America’s debt levels are spiraling out of control

Dear Chuck,

I grew up in the church but wasn’t taught God’s way of handling money. It seems our debt crisis is related to ignoring God’s Word. What can we do about it?

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Worried About America’s Debt

Dear Worried About America’s Debt,

Back when Larry Burkett started a comprehensive teaching of what the Bible says about money, nearly 50 years ago, he was very concerned about America’s runaway federal, state, and local government debt — and that of the average American. Those trends have only gotten worse. We believe you are correct; this is a symptom of ignoring God’s financial principles.

The Bible and money

We may never be able to change the course of massive federal overspending and borrowing, but we can advocate for more Christian leaders to equip others to learn and apply God’s financial principles. The Bible addresses every aspect of every area of handling money. God used more than 2,350 verses in His Word to instruct us in His principles of earning, giving, saving, spending, investing, getting out of debt, and teaching children how to handle money. Yet most Christians are unaware of the biblical principles because they were not taught them.

In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus issued the Great Commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

After evangelizing the nations, the second command is, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” This has been largely ignored with respect to one of the most addressed subjects in the ministry of Jesus: God’s financial principles. Spiritual leaders must take seriously the command to make disciples by teaching people all that He taught. His financial principles are essential for our freedom from the control of money and for the perpetuation of the Church.

The core lesson

Most Christians believe that the Lord has no part in their finances. But Scripture reveals that He plays the central role as Owner of all things. Psalm 24:1 says: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…” (ESV).

Any financial teaching in the Church is usually confined to handling the tithe, or 10% of one’s income. Although this is crucial, most believers do not understand the reason for giving or the Lord’s perspective for handling the other 90%. That remaining money is perceived to be theirs to use as they please. Nothing could be further from the truth.

All income, assets, and possessions belong to God; we own nothing. We are merely stewards, or managers, of what belongs to Him. Hence, we do not have the liberty to spend as we might desire. He has granted us the tremendous responsibility to manage things in a way that would please Him.

If we are to effectively present the message of the Great Commission, we cannot fail to address the subject of financial stewardship. Failing to teach the full counsel of God’s Word on biblical financial stewardship omits a major segment of Jesus’ command. A look at America’s debt levels shows the need for education in our churches and our homes.

See the stats:

• Yahoo! reported in May that Americans’ consumer debt hit an all-time high of $18.2 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for Q1 2025.
• According to USAFacts, the average American owed $62,500 in Q1 2025.
• Our national debt, according to the U.S. Treasury, was $36.22 trillion on July 3rd. That comes to $106,451 per person, or an estimated $273,914 per household. Over the past year, the national debt increased by an average $3.75 billion per day, which is $156.20 million per hour or $2.60 million per second. That is staggering and unsustainable.

Proverbs 22:7 has been ignored: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” So has Deuteronomy 15:6, which was given to the nation of Israel: “For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.”

What can we do?

To insulate yourself against the economic threats created by excessive debt, be sure to minimize or eliminate your personal debt as much as possible. The less you owe, the freer you become.

Place your faith and confidence in God’s hands and avoid worrying about the condition of the economy. God will be with us in a good economy or a bad economy.

Pray that our churches, spiritual leaders, and godly parents will teach biblical financial principles in order to raise up faithful stewards who will be free to work, give, save, spend, and invest in ways that will grow God’s Kingdom.

Let’s remember that biblical stewardship is not being free to spend money however we want; it is being free for God to spend us however He wants.

Crown has many free resources to help: online courses, budget coaches, Bible studies, and training courses. I invite you to help us reach more people like yourself who want to help others become faithful stewards.

If you need help digging out of credit card debt, consider reaching out to Christian Credit Counselors, a trusted partner of Crown. They are a valuable resource to help get you on the road to financial freedom.