The official weblog of Texas Baptists Committed -- an organization committed to preserving historic Baptist distinctives within Texas Baptist life.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Testimony by Chad Chaddick on Payday Lending - February 22, 2011
(On February 22, Chad Chaddick - pastor of Northeast Baptist Church, San Antonio; and a member of the TBC Board of Directors - testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce in support of Senate Bill 253, which would close the payday lending loophole.)
Testimony by Suzii Paynter on Payday Lending - February 22, 2011
(On February 22, Suzii Paynter - Director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission - testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce in support of Senate Bill 253, which would close the payday lending loophole.)
Questions Posed to the Senate Committee Considering SB 253 on Payday Lending
(On February 22, Chad Chaddick - pastor of Northeast Baptist Church, San Antonio; and a member of the TBC Board of Directors - testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce in support of Senate Bill 253, which would close the payday lending loophole. The following is excerpted from a letter he sent to the committee the following day.)
Reflecting on the testimony and questions of yesterday, I wish to share two thoughts.
1. Regarding the protections extended to our military personnel, I find it interesting that not one person objected to these protections being extended to our soldiers. That the Department of Defense has found that such credit practices are “a threat to our national security” was accepted by all. Whether this acceptance was out of a sense of real patriotism or whether it was simply out of the desire to be seen as patriotic, such acceptance begs the question – if one mark of patriotism is that we protect our military from usurious practices by capping the interest and fees that can be charged them at 36%, is it not a matter of state pride that we would extend equal protections to all the citizens of our own state? To do otherwise is to establish a double standard by which we grant one class of people greater protection than another class of people.
2. Likewise, it is interesting to me that all present yesterday would accept the need to protect our military personnel from usurious lending, but none of us made the connection that protection is necessary only if there is a threat of real harm. If our military personnel need to be protected, it stands to reason that they need to be protected from something harmful. Yet what I heard yesterday both from industry lobbyists and from committee members was that payday lending practices are good, beneficial, and necessary. Indeed, the committee went out of its way to make the point that they wanted to ensure the continued prosperity of these businesses and their practices.
My question is, do you really want to ensure the continued prosperity of practices that we, in our patriotic pride, have all agreed are harmful? I do not deny that there is a need for some extension of credit to the working poor, but I would suggest that there are alternative ways to do so – ways that actually help the citizens of the state rather than harm them. In a government designed to be “for” the people, I would hope you agree.
I would urge your careful consideration of these matters as you hammer out final details of the bill.
Reasons for Christians to Oppose Payday Lending and Support Texas SB 253
(On February 22, Chad Chaddick - pastor of Northeast Baptist Church, San Antonio; and a member of the TBC Board of Directors - testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce in support of Senate Bill 253, which would close the payday lending loophole. The following was part of the prepared remarks he presented to the committee.)
As a pastor, I've reflected on my own particular encounter with the payday loans, and with payday loans in general so that our church could understand our moral and theological motivation for opposing the continuation of these unregulated practices. There is, quite naturally I think, the sheer shock and outrage a person feels that any group could legally arrange or issue a line of credit with terms that amounted to upwards of 740% interest. My outrage only increased when I discovered that the only way someone could offer such a line of credit was to do so under the guise of a Credit Service Organization (CSO) which, by definition, exists to help people. It seems ludicrous to me that 740% interest could ever be considered “helpful.” As my own experience has proven, it is education and accountability that are truly helpful to families with damaged credit and few financial resources – NOT an available line of credit burdened with usurious interest.
As a pastor, I've reflected on my own particular encounter with the payday loans, and with payday loans in general so that our church could understand our moral and theological motivation for opposing the continuation of these unregulated practices. There is, quite naturally I think, the sheer shock and outrage a person feels that any group could legally arrange or issue a line of credit with terms that amounted to upwards of 740% interest. My outrage only increased when I discovered that the only way someone could offer such a line of credit was to do so under the guise of a Credit Service Organization (CSO) which, by definition, exists to help people. It seems ludicrous to me that 740% interest could ever be considered “helpful.” As my own experience has proven, it is education and accountability that are truly helpful to families with damaged credit and few financial resources – NOT an available line of credit burdened with usurious interest.
But I have discovered something else as I reflected on these types of loans. I have discovered that, the more I tell this story, the more 740% interest becomes just another number. It eventually loses all shock value and any moral connotation; to be honest, any argument that rests solely on its shock value is a very shallow argument. Several resources have helped me dig a deeper foundation for my own position on the issue. One is the Christian Scripture. Both Old Testament and New are clear that justice for the poor is an extremely meaningful issue to God. “Evil” is the name given in Scripture to “oppressing the poor” and “crushing the needy” (Amos 4:1). A line of credit carrying usurious interest targeting the financially fragile certainly qualifies as oppressing the poor and crushing the needy.
But a second resource in understanding this position is to follow the logical outcomes of viewing such practices as helpful and good. By such reasoning, we find ourselves in a surreal world of absurd values.
Consider this: if taking such a loan is helpful or good, then we must immediately admit that these CSOs are operating under an unfair market advantage, since our banks, credit unions, and other loan providers are unable to offer such good and helpful products. Were we to admit that such products are good for our citizens and for ourselves, then we must remove the constitutional limit of 10% interest and open the regulatory doors for our banks to offer such helpful products. After all, which of us, by this reasoning, would not want easier access to such a good thing? Just imagine the good that could be done if every bank and credit union could offer us 700% car and home loans! Indeed, the State of Texas is currently in a financially difficult situation. No doubt the state would benefit from taking loans from its citizens in the form of bonds guaranteed at 700%. As a civic duty, I would like to be the first to buy some.
But if this seems ridiculous, and it is, and if such bonds would obviously be bad for the state of Texas, and they are, then we must be ready to admit they are bad for individual citizens, too. Our citizens should be afforded some protection from such harmful practices.
Of course, one objection to regulating such practices is that the market within which they operate will condense and some people may lose jobs to keep the corporations profitable. Job loss is certainly not a good thing. But if the good of creating and maintaining jobs outweighs our consideration for the fairness of the practices those jobs support, then I fear that we find ourselves again in the position of the absurd. If we cannot regulate these practices because the creation and preservation of jobs is more important than protecting the most vulnerable of our citizens, then we must question some of our other existing regulations.
Consider, for instance, our strenuous regulation against the manufacture, transport, and sale of illicit drugs. Such regulation is clearly oppressive, and, no doubt, “hurts” those involved in such activities. If our consideration for job creation and preservation is our foremost concern, then we must face the fact that we are robbing drug dealers of their fairly-earned, market-driven livelihoods. Imagine how many jobs we could create with less strenuous regulation!
Consider also how the regulation of prostitution is hurting the bottom-lines of pimps throughout our state. The exploitation of women and the sex trade of underage girls aside, the state’s regulation of prostitution is hurting jobs. If job creation, growth, and preservation outweigh the moral nature of the practices those jobs support, then ultimately, we are robbed of any moral foothold to oppose such practices. There is no end to the types of practices we might unleash upon the citizens of our state if we followed such reasoning. It is absurd.
But clearly we are against these and other hurtful practices, and our citizens have been afforded some protection from them. If the shock of a 740% APR loan is not enough to bring payday and auto-title loans under existing regulation, then perhaps an appeal to moral conviction, consistent reasoning, justice may help. It is for these reasons that I support SB 253 to close the loophole that allows such usurious practices to continue in Texas.
An Experience with Payday Loans at Northeast Baptist Church, San Antonio
(On February 22, Chad Chaddick - pastor of Northeast Baptist Church, San Antonio; and a member of the TBC Board of Directors - testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce in support of Senate Bill 253, which would close the payday lending loophole. The experience related here was part of the prepared remarks he presented to the committee.)
About a year ago, a couple joined our church. With six kids, a dependent mother-in-law, and one income, they were understandably financially fragile. The church gave them some financial assistance not long after they joined.
Six months later, they requested more financial assistance from the church. At present, the policies of our church provide that we do not require much from the individual church member-with-a-need other than to answer a few questions regarding the need and how it came to exist. If requests are made a second time, however, we require that those with the need meet with another member of our church who can assist them in developing a household budget and who can provide a measure of accountability with regard to living within that budget. The needy family in question willingly met with our Vice Chairman of Deacons and his wife.
In the course of developing the household budget, our deacon discovered that the family would be able to live within their means except for one item of debt that was dragging them down . . . . a $700 payday loan they had taken out roughly four months earlier to help with a rent payment on their home. The terms of the loan: $200 every two weeks was automatically deducted from the husband's paycheck. This $200 did not reduce the original amount of the loan. It merely allowed for the $700 principal to roll-over until the next pay-period. In the course of the four months the family had maintained this loan, they had rolled the principal over 9 times – at a cost of $1,800. (Had they continued to pay on the loan for a year, they would have paid $5,200, for an APR of over 740%!) Now, as they approached the church again for help, they needed help to pay their rent or face eviction.
The financial assistance that the church is able to provide for any family is limited. To help this particular family meet their financial obligations for the month and get them out from under the loan that would have kept them perpetually struggling (and us or others perpetually trying to help), we needed nearly $1,500. The loan accounted for half of that amount when the principal and associated fees were factored together. This certainly exceeded the usual amount the church was prepared to pay, but through the generosity of several church members, and even one non-church member, the money was raised.
It was then that we hit an unexpected speed bump – it took us three days to 1) determine exactly where the loan should be paid, and 2) discover a means acceptable to the company for paying off the loan (our offers of a check and an initial credit card were rejected). The system was certainly not set up to make it easy to pay off the loan. By the time we had located the company, talked with a representative who could authorize this pay-off, and agreed how the loan was to be paid, we had accrued nearly $100 worth of additional fees.
I am pleased to say that the family – being out from under the payday loan, and receiving some basic education on how to handle money and some accountability on their budget – has successfully lived within its means for the past three months.
About a year ago, a couple joined our church. With six kids, a dependent mother-in-law, and one income, they were understandably financially fragile. The church gave them some financial assistance not long after they joined.
Six months later, they requested more financial assistance from the church. At present, the policies of our church provide that we do not require much from the individual church member-with-a-need other than to answer a few questions regarding the need and how it came to exist. If requests are made a second time, however, we require that those with the need meet with another member of our church who can assist them in developing a household budget and who can provide a measure of accountability with regard to living within that budget. The needy family in question willingly met with our Vice Chairman of Deacons and his wife.
In the course of developing the household budget, our deacon discovered that the family would be able to live within their means except for one item of debt that was dragging them down . . . . a $700 payday loan they had taken out roughly four months earlier to help with a rent payment on their home. The terms of the loan: $200 every two weeks was automatically deducted from the husband's paycheck. This $200 did not reduce the original amount of the loan. It merely allowed for the $700 principal to roll-over until the next pay-period. In the course of the four months the family had maintained this loan, they had rolled the principal over 9 times – at a cost of $1,800. (Had they continued to pay on the loan for a year, they would have paid $5,200, for an APR of over 740%!) Now, as they approached the church again for help, they needed help to pay their rent or face eviction.
The financial assistance that the church is able to provide for any family is limited. To help this particular family meet their financial obligations for the month and get them out from under the loan that would have kept them perpetually struggling (and us or others perpetually trying to help), we needed nearly $1,500. The loan accounted for half of that amount when the principal and associated fees were factored together. This certainly exceeded the usual amount the church was prepared to pay, but through the generosity of several church members, and even one non-church member, the money was raised.
It was then that we hit an unexpected speed bump – it took us three days to 1) determine exactly where the loan should be paid, and 2) discover a means acceptable to the company for paying off the loan (our offers of a check and an initial credit card were rejected). The system was certainly not set up to make it easy to pay off the loan. By the time we had located the company, talked with a representative who could authorize this pay-off, and agreed how the loan was to be paid, we had accrued nearly $100 worth of additional fees.
I am pleased to say that the family – being out from under the payday loan, and receiving some basic education on how to handle money and some accountability on their budget – has successfully lived within its means for the past three months.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Baptist Brief, Tuesday, February 22 - Founding of the SBC: Crying "Foul" over Home Missions
For MOBILE (iPhone, etc.) version, click here.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Baylor Regents Bear Watching
The Baptist Standard reported that "Baylor's board of regents voted Feb. 11 to amend the university's bylaws, allowing members who are active in Christian - but not Baptist - churches to comprise up to 25 percent of the board."
Dary Stone, chair of the board of regents, explained the decision as "an accommodation to obvious demographic changes in church labels and affiliation," noting that the majority of the overall student body is non-Baptist and that this year's freshman class is less than one-third Baptist.
At Texas Baptists Committed - where our mission has always put preserving the Baptist identity at the forefront - we naturally view this move with great concern. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post entitled "Why Be Baptist?" In that post, I tried to convey the uniqueness of being Baptist and that being Baptist still matters. Baptist is not just a "label" or "affiliation" - it's the most authentic way of being Christian . . . of being faithful to the freedom and responsibility that God gave humankind from the beginning.
Baptists are in danger of extinction today - mainly because we long ago stopped teaching our people, young and old, what is special about being Baptist. It's easier to "accommodate" than educate. It's of special concern when the world's largest Baptist university - right here in our own backyard - decides that Baptist ties aren't essential for those who determine its future vision and plans.
The article quoted Steve Vernon, acting executive director of the BGCT Executive Board: "I wrote by email to the Baylor board of regents to express our opposition to the move. The vote did not go as I believe Texas Baptists would desire."
The Standard points out that "the bylaws require 75 percent of the board to be Baptists, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will continue to elect 25 percent of the overall board." Small comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
Admittedly, there were a few positive developments reported in the article:
Dary Stone, chair of the board of regents, explained the decision as "an accommodation to obvious demographic changes in church labels and affiliation," noting that the majority of the overall student body is non-Baptist and that this year's freshman class is less than one-third Baptist.
At Texas Baptists Committed - where our mission has always put preserving the Baptist identity at the forefront - we naturally view this move with great concern. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post entitled "Why Be Baptist?" In that post, I tried to convey the uniqueness of being Baptist and that being Baptist still matters. Baptist is not just a "label" or "affiliation" - it's the most authentic way of being Christian . . . of being faithful to the freedom and responsibility that God gave humankind from the beginning.
Baptists are in danger of extinction today - mainly because we long ago stopped teaching our people, young and old, what is special about being Baptist. It's easier to "accommodate" than educate. It's of special concern when the world's largest Baptist university - right here in our own backyard - decides that Baptist ties aren't essential for those who determine its future vision and plans.
The article quoted Steve Vernon, acting executive director of the BGCT Executive Board: "I wrote by email to the Baylor board of regents to express our opposition to the move. The vote did not go as I believe Texas Baptists would desire."
The Standard points out that "the bylaws require 75 percent of the board to be Baptists, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas will continue to elect 25 percent of the overall board." Small comfort, but comfort nonetheless.
Admittedly, there were a few positive developments reported in the article:
- "The regents . . . voted to create the Baptist Studies Center for Research."
- They also voted to "increase the amount of financial aid available to children of Baptist ministers and missionaries."
- Making "any future change in the percentage of non-Baptists on the board" subject to the approval of 75 percent of the Baptist regents
- Restricting - to Baptist regents only - the right to vote on issues related to Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary
Baptist Brief, Monday, February 21 - Founding of the SBC: Society vs. Convention
For MOBILE (iPhone, etc.) version, click here.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Baptist Quotes on Separation of Church and State: 1773
"Religious matters are to be separated from the jurisdiction of the state, not because they are beneath the interests of the state but, quite to the contrary, because they are too high and holy and thus are beyond the competence of the state."
"God has appointed two kinds of government in the world, which are distinct in their nature, and ought never to be confounded together; one of which is called civil, the other ecclesiastical government."
Isaac Backus, colonial Baptist from New England, "An Appeal to the Public for Religious Liberty." The entire piece is now available online.
In America, we now live in a time when many members of the majority faith (Christianity) believe that the government should show favoritism toward the majority faith.
Just this weekend I engaged in a spirited conversation with a Christian who insisted that Christian-only prayers and religious displays should be allowed in government-sponsored venues and buildings, such as public schools and courthouses. Those of other faith persuasions, she declared, should just "put up with it" and "look the other way" or not pay attention to government-mandated displays of Christian faith, instead of protesting in the court system.
Our Baptist forebears believed that government-mandated or favored faith was false faith. Only voluntary faith, made possible by freedom of conscience, could be true faith.
The same is true today. Thanks to our faithful Baptist ancestors who did not "put up with" government-mandated "Christian" religion, America today is a land of religious freedom and separation of church and state where we celebrate freedom of conscience and are able to freely exercise our faith in private and public.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Baptist Brief, Friday, February 18: Founding of the SBC: The Split - In Hindsight, a Very Big Deal
For MOBILE (iPhone, etc.) version, click here.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Baptist Quotes on Separation of Church and State: 1644
"An enforced uniformity of religion throughout a nation or civil state, confounds the civil and religious, denies the principles of Christianity and civility, and that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh." (Roger Williams, 1644, in The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience)
In this his most well-known volume, Williams, the first Baptist in America, argued against religious conformity and uniformity at a time when dissenters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were suffering harsh persecutions from theocratic regimes.
Williams argued for liberty of conscience and freedom of religion for all persons, including Muslims, Jews, and pagans. And he insisted upon the separation of church and state. In another work, Williams coined the phrase "wall of separation" to describe the proper relationship between church and state.
To say the least, Williams' views were heretical. Many of the original copies of The Bloudy Tenent were burned by his opponents.
Americans today know Roger Williams as the founder of the Rhode Island colony and modern democracy. Within Rhode Island, Williams and his allies (Baptist and otherwise; Williams himself remained Baptist for only a short while) enacted freedom of conscience, full religious liberty for all, and separation of church and state. Many decades later, the freedoms enacted in the Rhode Island charter became a model for the formation of the United States of America as a nation dedicated to freedom of conscience, religious liberty, and separation of church and state.
Baptists today can be thankful to Roger Williams for the freedom impulse he helped instill as a central part of our faith heritage.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
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