Author Archives: Dr Snyder

A Misplaced Faith

  

I continue to think about the similarities between the Great Depression and the economic situtation today. First, too much can be made of the comparison. Some people would have us believe that it has never been as bad as it is now. They have forgotten Jimmy Carter. We don’t have the “stagflation” that occurred during his years. Neither do we have the 20%-plus unemployment of the Depression. There are valid comparisons, though. One is the government’s role in each, particularly the… Read more »

The Tipping Point

  

I finished reading the book I recommended a few days ago—The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. It was as good as I thought it would be. Even though I thought I knew a lot about the Great Depression, it opened my eyes to the extent of the reach of the government at that time. For a while, it seemed as if all private business was at a standstill due to the desire to have the government control everything. For instance,… Read more »

Principle: A Biblical Form of Government (Part III)

  

Representation, separation of powers, and a federal system: these are the components of a Biblical form of government. They also comprise the elements of what America set up in the Constitution. What we have been handed by the Founders is consistent with the Biblical pattern for how government should operate. But that’s merely the external structure. What makes this structure work properly is the internal: believing in the value of the individual made in God’s image; taking the responsibility of self-government; understanding… Read more »

Principle: A Biblical Form of Government (Part II)

  

As Samuel the prophet was stepping down from his role as judge in Israel, the people demanded a change in the government’s structure. They didn’t trust Samuel’s sons to judge righteously, so they asked instead for a king. We’re told of this episode in I Samuel 8:4-22, and it is quite a remarkable account of how to destroy a God-given governmental system. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and said, “Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all… Read more »

Principle: A Biblical Form of Government (Part I)

  

I believe God is interested in how we govern. Since He is the Creator of all things, perhaps we ought to pay attention to what He has said about it. We must start with a defintion. What do we mean by a “form” of government? A form is a manner or system, a stated method or practice, or an appropriate arrangement of parts. What then is a Biblical form? Substitute those words for “form” and we have: A Biblical manner of system… Read more »

The Forgotten Man: A Recommendation

  

Every so often I like to recommend a book. I’m about halfway through The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes. Although I haven’t yet completed it, based on what I have read up to now, and on the numerous positive reviews of the book, I am confident I can recommend it without concerns that I will have to retract that recommendation by the time I have finished it. Some of you, I know, may… Read more »

Principle: Unity & Union (Part II)

  

Building on the concept that unions must be voluntary and that there must be internal unity before an external union can be successful, we can look at examples in certain nations. Remember the old Soviet Union? The official name was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—one of the most dishonest names imaginable. First, it wasn’t a true republic—that would have required representation and the protection of inalienable rights, ideas foreign to its government. Neither was it a true union as understood by this… Read more »