Torch, Spring/Summer 2009

32 TORCH | Spring–Summer 2009 F or everything that could be said about the almost $800 billion stimulus package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, we must be wary of one fundamental and underlying stimulant notion: trying to spend our way out of recession. The idea became a rallying cry for a wavering economy in the wake of 9/11 and has again become a talking point among supporters of the stimulus plan. Some have even gone so far as to say we are saving too much and that, as a result, concerned “misers” are deepening or extending the recession. Sure, the desire for such consumerism comes cloaked in patriotism and good economics. And there is truth to the notion of consumption being a necessary component of healthy capitalism. But it is equally true that an underlying presupposition of this kind of consumerism is a “me-first” approach to spending. Dr. Wesley Willmer, editor of Revolution in Generosity , told Impact News, “Everybody says right now, ‘Well, go out and spend.’ The problem is they are buying things they don’t need.” He believes that greed and lack of contentment represent what got our economy into trouble in the first place. While the stimulus plan is intended to rescue the economy from disaster, Christians are of a Kingdom where another kind of stimulus is at work. Christ’s generosity toward us in His life, death, and resurrection should be the stimulus for our contentment and generosity. As we observe those sitting in the pews around us at church on Sunday, what kind of opportunities do we see? Are we looking for ways to relieve someone’s stress? Are there occasions for the church to tangibly express the kind of generosity that brought it into existence, a generosity aimed at furthering Christ’s Kingdom? If God has graciously provided you with material resources, your contentment should be spilling over and blessing others. Such generosity would be a hallmark of our Gospel-centered lives as we lavish Christ’s “stimulus” for the economy on the world. This editorial is presented by CDR Radio Network, The Path. Chad Bresson serves as Impact News director and is the host for the Impact News Front Page program. A Cedarville University graduate, he is a self-proclaimed news junkie and has been at the network since 1992. Bresson and his Front Page program can be heard online at www.thepath.fm . Perspectives From The Path ® Another Kind of Stimulus by Chad Bresson To hear the complete interview with Dr. Wesley Willmer, visit www.thepath.fm/news . T