Sea of Faith Christchurch Group

David introduced us to Niall Ferguson’s book “The Ascent of Money.” In following up on this subject, I discovered that Niall Ferguson has presented a four-part TV series on the same subject.  Thanks to the American Public Broadcasting Service, you can watch this on your computer; just click on http://video.pbs.org/program/1155680272/.

I found the series easy to watch and full of insight into the rise and rise of money. What is missing for me is a critique of the monetary system – not simply complaints about the greed of particular individuals, but a critique of the system itself. Money seems to be behind war and violence. The need to pay back debt plus interest fuels the ever-increasing exploitation and degradation of the planet.  It seems that we need a spiritual or religious perspective on money, so that we make a connection between the two areas that David mentioned: the Sunday morality and the  Monday reality.