I am just one person. What difference can I make adrift on the waves of our anti-biblical culture? Rather than being overwhelmed, I am choosing to start paddling in the hope that I can join with other paddlers to build a network and structure to rescue people from the waves.
What does this look like in practice? I am paying close attention to how I spend my time, effort and money. I am creating my very own naughty and nice lists. How do I generate my nice list?
I choose:
- Liberty-favouring over coercive
- Equal opportunity over divisive identity politics
- Local owner operated over multinational
- Non-government funded over government obligated
- Businesses disadvantaged by government lockdown over “essential” businesses
- Products sourced from countries with freedom of religion over countries who persecute Christians
Unfortunately my naughty list is much longer.
I am applying biblical criteria to all areas of my life. Here are some examples.
Food
I buy groceries from bakeries, butchers, farmers markets, green grocers, and specialty stores. Many growers ship product direct to consumers so I have started buying direct online, particularly if not available locally. I do use supermarkets but try to restrict this to items not easily available elsewhere. If brands have halal certification I look to substitute with other brands or products.
Household Necessities
I now view household service providers through a biblical lens and pay attention to their advertising and corporate culture. For internet, phone, and power I avoid government owned providers, rainbow ticks, and any who call New Zealand by the name Aotearoa.
Entertainment
Movies, television, and music industries promote non-biblical lifestyles and undermine biblical values so they are out. Government funded media are out. I spend less time “entertaining” myself and more time improving my life through bible study, spending time with the important people in my life, volunteering to help others who are turning their lives around, gaining new skills and boosting my fitness. Thanks to the lockdown, I discovered many freedom-loving podcasts and blogs which have now become a source of enjoyment.
Money
diverse weights and measures are an abomination
– Proverbs 20:10 & Leviticus 19:35
I have found this the hardest area in which to make changes. With the government printing money, I am unsure of the best way forward. I am considering moving away from the big banks to a local credit union and investigating peer-to-peer lending, bartering systems, and time banks. Other options to reduce reliance on the financial system include investing in hard assets and in improving skills and the financial position of family members.
Employment
Although self-employed, money from my main contract comes from the government. I am currently studying and after up-skilling, hope to soon move out of this situation. Choosing an industry that was compatible with Christian beliefs proved difficult. I rejected healthcare and education as these are controlled by the government and, because of the requirement to participate in Maori spiritual practices, unsuitable for someone who lives according to biblical principles. Even industries such as agriculture and food production were overly restricted by government regulations. Civil engineering is also dominated by government contracts. Government health and safety restrictions are in all businesses now and I found it extremely difficult to find an industry free of government interference. I am not sure such a free industry exists, so I compromised and chose one where most businesses are privately owned and most contracts are with other privately owned businesses.
Charity
I have found that many of the organisations to whom I have donated in the past receive government funding. I now consider these organisations to be arms of the government, implementing government policies and programmes, and therefore complicit in the government’s anti-Christian agenda. I reserve donations for organisations independent of the government and promoting values consistent with a biblical approach.
With every dollar, minute, and kilojoule you have a vote for your ideals. Your values may be different from mine, but I encourage you to vote according to your conscience with your own time, money and effort.
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