“I know hedge fund managers who are buying airstrips in places like New Zealand because they think they need a getaway,” said Robert Johnson at the Davos Economic Forum. Johnson believes that wealthy people are fearful of the civil unrest from growing inequality. Recent events in Ferguson, Missouri and the Occupy protests around the United States have left them cold with worry.
The packed session in Davos where Robert Johnson, a former hedge fund director for Soros, was attending focused on the usual topics like global warming and social media. But one other topic has begun to move quickly up the agenda of the annual secret meeting of the super-rich – income inequality. The mere discussion of the topic means that it will surely burst its way into the public consciousness. And they are obviously concerned about protests and civil unrest against them and their own personal security. Johnson said, that “societies can tolerate income inequality if the income floor is high enough.”
During a closing address at Davos in 2014 Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, has learned a lot from those behind the recent social unrest in Ferguson. He believes Ferguson was “a catalytic event” which brought a message from those who previously “didn’t’ matter.”
Others, like Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, believe that the protest movements will soon be forgotten. “The problem movements like these have is stickability,” because they cannot build a structure to sustain their voice.
But Clark doesn’t understand human nature nor Bible prophecy. When discontent reaches a boiling point revolutions can erupt almost overnight by a seemingly minor event. That is time to live in the country because the cities will be the main centers of the violence and civil disruptions. Clark said, “In the end this is all about redistributing income and power.”
The Davos panelists were “scathing about politicians,” describing them as holding up wet fingers to see what way the money is blowing.” Panelists could see that business needs to use technology to find ways to serve people that “don’t matter” instead of worshipping profit, otherwise the consequences could be quite severe on both politicians and businesses.
Keep in mind, that the pope and other socialist-minded world leaders have been advocating for some time that wealth must be redistributed to be more inclusive. However, instead, the income and wealth inequality has widened. And the super-rich are feeling rather insecure. They are heading for the hills, where God’s people should be to befriend them and help them. All their wealth makes them nervous when they see the signs of the times. Their accumulated wealth does not give them peace or security.
“The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place–that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.” Education, page 179
Sometimes, “…the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Luke 16:8
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Comments
M. Britton
Friday February 27th, 2015 at 06:24 PMIncredible! The “poor” super rich people need help? I thought ALL people needed help.
Do the poor poor people need help too? Since the poor poor people don’t have anything, I guess they do not have anything to be worry about. So they do not need our help.
Perhaps the author of this article did not mean it to sound so incredibly biased, but you have to admit, that one sentence destroyed the many apparent important things to consider.
1. The fact that a certain group of people – that happen to be super rich see the terrible state of society.
2. Many of these same people have a sense of GUILT, seeing that many of them oppressed, robbed, and even murdered common laborers. See James 5.
3. If God’s people are in the country, they should help EVERYONE – not just the super rich.
admin
Monday March 2nd, 2015 at 12:20 AMYes, we must not neglect the rich or the poor. As I thought about your comment, I realized that there is a problem among many Christian people. Most of them are oriented with strategies to help the poor. There are many charities, large and small, dedicated to this purpose, many of them church based. But there are few successful strategies among Christian people to reach the rich who are also needing salvation. And when we successfully reach out to the rich, they can help us with our work for the poor, especially financially, but also in personal labor for other wealthy people.
Perhaps you are not familiar with the following statement.
“The intelligent, the refined, are altogether too much passed by. The hook is not baited to catch this class, and ways and methods are not prayerfully devised to reach them with truth that is able to make them wise unto salvation. Most generally the fashionable, the wealthy, the proud, understand by experience that happiness is not to be secured by the amount of money that they possess, or by costly edifices, and ornamental furniture and pictures. They want something they have not. But this class are attracted toward each other, and it is hard to find access to them; and because of this many are perishing in their sins who long for something that will give them rest and peace and quietude of mind. They need Jesus, the light of righteousness.” {Ev 556.3}
Because of their fear and guilt, they need Jesus, and some may led to be their neighbors and can help them in one way or another. This is not wrong. All should be reached, but somehow, many have neglected to consider how best to reach the wealthy classes. One way in which God designs to reach wealthy classes is through health centers (otherwise known as sanitariums). Consider this statement…
“This place was pointed out as a most desirable sight for the sanitarium work that should be carried on near Boston. It has the attractiveness that will bring to it wealthy people from Boston. It has been reserved for us, that we may reach the people of that city. I have been instructed that it is in the providence of God that the New England Sanitarium is here; and we should appreciate the advantages thus placed within our reach.” {SpTB13 4.3}
Our briefing was about the super-rich, not the poor. The comments associated with the briefing only addressed that issue and does not indicate bias for or against anyone. May the Lord help us to have broad minds, and the wisdom of heaven in reaching all classes. -Pr. Mayer
timesandlaws.wordpress.com
Tuesday March 3rd, 2015 at 05:13 PMAre the SDA’s heading for the Place of Safety? They need to know what E. White talks about : one clear place of settled glory.