welcome January 24, 2005 Issue

No dismal science

Steve Graham

It started with just five loaves of bread and two fish. An economic crisis, if you will, taking place in a Middle Eastern desert and affecting thousands. And what happened that day, when Jesus transformed a scene of scarcity and hunger into one where everyone had all they needed—with leftovers to spare—brought issues of supply and demand out of hopelessness and into the realm of prayer.

It's practically a cliche to call economics the "dismal science." Still, what economist Pamela Faatz says in the interview beginning on page 6 is true—many people see the economy as a dreary and impenetrable topic. After all, you can't practice it in a clean-cut way, as you can with, say, chemistry, expecting to get the same results every time from the same set of actions.

Or can you? Our reason for looking into this topic was to explore how prayer, gratitude to God, and a willingness to look beyond the solid appearance of material limitations do have an impact on economic issues. We're not, in fact, required to relegate the national debt or job outsourcing or our own unpaid Visa bill to some place that's beyond God's power. Not if we're willing to admit the truth that one good Creator loves us all too much to say in effect, "You're alone on this one."

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