Dan's Thoughts

Vision #15 - July 24, 2006

I finished two books last week. One was called Christian Theology: An Introduction, by Allister McGrath. The other was Financial Peace, by David Ramsey. One was more difficult than the other one. The theology book was a piece of cake; Dave’s book required more perseverance and discipline.

I know, that’s weird.

Dave Ramsey wrote Financial Peace at probably an eighth grade reading level. He filled it with cute little stories to illustrate his simple points. He used large print. McGrath’s book is probably a college level text. He filled his book with quotes from obscure theologians and their seldom read texts. So why was Ramsey’s book more difficult for me to read?

The answer is simple. I am already familiar with theology. I know the meanings of McGrath’s specialized vocabulary. I am familiar with his historical references. The philosophical backdrop against which his thoughts unfold are all old news for me. I have some experience in theological matters. In financial knowledge on the other hand, I am a beginner. So I have to start at the bottom with other beginners. Financial Peace was a good place to start because if I don’t grasp and learn to apply Dave’s ideas (or someone else who puts financial principles as simply as he) I can’t expect to ever understand more complicated economic concepts. Since I prefer being knowledgeable to being a DUNCE, I tend to procrastinate reading about finances.

I started reading about theology and philosophy many, many years ago, you see. I have gradually (and deliberately) deepened my understanding of these disciplines over time. So now, when I talk about theology with people who don’t know much about it, I get a chance to be impressive! (Unless I run into a real theologian, it which case I get the chance to be humbled, but that’s another theme for another day.) When I talk about finances though, many intelligent people quickly realize how primitive my understanding really is. I get embarrassed. My solution to this dilemma is to avoid the subject of finances altogether -- to keep the conversation revolving around my areas of strength. That way I remain impressive and avoid triggering my shame. It’s a great strategy. It has worked quite well.

Despite my ignorance, I have survived financially by doing two things: 1.) not spending more than comes in and 2.) coasting on the knowledge of informed friends. For example, a man told me many years ago to set up a mutual fund. Then he told me to authorize my bank to pay that fund with an automatic withdraw each month. Since he was smart, I nodded like “do you think I am an idiot?” Then I did what he said. After that, I promptly forgot about that fund. Ten years later, I decided to see how it was doing. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised! I had no idea if the fund would have done better in another investment or if I could have multiplied my money many times over in some stock or real estate purchase. I just knew that I was worth more than I owed. That felt really good.

That’s not enough though. The truth is I have been negligent in the area finances. It’s way past time to face this. I have a responsibility to provide for my old age so Trish and I won’t burden our children. I have a responsibility to maintain a good Christian testimony with both those who are believers and those who are not. I have a responsibility to leave to my children and grandchildren an example of prudence, wisdom and maturity. How I manage my finances is a reflection of how seriously I take all those responsibilities. That’s why I have made a will (even though I won’t need it for probably fifty more years) and am trying to get debt free. Its real elementary stuff but at least I have made a start.

You see, if I were not a good reader and wanted to become one, I might have to begin with children’s books. “HERE IS A CAT. HERE IS A DOG. RUN, CAT, RUN! STOP CAT! STOP!” If I kept at it, in time I might be able to read, “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made by Him and without Him as nothing made that was made.” In other words, if my desire to read The Gospel of St. John was intense enough, I would be willing to push past that inner pride that keeps from reading, “RUN CAT, RUN!”

Many of the people in our church are financially informed. They know about Stocks and Bonds, International Markets and Prime Rates. They use words like “Accruals” and “comprehensive income statements.” They read the Wall Street Journal and analyze the little numbers beside strange codes like “ASX,” “BTK,’ and PLEX.” People like that may not need to read Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. People like me do.

So I have been reading carefully, (Since I have known Dave for many years, I can hear his voice as I read, yelling at me!) “Thou Shall Not Have Credit Card Debt,” “Don’t Buy a Car You Can’t Afford,” “Make A Written Plan To Tell Your Money Were To Go,” and other elementary principles. Of course, I knew all of this already. What’s different now is that I am actually doing those things.

Come to think of it, that’s no different than the study of theology. Boil theology down and you get, “God made the world,” “Jesus died for our sins so that we could have a relationship with God,” “God has called out a people to be in relationship with him and to be in relationship with Him we have to be in relationship with His people.” Once we grasp simple principles like that, we can move on to consider “prelapsarian states of innocence” and “Chalcedonian Christology,” if we are of a mind to do so.

On the other hand, I don’t know what good it does to talk about difficult ideas in either theology or economics if we never get around to actually putting into practice the simple things that “everyone knows.”

At some point, we have to decide if we want to impress others or if we really want to change our lives. To change our lives, The Master said that we have to be like little children. We have to be beginners.

So here I am. The Bible tells me that a righteous man lays up treasure for his children’s children. Well, my children now have children. If I am going to leave them anything, I better get started. I should have started years ago, but better late than never. I would like to be righteous before I die.

Besides, I am thinking that if I have financial integrity, my children’s children may be willing to pay attention to my thoughts about God too.

I don’t know if Dave Ramsey will ever meet Allister McGrath personally. I do know that they have been meeting each other at my breakfast table for several weeks now. As it turns out, they like each other more than I thought they would!

Dan