Benevolence

             He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

 

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

 

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

 

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Corinthians 13:1-8a)

 

First Disclaimer

A friend asked me to write about a Christian perspective on the student debt forgiveness program, and I must begin with the statement that is no “the Christian perspective.” She asked for “a” and not “the,” but it’s a concern, so the disclaimer with which I begin my thoughts is that “The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions of the any other, unless the other affirms it.

 

Christian Foundation

My second thought on the subject is that the four passages listed above constitute a sufficient starting and finishing place, if we include a sufficient definition of love to accompany the descriptions they provide. According to the Oxford English Dictionary online, love in the religious sense, is

The benevolence and affection of God towards an individual or towards creation; (also) the affectionate devotion due to God from an individual; regard and consideration of one human being towards another prompted by a sense of a common relationship to God. (love, n.1 : Oxford English Dictionary (oed.com))

          For the sake of simplicity, let us equate the term love with the term benevolence, which we will reduce to its etymological meaning of “good will” or willing what is good.

          At this point, we should consider another verse:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20) 

            The thing that Joseph’s brothers meant for ill didn’t turn out the way they’d hoped, which turned out to be a good thing. Equally, I sent clothing to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and later learned that the clothing sent tended to end up in piles, unused. I’ve heard of Christians sending clothing to East Africa, or eggs to south Asia, where their benevolent gift destroyed the textile and chicken farming industries in those areas. (Home page | Povertycure) Meaning well is not sufficient. To be effectively benevolent, one needs to make sure that the well that is meant is accomplished. 

The Debt Forgiveness Plan

          With all that in mind, let’s look at the idea as it stands, and I will share my second disclaimer. What follows is the result of quick research. It may not be even partially accurate, but I have no reason to believe the information to be inaccurate. If someone has better information, I’ll gladly listen and edit this material. President Biden is calling for student loans to be cancelled for borrowers with federal student loans. Private loans don’t count. Neither would loans taken out by parents for the student’s benefit. The cancellation is available to borrowers whose individual incomes are less than $125,000. They can get up to $10,000 of their debt forgiven. Those who received Pell Grants can get a second $10,000 of their debt cancelled for a total debt reduction of $20,000. (Student loan forgiveness 2022: Who qualifies, how to apply - syracuse.com)

          In addition, those who are employed by non-profits, the military, or government may be eligible to have all of their loans forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Anyone who has been paying for 10 years or more will have their debt erased as long as the outstanding balance is less than $12,000 (Here’s who qualifies for President Biden’s student debt relief plan (cleveland19.com))

          The average student debt in 2021 was $39,351. (Average Student Loan Debt By Year (Graduating Class) | 2021 Edition (thecollegeinvestor.com) meaning that 25-50% of a student’s debt may be wiped out based on President Biden’s plan.

          Another source states that the cost annual cost to attend a state-run school (by someone from that state) is $27,300. For an out-of-state student, it rises to $44,150. A year at a private school average $54,800. (How Much Does College Cost? | CollegeData)

          What is not clear to me is whether this is a “one time deal” or something that will continue to be offered for as long as a Democrat is president. From what I read in the articles referenced above, it seems to be available to those who have student debt now but does not continue. 

So… Benevolence 

          Some have argued that helping people who are struggling is benevolent. If we were struggling, wouldn’t we want someone to help us? Isn’t that the whole idea about doing unto others as we would have them do to us? Isn’t this the idea behind the story of the Good Samaritan – someone stepping in to help someone who has been robbed and assaulted by the bad guys (in this case colleges, universities, and moneylenders.)? Forgiving their debt must be benevolent, mustn’t it?   

          While it might be benevolent to the ones whose debt is forgiven, it’s a temporary program, and not every student will benefit. The way the program is designed, it limits our benevolence. And the fact that the government is paying for it, that means taxpayers are paying for it. Are you being benevolent if you’re given no choice?

And keep in mind that since the government is forgiving these loans, the money for them will not be collected. It will be debt incurred by the government, meaning that the people whose debt was forgiven will be paying for that debt through their taxes for the rest of their lives. Their children may have to pay taxes to cover the cost of that debt and its interest. The debt may be spread out, but is it benevolent to those who didn’t incur the debt to have it imposed on them? If the program continues, will be benevolent to require that people whose student loans have been forgiven are required to pay the student loans that are forgiven after theirs?

          While some may conclude that this is benevolence and it’s being a Good Samaritan, a question comes to mind. While it was benevolent of the Good Samaritan to help the man who was robbed, would it not have been more benevolent to have prevented the man from being robbed? Back when the story was told, that wasn’t really feasible, but we’re using the story as a model for behavior today. The thugs are known: the colleges, universities, and lending institutions. While helping these students with their current debt load might be benevolent toward them, would it not be more benevolent to do something about what these “bandits” take from all students and by extension, the rest of us?

       And can we be said to be benevolent if we negligently pay no attention to whether or not what they learn is beneficial? Are you being benevolent if you are putting them in harm’s way by paying the colleges to teach something you believe is harmful? It doesn’t matter whether I agree with you that it’s harmful, if you are bankrolling something you think is harmful, you are not being benevolent. You’re being malevolent.

          Then there is the fact that some students will learn to look to others to solve their problems and take responsibility for their decisions, even if those decisions are bad. Some will make poor use of the ten thousand dollars or more that they no longer owe, incurring other, higher-interest-rate debts. Of course, those are choices the debt-forgiven get to make, but are we being benevolent if we don’t consider the harm we might be doing by forgiving the debts? Should we not at least consider the possibility that our “help” may, like the help that ruined the textile industry in East Africa and the chicken/egg farming industry in south Asia, do more harm than good? Should we not make sure our money is being spent responsibly?

          Would it not be wiser and more benevolent too base our help to students on their taking courses that are content strong and clearly beneficial to the student and society, and not courses or majors that will ultimately do them and society no good or even harm. Would it not be better to pay for a full course in math than to pay for part of a math class and part of a basketweaving class? It might be the same amount of money in both cases, but if students understand that they will be helped to take math classes, and have to pay their own way for basketweaving, chances are good that they will take the math classes.

Some might ask whether we should punish students for making mistakes. Perhaps not, but the student will surely learn better if they are aware that they are making a mistake. And “not punishing them” is no excuse to withhold our benevolence by saying nothing. 

Benevolence? Really?

          Is it a coincidence that this act of governmental “benevolence” is being announced now? We are sixty-eight days from the midterm elections. If the Democrats do not maintain control of the Legislature, the debt forgiveness plan may be eliminated. For those who might benefit from the debt forgiveness or for those who favor the program, there can be no doubt about how they will vote. Ten years down the line when we’re still paying on the debt the government incurred by implementing the program, most of us will probably have forgotten about it – but those who didn’t won’t be able to. They’ll have been bought and paid for, and will likely feel a debt of gratitude, meaning that even if they don’t approve of what the Democrats are doing, they may feel bound to vote for them. Their hands will be tied by the supposed kindness done for them ten years earlier.

          Is that true benevolence on the part of the people promoting this program? 

A Christian Proposal

            As an alternative, even though the program is put into effect as announced, here is an ideas that Christians might consider. Establish a fund from which scholarships can be given on an annual basis, with at least one scholarship being granted to a student from the church, and one being given to someone who is not. The congregation could establish restrictions and qualifications for the scholarships, such as enrollment in a local college or a specific college, GPA requirements, limits as to what courses the scholarship can be used to pay, etc. This would give people the opportunity to truly be benevolent to students.