Social Security: The Phony Crisis by Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot was reviewed by Fred Brock in the August 6, 2000 edition of The New York Times. Bock states: "If you're confused by the political discourse over the future of Social Security, a book from the University of Chicago Press may help sort out the issues. Social Security: The Phony Crisis by Dean Baker and Mark Weisbrot, argues that because of overly conservative economic projections, Social Security is not in danger and doesn't need to be "saved". This is a very readable book by two economists that is actually influncing the political debate." This is the same argument made in The Wall Street Journal back on August 30.1996 by Robert Eisner, a past president of the American Economic Association, in an editorial entitled "What Social Security Crisis/" that we have shared widely. In reality, projection, whether conservative or aggressive, are only that - projections. What we have to share in retirement depends only on how productive each of us remains.

Holy Day, Holiday by Alexis McCrossen was reviewed by Adam Wolfson, the executive editor of the Public Interest, in the July 27, 2000 Wall Street Journal. In further evidence of American's growing ability to "compartmentalize" their religious beliefs from economic behavior, the reviewer begins: "The polling data tell us that Americans are a religious people, the large majority of whom attend church, believe in God and pray daily. But you wouldn't know it from a typical Sunday, where the malls are hopping, the movie theatres packed, and the roads clogged with cars and bikers. Though we might possibly still remember the Sabbath day, in the land of perpetual fun we surely don't keep it holy." Mr. Wolfson reminds us that Tocqueville wrote that Sundays were legally enforced in colonial America "inasmuch as it produces a useful suspension of labor which leads men to reflect upon the duties of life and errors to which humanity is subject." He then relates that this present day author shows how "Americans went from viewing Sunday as a holy day of rest, to a day of cultural enlightenment, to one of mindless consumption and amusements; they went from thinking of the day in terms of broad public purposes to goofing off or finding the best bargain."

The Fourth Great Awakening by Robert Fogel, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economics. There are very few world-class economists who acknowledge the role of religion in economics. But Dr. Fogel finds religion, and particularly "enthusiastic" or evangelical/charismatic religion, most important to our economic future. He begins by writing: "As an economist, I am particularly concerned with America's economic prospects. At the dawn of the new millennium, the critical issues are no longer whether we can manage business cycles or whether the economy is likely to continue to grow at a satisfactory rate. Spiritual (or immaterial) inequity is now as great a problem as material inequity, perhaps even greater. One cannot understand current political and ethical trends, or properly forecast future economic developments, without understanding the cycles in religious feeling in American history."

Charities' Investing: Left Hand, Meet Right; a major article published in The New York Times, June 11, 2000. Highlights foundations' tendencies to invest and give in opposing ways. Begins by noting that Bill Gates' foundation gives to promote world health but invests in cigarette companies. Quotes Scott Fenn, director of the Investor Responsibility Research Center as saying: "You would think that foundations have a clear mission in social policy issues and would look at the portfolio as another tool they could use, but by and large they don't." But that could apply to any investor with values. Another observer notes: "What you have at a lot of foundations, are people trying to use their earnings to basically bet against their corpus. It's weighted the wrong way." That too could be broadened. Many Americans invest in mutual funds and pension funds that finance casino gambling while they give to ministries trying to slow its growth, invest in Playboy while giving to ministries trying to fight pornography, and so on. Interesting, despite many feeling we're too little to make a difference in a big world, the article says the owner of only 100 shares of a giant corporation caused it to change directions. Imagine what millions of values-based investors could do if we stopped thinking we are "grasshoppers in a land of giants." (The Bible, Numbers 13:33)

The Faith Of A Futurist by George Gilder. An editorial in the January 1, 2000 edition of The Wall Street Journal. Sample: "Faith is central to every process of innovation. A crucial law of intellectual creativity is that belief precedes knowledge. The logic of creativity is "leap before you look"...An economy of ideas and innovation ultimately means an economy ruled by spirit and faith."

Better Business Through Buddhism: How The Dalai Lama Won The West. The cover story of the January 2000 issue of Civilization magazine, a publication of America's Library of Congress. Notes that the Dalai Lama's book Ethics For The New Millennium is out-selling Bill Gates' new book. Surely a wake-up call for the Judeo-Christian traditions to begin talking with our business leaders.

How Christianity Created Capitalism by Michael Novak. An editorial in the December 23, 1999 edition of The Wall Street Journal. Sample: "As the world enters the third millennium, we may hope that the church, after some generations of loss of nerve, rediscovers its old confidence in the economic order...capitalism must be infused by that humble gift of love...the current tendency of many to base the spirit of capitalism on sheer materialism is a certain road to economic decline. Honesty, trust, teamwork and respect for the law are gifts of the spirit. They cannot be bought."

Making A Life, Making A Living by Mark Albion, a former professor of the Harvard Business School who has been called "the savior of B-school souls." Sample: "Few of us will regret not having spent more time at the office upon reaching heaven's gate. Yet as we focus on making a good living, we often forget to make a life. Why not transform work into a pursuit that feeds the spirit and the pocketbook, and benefits society too? Now that would be a life worth living, a legacy to look back upon."

Agape Love: A Tradition Found In Eight World Religions by Sir John Templeton. Recently voted by his Wall Street peers as the third-greatest investor of the past century, Sir John has written what is undoubtedly the most unusual, and enriching, book you'll ever read by an investment legend.