I knew something was wrong. What was it? Well, the real problem is inflation. Inflation is a result of the civil government “printing dollars” without limitation. This causes the value of the dollar to drop continuously, and the price of everything to go up continuously. It takes more to buy less. It happens over time so that few people ever notice it (unless you buy a Reese’s Cup at a convenience store).
Recently, while traveling with my wife we stopped to get gasoline. While I was filing up the tank and as she was going into the convenience store, she asked if there was anything I wanted. I said “Yes, a Reese’s Cup.” I love Reese’s Cups. When she handed it to me, I noticed it had only two small cups, and it cost over a dollar. I ate the two cups in two bites. Gulp—and the first piece was gone, and then gulp again—and the second was gone.
This made me do a lot of thinking. I am a theologian, and maybe the trouble with theologians is that they think too much about everything. I sat there trying to savor the last taste of a vanished Reese’s Cup for which we paid a high price, when it occurred to me that there must be a theological lesson in this Reese’s Cup. Well, surprise—there is!
Years ago when I was a young man, I remember paying twenty-five cents (actually, I remember paying five cents—but that dates me too much) for a one-cup package that took me more than two bites to eat. Since the quality of the Reese’s Cup has not changed, I asked myself why it cost so much more than it did years ago—when today I am probably getting a smaller quantity. Let’s think about it.
First, I believe in the free-enterprise economic system as long as it is bound by God’s Law (which forbids things like fraud). The store sold it at a certain price, and my wife purchased it for that price. It was a free-market exchange between individuals and there was no force behind either party making them participate in the exchange. There was nothing wrong with this.
Secondly, I respect people in marketing who study the habits of consumers. One thing they know is that the motto “two for the price of one” encourages people to purchase more goods. I was not getting two for the price of one, but I was getting two cups rather than one. Nothing wrong here.
Thirdly, I was paying a premium for the convenience. No doubt, I could have paid less at a Wal-Mart Store, but I did not have time to find a Wal-Mart Store. I was in a hurry to get home. I realized that there is a premium attached to convenience, and I was willing to pay the premium up to a certain point. Nothing wrong here.
Still, I knew something was wrong. What was it? Well, the real problem is inflation. Inflation is a result of the civil government “printing dollars” without limitation. This causes the value of the dollar to drop continuously, and the price of everything to go up continuously. It takes more to buy less. It happens over time so that few people ever notice it (unless you buy a Reese’s Cup at a convenience store). It’s a little like suffocating with carbon monoxide. Some economists call it “stealth inflation.” Potato chip bags are not as big as they used to be. Toilet tissue rolls are smaller. Producers of goods know there is a limit to raising prices, and the only other alternatives are either to reduce the quality or to shrink the size. Inflation is more than some price index produced by the federal government every month.
Without some restraining influence like a gold standard, sinful man uses inflation to shift wealth from the unsuspecting to himself. It is a type of theft. “Thou shalt not steal.” He knows what he is doing. Yet, nobody seems to really care. Honestly, I can’t quite understand why nobody cares. I think even ardent creationists think it is part of some natural evolutionary process.
The Modern Church is silent. Her prophets do not speak to such issues anymore. However, it was not always the case. Consider at least one exception. Rev. John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, warned the Continental Congress about the dangers of fiat money and inflation. He was right, and the early Continental paper collapsed. He later was encouraged to put his speeches in writing, and they are available in the book On Money and Finance, edited by Joel McDurmon.
I don’t blame the Hershey Company for the high price of smaller Reese’s Cups. They are doing what they have to do in order to survive. I blame godless politicians who cannot control their appetite for more power and control. The system will collapse eventually. It always does. Let us pray that God will send us wise and godly men like Rev. John Witherspoon who was not afraid to face the enemy in the public square.
There it is—my lesson on Theology in a Reese’s Cup.
Larry E. Ball is an Honorably Retired Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.