Renegotiating Integrity 3-16-08
There is today a lot of talk about a looming mortgage crisis, in which 1-2 million home mortgages will undergo foreclosure proceedings. Many reasons are given for this crisis, such as predatory lending practices, poor buying habits, and the price of oil (which seems to be the root cause of all of America’s ills). And even more solutions are presented, from government bail-outs to letting the free market settle the issues.
One particularly distressing idea that I heard on the radio was a plan to change the law to allow judges the ability to change the terms of the contracts. This plan has several fatal flaws. One flaw is that parties enter into a contract in good faith that they know what to expect on the basis of the contract; changing the terms after the fact arbitrarily destroys this good faith. If I were to borrow $1000 from you, with the promise to pay $100 per month until I had repaid the debt plus an extra payment for interest, that might seem like a fair deal; if, however, I decided after six payments to change the terms to $10 per month until the principal only was repaid, you might feel cheated (as well as reluctant to loan me any more money).
Another flaw with this plan is the idea that it is appropriate to use the court system (judges) to force other people to accept whatever we want. In this case, some people want to use judges to force lenders to accept terms that they never agreed to and that are totally favorable to the borrower. Somehow we have gotten the idea that judges exist to free us from the consequences of our actions.
In all of this, what does God have to say? Has God ever expressed a view on personal integrity? Or on upholding oaths? Or on personal responsibility? Or on the honesty of judges?
Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death … the man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out … the wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor … the wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment. (Proverbs 10:2,9,15-16 NIV)
The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. (Proverbs 11:1 NIV)
Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (Proverbs 13:11 NIV)
The LORD detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him. (Proverbs 20:23 NIV)
Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 NIV)
The central theme of these passages is integrity. Ill-gotten treasure is what many want when they seek to use the courts to force others to accept changes in the terms of a contract that both parties had agreed to beforehand. Dishonesty is abhorrent to God, so why would we think that entering into a contract and then trying to cheat on the terms would be acceptable? Judges who do not uphold justice, but instead cheat one party in favor of another are detestable to God, so what should we believe God’s feelings are about those who seek to pervert the judges?
I am not an advocate of the mortgage industry, and I do believe that changes should be made in regulations (such as disclosures and transparency); but I do believe that men are held accountable to God for their actions and beliefs. If a person is in over their head, they should seek help. There are many legal (and more importantly, moral) avenues to take. But seeking to cheat anyone, even faceless corporations, is just plain wrong. The people of God need to stand for what is right – remember, that is where God is standing.
-Charles Peterson