The Poverty of Nations: A Sustainable Solution by Wayne
Grudem and Barry Asmus
When title became available through the Crossway Blogger’s
Program, I jumped at the chance of reading a book that synthesizes sound
economic wisdom alongside winsome biblical ideas. Barry Asmus, senior economist at the National
Center for Policy Analysis and Wayne Grudem, research professor of theology and
biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary write from a free-market conservative
position in the book while maintaining a biblical vision of human flourishing
as well. The Poverty of Nations is a
book that engages questions on how countries continue in poverty (and why), but
also how countries can seek to eliminate poverty-inducing practices that hold
people in check. The nine chapters that
comprise The Poverty of Nations consist of issues of the goals, systems, and
advantages of a free-market system while also engaging the approaches that run
counter to a free-market system. There
is also a chapter dealing with the moral advantages of a free-market system
that I thought was particularly compelling.
Highlights
In the chapter on Wrong Goals of economic systems, the
authors tap into something that needs to be discussed. After looking at the work of Arthur C. Brooks
and his notion of “earned success,” Wayne Grudem writes, “When I got to know
him (his student), I found that several years prior to this his life had been
going entirely downhill. He had a history
of crime and substance abuse, and had spent time in jail for drug dealing. But after he got out of jail, he got a job at
a Wendy’s fast-food restaurant. One day
his manager told him, “You’re doing a good job of keeping the French fries hot”. He remembers that as a turning point in his
life…He had experienced a touch of joy of “earned success” (74). Wayne continues to point that God has made us
with the skills to create goods and services, and as we put those skills to
work we have an amount of earned success that goes a lot further than money in
our wallets. You often remember the
commendation you receive from a boss for a long time and this serves as motivation
to continue to do well. As the authors
indicate, having earned success creates more product and services and leads to
a countries economic success rather than relying on foreign aid (75).
There is a sense that the goods in and of themselves relate to
the changing face of a country’s economy.
Yet, as the authors point out, “The free-market system allows creativity
to flourish and produce great value through free human decisions, not through
government direction and control….Entrepreneurs continually demonstrate that
faith and imagination are the most important capital goods in a changing
economy, and that wealth is a product less of money than of the mind to create,
produce, invest, and, …to creatively destroy” (167). The doctrine of man being made in the image
of God with rationality, emotion, and intellect lends itself well to the
creative spirit of human decisions. As
human beings are unhindered by external forces that seek to squelch their
creativity, the production and creation of goods and services flourish. Furthermore, the human spirit, mind, and
emotions are designed for this very thing, to creatively imagine a new set of
ideas that can be transformed in goods and services. There is no doubt that countries which aim to
control and possess specific control over the economic output of a nation
squelch the human spirit while countries which encourage such creativity blossom
in their diversity of goods and services.
I was really
impressed with this book for its keen observations, handling of the Bible and
overall approach to a sustainable solution for those in poverty. Although their approach was not new and provocative,
it is a position which understands clearly the good and bad of human nature and
seeks to make decisions that benefit the whole of nation rather than a few.
Thanks to Crossway Publishers for the copy of this book in
exchange for review.
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