Sunday, August 6, 2017

Post 49-The Cost of a Pair of Jeans and the Great Depression


Jeans, Pants, Blue, Shop, Shopping, Shelf, Exhibition 

On Sat., Jul 29, 2017 at 2:00PM John began

Hello Dana

            Do you know how many pairs of jeans are sold in America each year? 450,000,000, that’s MILLION!

            Do you know what the population of America is? 323 million.

            While I tried to find the average price of a pair of jeans, I wasn’t able to. But prices range from around $20.00 to over $600.00. The last pair I bought from one of my favorite stores, LL Bean, was around $45.00.

            American owns seven pair of jeans The average. I own five: one cut off due to excessive holes due to age and not design, two with so many holes I could sell them for designer jeans, one pair of flannel lined for winter (they’re great by the way on a cold windy day) and one brand new pair. The four that are not new, are at a minimum of 15 years old, and at least one pair is as old as my marriage, 25 years.

            While I couldn’t find the following statistic (average price of a pair of jeans) I did come up with a very approximate number of about $50.00 a pair for women’s jeans.

            What got me interested in this was listening to a radio program on my way out of Philadelphia today after dropping off some used items at a church yard sale. Our suburban church helps support an inner city, poor neighborhood church. (God is doing a great work through that inner city ministry.) 

            Jeans are worn at all levels of society. I’ve seen business men show up for very important meetings in jeans with a blue blazer.  Around an airport, you’d think it was the specified uniform for travelers.  Now that I own a new pair that isn’t faded (although they’re the best kind) and thread bare, I’d wear that new pair to a party at someone’s home whom I had never before met. Or, I’ve worn jeans to church and for special occasions.

            Now, where I am going with this? If we use my very approximate average price of a pair of women’s jeans, $50.00, and $30.00 for a pair of men’s jeans, take that average $40.00 x 450,000,000 = (if I did the math correctly on my calculator) $1,800,000,000.00. That’s almost two billion (with a B) dollars.

 

            NO, wait, that’s wrong! It can’t be! Is it really supposed to be $18 Billion dollars?!@! You’ve got to be kidding me! NO WAY!!!

 

            In Schuyler Velasco’s June 16, 2015 article in The Christian Science Monitor titled “Charitable giving sets new record, but why are religious donations waning?” (https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2015/0616/Charitable-giving-sets-new-record-but-why-are-religious-donations-waning )  based on a 2014 report, he writes that an estimated $354.4 billion was given by Americans to charity. While religion accounts for the largest percentage of giving, according to Velasco’s article, “But religious giving ‘is continuing its 30-year dramatic downward slide,’ Mr. King notes (chairman of the group who did the report). ‘In fact, it has dropped from 53 percent of all donations in 1987 to 32 percent of the total in 2014.’” 

            It might be worth your time to read Velasco’s entire article. Just one more quote. He has a paragraph devoted to the drop in the number of people who in America claim to be Christians. He ends that paragraph with this statement, “The trend is even more pronounced among Millennial adults; those with no religious affiliation outnumber both mainline Protestants and Catholics in that age group.” What this means is that most of the giving is done by older Christians—the dying generation. While the future church  generation is shrinking—meaning fewer people in church as time goes by. While this will of course impact giving totals, it means more Americans will not be hearing a Gospel message.

            Just one other big number paragraph, and I’ll bring this down to where we live. We recently got the 2016 annual report from Joyce Meyer Ministries, with a focus on Hand of Hope outreach. Through the years we have contributed significantly to this ministry and outreach. They have a number of various ministries but I’ll just list three and quote from her report:


Feeding Programs—More than 80,000 children around the world don't have to worry about where their next meal will come from, thanks to our partners. At over 725 feeding sites in over 30 countries children receive a nutritious meal, help with schoolwork and the opportunity to learn about Christ.


Human Trafficking Rescue—We are working to rescue women and children in the United States, Australia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. We offer love, housing, schooling, job skill training, and biblical counseling to help rebuild and restore their lives.


Water Relief—We've been able to provide clean drinking water to families across India and more than 20 other countries through wells and water tanks. To date, more than 900 well projects are working to provide safe water.

 

Joyce Meyer Ministries total revenue (according to the 2016 Annual Report) was $107,318,320.00. Yes, that is 107 million. Her largest expense, other than the costs of her radio and television ministry, was missions and outreach. That expense was $29,605,140.00.  This means that over 30% of her ministry income is going to missions and outreaches.

            Now I know Dana that you are not in favor of big ministries or big churches, and television ministries may stick in your esophagus, but before I go back to the jeans, let me ask you how many individuals or churches are you aware of that give 30% of their income, or even 10% to God’s work? I remember the great faith of Brother Carr, but he also used to say, “You can’t buy jelly beans without money.” (Which was why he took a month to teach on money in his churches and an entire week of chapel services to teach the future church leaders.) We know, according to Share Faith Magazine’s article of 12/21/15 titled  The Truth About Christians Tithing In The U.S.”


 

It’s alarming that Christians now give less per capita than during the Great Depression. (the bolding is mine) When we finally look at those in church, at best 25% of the congregation give. That’s at best. If you have that level of participation, you’re not in the norm, according to other research, which says only about 3-5% actually tithe in most cases. And, it’s not the wealthy who always tithe. The statistics suggest that if you make less than $20k, you’re eight times more likely to give than someone who makes more than $75k.

 

So according to this, church giving and church goer giving, in the words of the Paul Simon 1977 song, are “slip sliding away.”

            So in my mind, small is not better. Yes there are problems with larger churches and ministries but there are as many failures and problems in small churches as in larger. (You and I both know this from firsthand experience.) The larger ones just make bigger  headlines.  Taking Jesus words at face value in John 14:12-14 NKJV

 

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

 

I believe it, that we will do greater works than Jesus. This is why I keep hoping and praying for revival, to see greater works. And if 3000 and 5000 were saved at one time as in Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:4 respectively, there is no Biblical reason why I can’t see it today!

            Still can’t believe the numbers on the jeans, however.

 John

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Dana’s Reply on Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 12:43 PM

     You’re absolutely right John, I’m not a fan of the big church, and I believe it causes more problems than it fixes.  Financial pragmatism, to me, just doesn’t justify the many ills that have been spawned from them.  Without this degenerating into an argument, I’ll only say, like I’ve said before, a man can preach to a thousand people, but he cannot pastor a thousand people, and it’s much easier for vital personal accountability to get lost in big crowds, so the purpose of churches and pastors is threatened by their very existence. 

      But I’ve given up trying to convince anyone, when so many have “Christian” stars in their eyes.  Bigger is always better when it comes to worshipping a God of whom it was said, He “…had no place to lay His head.” As far as I’m concerned, pop culture Christianity has destroyed the evangelical church in America, and without a genuine miracle of God, I’m not optimistic that our American Christian heritage can be restored. And that’s all I’ve got to say on that.

      As to jeans, I’m not in a position to throw stones, as that’s pretty much the entire lower half of my wardrobe, as I no longer own a suit. The former wardrobe comment isn’t a complaint, merely an observation.  I have old some ragged jeans that I wear for working, and a couple of pair of newer (or nicer ones—no holes) that I wear to church, or other social functions, and a pair of black jeans that I reserve for weddings and funerals. Dressing to impress has never been part of my M.O. I did what I was required to do in Bible College, but soon got over it, and never looked back.

      Another aspect of the jeans phenomena I witnessed during the time my father pastored the AG Church in Wyncote, PA.  There were several members of that church who were from the former Soviet Union, back when it was very much still the Soviet Union.  They organized a trip to the USSR to network with persecuted Christians, and my parents went along.

      Someone suggested that they try and smuggle Bibles and religious literature behind the Iron Curtain.  Instead they opted to bring in as many pairs of jeans that they could carry.  Bibles and Christian literature would most surely be confiscated at any border crossing, but jeans were not a threat to the totalitarian government.  The idea was that the Christians could sell the jeans on the black market for a huge mark up on what they cost in the US, and with the money, Bibles and religious materials could be purchased (also on the black market.)  Who knows how many pairs of jeans sold, end up providing money for the underground church, even today?  Granted, the old USSR is no longer the force it used to be, but the underground church is still a reality in places around the globe.

    The problem is two-fold. In the first place, people (and Christian people too) erroneously believe that the money they earn, inherit, find, beg, steal or borrow is actually theirs.  The concept that everything on this planet belongs to its Creator is at best, today, a novelty.  10% of a Christian’s income (or wealth) isn’t the only portion which God owns.  He owns it all. We are simply stewards—those who safeguard it until He directs its use.

 

     In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (ESV)

 

       Which brings us to part two of the problem, namely material goods have replaced our love for God.  If God were truly our (all Christians’) treasure, there would be no impetus for your choice of topics, unless you just have an affinity for heavy cotton cloth. Perhaps if we’re all reduced to nothing, as many of our brothers and sisters who kept the faith under the iron boot heel of the Soviet Union found themselves, then we’ll realize that there is nothing but Christ that’s worth anything.  As my late Mother used to say, “You never see a Brinks truck following a hearse.”  Come to think of it, I never have….

Dana

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John came back on Aug 2, 2016 at 11:00

Hey Dana

            Before I close, I’m sure someone will think I’m being legalistic. I’m trying not to be.  I do understand some people having jeans as their basic wardrobe for any number of reasons. I think my consternation over the jeans statistics is it equates to a lot of money. Speaking of “a lot of money,’ I don’t begrudge people who have a lot of it. (For example, while some may argue with this, but John D. Rockefeller, Sr. one of the richest men on the planet in his time, is reported to have been a Christian.) The Bible doesn’t excoriate those who are rich. It just warns them, as in 1 Tim 6:17-19 for example, to, among other things, share with those less fortunate, not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth.

            While we both know (and I’m sure many of our readers know) that one does not get into heaven by our works (Eph 2:8-9) once our salvation is secure, Godly works should follow (James 1:22-24). Now, whether you agree with the following or not, I’m sure you’ve heard at various times in the past a minister or evangelist say, “If God does not have your wallet, He does not have you.”  Another thing I’ve heard said is, “If you had to hand God your wallet when you stand before Him, would He let you in?”

            In the past, I believe I have written about Randy Alcorn’s little gem of a book, The Treasure Principle, Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving. Alcorn, on pages 8 and 9, tells what Jesus felt about money, “The parable of hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44)  is one of many references and illustrations Jesus made about money and possessions. In fact, 15% of everything Christ said relates to this topic—more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined.”

            Alcorn then asks, “Why did Jesus put such an emphasis on money and possessions?” I think Alcorn’s answer is at the crux of my consternation over the jeans statistics and the money spent on them, and the declining giving by Christians. He says, “Because there’s a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money.”

            Here is one more observation from Alcorn’s book, just one page over on page 10. He reminds us about Zacchaeus and what he said to Jesus in Luke 19:1-9, especially verse 8

 

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Italics mine)

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

 

When God got a hold of Zacchaeus’ heart, He got a hold of his wallet also.  

             For our readers who all ready have a number of pairs of jeans, I would only ask that the next time you go to buy another pair, ask yourself if they are really needed, or might God have a better use for that money?

 

Yours for the Harvest

John

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