration","category-lifestyle","category-money-2","category-personal-growth","category-prayer","category-spiritual-growth","category-spirituality","tag-anti-christ","tag-beast","tag-belief","tag-biblical","tag-christ","tag-christianity-2","tag-community","tag-conspiracy","tag-evangelists","tag-finances","tag-globalism","tag-jesus","tag-light","tag-new-world-order","tag-prosperity","tag-republican","tag-revelation","tag-success","tag-television","tag-wolves"],"yoast_head":"\nPut Your Money Where Your Beliefs Are - 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