Torch, Summer 1996

God is to be glorified in how we value created man. The socialist politician in America campaigns on a platform of caring for people . The reality is that The Great Society has created our huge deficit and taken away the worth of the individual. Chuck Colson, in his book Why America Doesn't Work states, "Five million people live in permanently subsidized unemployment, while our welfare roles continue to swell." These Americans are dependent rather than independent. We have moved far from the dream and design of our founding fathers. This type of liberal thinking destroys everything it touches – our school systems, our main-line denominations, our families, and our traditional biblical values. America must return to those principles that made America great: principles of limited government, private property, and the free market. Edmund A. Opitz wrote in Religion and Capitalism: Allies not Enemies, "No one can read our Constitution without concluding that the people who wrote it wanted their government severely limited; the words "no" and "not" employed in restraint of governmental power occur 24 times in the first seven articles of the Constitution and 22 more times in the Bill of Rights." America must understand that our nation needs to restore our historic biblical values that made us great. How long can we survive with our loss of values and principles? For a period of time we will be sustained by our past, our customs, and our habits. It may be argued that sometimes the children live according to the principles of their parents even after they discard their parents' Bibliography Becker, Gary S. "The Numbers Tell The Story: Economic Freedom Spurs Growth," Business Week, May 6, 1996, p. 20. Clinton, Hillary R. It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. Colson, Charles W. and Jack Eckerd. Why America Doesn't Work. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991. Forbes, Malcolm S. "Three Cheers For Capitalism," Forbes, October 25, 1993, p. 25+. Kahn, Joseph. "Private Takeover; spreading capitalism, new entrepreneurs are remaking China; officials promise to keep socialist efforts alive, but state sector slumps; Mr. Yi wears a 12 Torch 'red cap,'" The Wall Street Journal, July 20, 1995, p. Al, col. 1. "Market Knows Best: For Hong Kong's future, look to old truths," Far Eastern Economic Review, June 13 , 1996, p. 5. McCracken, Edward J. "Our Ethical Foundations ," Management Accounting, December 1993, Vol. 75, No. 6, p. 61. Opitz, Edmund A. Religion and Capitalism: Allies not Enemies. Foundation for Economic Education, Incorporated, 2nd ed., 1992. Stranahan Jr., Robert A. "Free Enterprise-Let's Keep It Free," Torch , Winter Issue, 1981, Vol. 4, No . 3,p. 4. faith. But the grandchildren will have neither faith nor principle. Free enterprise has been astoundingly successful around the globe. Economic freedom has walked hand-in-hand with political and religious freedom into a new day of liberty for some of the most closed societies in the world. Yet we recognize that the leadership and people of these countries must work hard and sacrifice to build a lasting, workable system of free trade. We cannot afford to do any less in our country. Christians , especially, should be grateful to God that we live in America where free enterprise is practiced. We must value it and do all we can to promote it and protect it. For when economic freedom is removed, political and religious freedom soon follow. Ll Dr. Paul Dixon became president of Cedarville College in 1978 after 14 years as an e pl'!i!. ml!i!::Fi.. c<(!~B~ stime~ooc~· bee e a national leader in camp,us com~uter technology. Dr. Dixon is a popular speaker in churches, Bible conferences, and professional sports team chapels. He holds degrees from Tennessee Temple University, Temple Baptist Jheological Seminary, The University of Cincinnati, and was granted the LLD. by Liberty University.

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