What WOULD Jesus do today???

Okay ... here's the scenario ...

I'm reading the news online and I find a story about AIG, the american insurance company that lost in excess of 61 BILLION dollars in the last fiscal quarter of their operating year ... LOST 61 BILLION dollars (where is Carl Sagan when we need him) ... BUT ... even with that staggering loss and the multi-billion dollar bail out by the Obama administration, the executives of AIG are STILL being paid in excess of 165 MILLION dollars in bonuses.

While I was reading this story, I was in the midst of preparing a sermon based on Jesus driving the money-changers and the merchants out of the temple ... the Old Testament reading was the 10 Commandments ... and on my bed side table is "Call to Conversion" by Jim Wallis ... the story of AIG kind of pulled some threads of shock and outrage together ... the thought of paying out bonuses to clowns who lost 61 BILLION dollars struck me as ODD ... I've always foolishly, and it would seem erroneously thought that bonuses were paid for a job well done, and the loss of BILLIONS of dollars doesn't measure as a good job in MY universe ...

So, I shared the jist of the story with Noahkila and mused aloud - "Is losing 61 BILLION dollars a good job??"

Noahkila shook his head in response and said - "you run a business that loses 61 BILLION dollars in THREE months, and you get rewarded with a multi-MILLION dollar bonus for a job well done ... NICE !!! ... that's the kind of job I want ..."

The boy's got a point ... I can't help but wonder how a 14 year old boy can see the total and absolute absurdity of THIS, while business leaders continue to slap each other on the back and offer high fives through these obscene bonuses and salaries while countless BILLIONS of hard earned dollars continue to evaporate ...

And most distressing of all - there are very very very few voices from Faith Communities who speak out on these issues and say - "IT'S WRONG."

Jim Wallis was right back in the 80's when he said the church has forgotten who they are ... we are quiet, complacent and docile and we do nothing while idolatry runs amock ... last week comedian John Stewart claimed the mantel of MORAL leadership in his smack down of the Century ... and our churches continue to wring their hands and say nothing ... over and over I realize who incredibly astute the late Bill Hicks was when he warned us through is biting comedica routines about being docile masses ... Churches are part of the problem, not part of the solution ...

Maybe one day we'll figure it out ... for now, thanks be to God there are politicans who have the courage to say - "I DON'T THINK SO!!" to the fat cats ... read the ctv.ca story by clicking here.