The national deficit is certainly a crisis. But alongside it a moral deficit is exploding as well. Some want to unjustly thrust the burden of the debt on our grandchildren. Others want to balance the budget on the backs of the poor. But both plans are morally bankrupt. There is a way--a realistic way, a moral way--to fix the deficit. We can break political gridlock with solutions that stand on a foundation of solid values and fair play. If you are tired of politics as usual that fails to operate as if people mattered, take heart in Ron Sider's balanced, practical approach. Consistent with deeply Christian principles, he offers a way forward that truly provides justice for all.
Fixing the Moral Deficit
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Editorial Reviews
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"I read everything Ron Sider writes because he makes me think through angles and issues that I might not consider. He'll do the same for you." (Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life)
"Ron Sider always brings together rigorous policy analysis and sound biblical principles to address political, social and economic issues. Fixing the Moral Deficit is a penetrating description of our nation's budget battle and shows how to bring a strong Christian perspective to it. It explains how our country got into a deficit crisis, why current proposals simply aren't good enough, and how we can get out of it in critical areas--including increased tax revenue and necessary spending cuts--while continuing to assist and empower poor people. He believes that Christians and other people of goodwill can work together to end the crisis in a way that is both economically sound and morally just. I agree, and commend this book to anyone who shares Ron's passion for a healthy future. Deficits are indeed moral issues, and how we resolve them is a moral issue too." (Jim Wallis, president and CEO, Sojourners)
"For decades, Ron Sider has been helping Christians engage the political system without compromising our primary allegiance to Jesus and his cross. For years, Ron has been exorcising the demons from Capitol Hill and the Pentagon--and he invites us all to join the charge against the principalities and powers that possess our nation and threaten our hearts. Here is Ron's most recent masterpiece on one of the most urgent issues facing this experiment we call the United States of America." (Shane Claiborne, author and activist, www.thesimpleway.org)
"Thank God for this book! It gives the best survey of America's disastrous debt crisis, along with biblically based critiques of the options to resolve this crisis that are being proposed on Capitol Hill. What's more, Ron gives morally workable alternatives to these proposals." (Tony Campolo, professor emeritus, Eastern University)
"Ron Sider always brings together rigorous policy analysis and sound biblical principles to address political, social and economic issues. Fixing the Moral Deficit is a penetrating description of our nation's budget battle and shows how to bring a strong Christian perspective to it. It explains how our country got into a deficit crisis, why current proposals simply aren't good enough, and how we can get out of it in critical areas--including increased tax revenue and necessary spending cuts--while continuing to assist and empower poor people. He believes that Christians and other people of goodwill can work together to end the crisis in a way that is both economically sound and morally just. I agree, and commend this book to anyone who shares Ron's passion for a healthy future. Deficits are indeed moral issues, and how we resolve them is a moral issue too." (Jim Wallis, president and CEO, Sojourners)
"For decades, Ron Sider has been helping Christians engage the political system without compromising our primary allegiance to Jesus and his cross. For years, Ron has been exorcising the demons from Capitol Hill and the Pentagon--and he invites us all to join the charge against the principalities and powers that possess our nation and threaten our hearts. Here is Ron's most recent masterpiece on one of the most urgent issues facing this experiment we call the United States of America." (Shane Claiborne, author and activist, www.thesimpleway.org)
"Thank God for this book! It gives the best survey of America's disastrous debt crisis, along with biblically based critiques of the options to resolve this crisis that are being proposed on Capitol Hill. What's more, Ron gives morally workable alternatives to these proposals." (Tony Campolo, professor emeritus, Eastern University)
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Morally Serious Attempt by a Respected Christian Scholar to Apply Biblical Principles to Public Policy
March 6, 2012
Format:Paperback
"America faces a historic choice," writes Ronald J. Sider in the Introduction to Fixing the Moral Deficit. "We have a deficit crisis, a poverty crisis and a justice crisis." The deficit crisis arises from spending more than we earn. The poverty crisis results from increasing numbers of Americans falling into the ranks of the poor even as wealth increasingly concentrates at the top. And the justice crisis occurs when we ignore either the deficit or the poor. "These three crises add up to a huge moral deficit," Sider argues. "But there is a balanced way to fix it."
That balanced way begins with understanding the facts on the ground: the deficit crisis is real, and both poverty and economic inequality are on the rise. It continues with mapping out biblical principles on the nature of persons as individuals in community, the social responsibility to care for one's neighbors--especially the poor, the nature of distributive justice, the limited acceptability of some economic inequality, and the role government plays in alleviating poverty. It then sifts through current proposals, in light of biblical principles, and finally offers a reasoned alternative. Sider's "balanced way to balance the budget" steers a centrist course between the Scylla of tax cuts and the Charybdis of increased spending. He argues that "we should adopt a roughly equal (50-50) mix between increased revenue and cuts in spending."
There is much to admire in Sider's book. Chapter 3, "The Big Questions in the Debate," outlines biblical principles that should garner agreement from Christians of all stripes. Their disagreements will center on Chapter 5, "A Better Way," where Sider applies those principles to policy. The interesting question for Christians across the political spectrum will be whether they recognize that disagreements about policy revolve around differing prudential judgments and do not necessarily implicate biblical principles. In other words, can one agree with Sider's principles but disagree with his policies?
By the same token, the book has several weaknesses. It discusses the moral deficit almost solely in terms of the federal government's revenue and expenditures, ignoring broad cultural trends that impact both poverty and income inequality but are not easily ameliorated by government policy. One thinks here of the breakdown of marriage among America's lowest economic classes as an example of the former, and globalization and the information technology revolution as examples of the latter.
Furthermore, this almost exclusive focus on federal government obscures local and state solutions. Granted, government plays a role in fighting government, but government at what level? Might national, one-size-fits-all anti-poverty programs crowd out locally tailored ones?
Finally, the concluding chapter offers 18 "Action Steps" to "help solve our moral deficit." Tellingly, none of them involves starting a business or creating jobs. Instead, they involve informing oneself about the issue, advocating for effective political action, supporting charitable organizations, and living simply. These are worthy actions, of course, but the solution to poverty must include both public-sector distribution of goods and services and private-sector creation of wealth.
Despite these weaknesses, I highly recommend Fixing the Moral Deficit. It is a morally serious attempt by a respected Christian scholar and activist to apply biblical principles to our nation's multiple economic crises. Whether or not one agrees with Sider's every proposal, he is a model of how Christians should eschew bumper-sticker slogans, engage in rigorous analysis of issues, and work for the common good.
That balanced way begins with understanding the facts on the ground: the deficit crisis is real, and both poverty and economic inequality are on the rise. It continues with mapping out biblical principles on the nature of persons as individuals in community, the social responsibility to care for one's neighbors--especially the poor, the nature of distributive justice, the limited acceptability of some economic inequality, and the role government plays in alleviating poverty. It then sifts through current proposals, in light of biblical principles, and finally offers a reasoned alternative. Sider's "balanced way to balance the budget" steers a centrist course between the Scylla of tax cuts and the Charybdis of increased spending. He argues that "we should adopt a roughly equal (50-50) mix between increased revenue and cuts in spending."
There is much to admire in Sider's book. Chapter 3, "The Big Questions in the Debate," outlines biblical principles that should garner agreement from Christians of all stripes. Their disagreements will center on Chapter 5, "A Better Way," where Sider applies those principles to policy. The interesting question for Christians across the political spectrum will be whether they recognize that disagreements about policy revolve around differing prudential judgments and do not necessarily implicate biblical principles. In other words, can one agree with Sider's principles but disagree with his policies?
By the same token, the book has several weaknesses. It discusses the moral deficit almost solely in terms of the federal government's revenue and expenditures, ignoring broad cultural trends that impact both poverty and income inequality but are not easily ameliorated by government policy. One thinks here of the breakdown of marriage among America's lowest economic classes as an example of the former, and globalization and the information technology revolution as examples of the latter.
Furthermore, this almost exclusive focus on federal government obscures local and state solutions. Granted, government plays a role in fighting government, but government at what level? Might national, one-size-fits-all anti-poverty programs crowd out locally tailored ones?
Finally, the concluding chapter offers 18 "Action Steps" to "help solve our moral deficit." Tellingly, none of them involves starting a business or creating jobs. Instead, they involve informing oneself about the issue, advocating for effective political action, supporting charitable organizations, and living simply. These are worthy actions, of course, but the solution to poverty must include both public-sector distribution of goods and services and private-sector creation of wealth.
Despite these weaknesses, I highly recommend Fixing the Moral Deficit. It is a morally serious attempt by a respected Christian scholar and activist to apply biblical principles to our nation's multiple economic crises. Whether or not one agrees with Sider's every proposal, he is a model of how Christians should eschew bumper-sticker slogans, engage in rigorous analysis of issues, and work for the common good.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although, as a conservative evangelical, I may not agree with all of Ron Sider's thinking, I highly valued the information which he has incorporated into this easy-to-read summary of the problems facing our economy. Most of his information is right on, and I applaud his concern for the poor. My differences with him center upon the issue of the rightful function of government. Did our Lord ordain government with the authority to take one man's wages and give it to another? I must confess that I still struggle with this issue, because of a legitimate desire to see the poor helped, and I would delight to see the wealthy give more generously, not only to the poor in this country, but to the even poorer in other nations. I applaud Ron Sider for his book and for his genuine concern for the poor, which is most definitely biblically based.
By John W. Eley
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In Fixing the Moral Deficit, Rod Sider, a leader in the evangelical Christian public policy movement, offers a significant contribution to the values discourse on the issues surrounding the federal deficit. He demonstrates that our taxing, spending and borrowing policies have profound implications for our treatment of the poor and young in our society. He makes a strong case that Christians need to pay attention to the debt crisis. He urges them to apply Biblical Principles to the challenges that the nation faces. He is at his best when he ties the debt solutions to concerns about the poor. Citizens who seek to contribute to the ongoing debate from the Christian world view will find much value in Sider's approach.
Sider address what he terms the "big questions in the debate such as "who are persons?", "am I responsible for my neighbors?", and "should we have special concern for the poor?". He focuses on key issues of economic inequality, justice and the proper role of the government. He builds upon his analysis to offer both interrelated principles and norms to guide our budget decisions. For example, he links the principle that "God and God's faithful people have a special concern for the poor" to the norm of keeping and strengthening effective programs for the poor. He examines the budget proposals offered by the President and Congressman Paul Ryan in light of these principles and norms. Using this material Sider concludes by offering some specific recommendations for changing our tax policies, retaining several key programs that benefit the poor, and managing health care costs. He attempts to do address the latter without addressing the core issue of personal responsibility for more cost effective use of health care resources as something that requires more than living wills, which he supports. Hopefully he will address, in subsequent work, the matter of our demand for health care without regard to our life style choices i.
This book offer an exemplary approach to tough budgetary and fiscal issues. Even if one does agree that we should rely on Biblical principles to resolve these issues one will find his approach helpful in any effort to connect our values and principles with the practical issues that American citizens need to face. These issues are too important to be addressed without a significant more discourse, to which Sider is effectively contributing.
Sider address what he terms the "big questions in the debate such as "who are persons?", "am I responsible for my neighbors?", and "should we have special concern for the poor?". He focuses on key issues of economic inequality, justice and the proper role of the government. He builds upon his analysis to offer both interrelated principles and norms to guide our budget decisions. For example, he links the principle that "God and God's faithful people have a special concern for the poor" to the norm of keeping and strengthening effective programs for the poor. He examines the budget proposals offered by the President and Congressman Paul Ryan in light of these principles and norms. Using this material Sider concludes by offering some specific recommendations for changing our tax policies, retaining several key programs that benefit the poor, and managing health care costs. He attempts to do address the latter without addressing the core issue of personal responsibility for more cost effective use of health care resources as something that requires more than living wills, which he supports. Hopefully he will address, in subsequent work, the matter of our demand for health care without regard to our life style choices i.
This book offer an exemplary approach to tough budgetary and fiscal issues. Even if one does agree that we should rely on Biblical principles to resolve these issues one will find his approach helpful in any effort to connect our values and principles with the practical issues that American citizens need to face. These issues are too important to be addressed without a significant more discourse, to which Sider is effectively contributing.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellently Written
I loved Mr. Sider's succinct, readable summary or the current fiscal crisis, its causes, and its potential solutions. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Michael Drane
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fixing the Moral Deficit
Excellent ways of fixing the serious fiscal problems our nation faces. I just wish we had some polititians with a backbone to incorporate the ideas suggested in the book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by avon
2.0 out of 5 stars
Spending our way to a balanced budget
The book is a prime example of mistaking liberal politics for morality in economics. Claiming a balanced way to balance the budget, this is neither a moral nor a logical approach. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gderf
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fine attempt at looking at a public crisis from a Christian...
In this book, Ron Sider writes that there are three crises facing America today: a deficit crisis, a poverty crisis, and a justice crisis. Read more
Published 12 months ago by E. Ritzema
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Well Thought Out Morally and Fiscally Sound Plan For America
It does not take an economist to see that our country is facing imminent financial doom unless our government leaders take immediate and radical action in regards to reducing our... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Harold Cameron
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