Economic Fallout & Monastic Communities
I was joking with my neighbor the other day about what would happen if the economy crashes, money is inflated to worthlessness, banks go under, real estate goes haywire. I said we would gather our community under one roof, grow our own vegetables, live in an order, share our possessions, live as new monastics, to which she laughed.
It’s not a bad idea.
The few years I had living with a YWAM community like this were some of the best of my life, and the crowding was manageable, the community vibrant, the meals joyful, and the worship healing. We had several families, hordes of children, and a bunch of singles living, working, studying, worshipping, cooking, playing together all under one big roof. It was amazing. Todd Hiestand muses about the possibility of going communal, and with the way $$ looks today it might be sooner than not.
What do you think? What is the Christian response to the current economic downturn?
Did something similar when I was 18 (22 people in big house)….was boot camp in many ways, but the benefits were huge:) Economics may make it look like an appealing path in the future….
I think the one of the most important things we can do is not to panic. It seems like so many even in leadership are panicking right now, but since we as Christians are beneficiaries of the biggest bailout plan in history we should rest assured that God is with us.
The other big thing I think we should do is to NOT point fingers. While this crisis was presumably avoidable and has occurred perhaps because of failures of money management from top to bottom in United States, saying it’s their fault, or the fault of the decline in morality in the United States, or the fault of the Republicans, or the Democrats, is probably a waste of energy. We would be better of attacking the problem, helping those who are struggling, and displaying the mercy and compassion of Christ to a hurting nation.
I think the word of not panicking is sober advice right now, as the bailout plan goes thru the house of reps. Someone told me today, things might get better when the election is over and decided, whether it’s Obama or McCain, change is a-comin…
But it’s starting to pinch, on a personal level now… (keep panic in check!), as people have a hard time getting loans for their businesses, homes… getting employment, etc.
Has the economy hit close to home for anybody yet?
I really believe that the life you just described is a more productive and healthy lifestyle. Consumerism really has taken us over and broken down our societies in more ways than we know. I think it’d be prudent to return to those types of communities whether or not there is an economic collapse.