Mr. Bonner admits he's a Christian...well, almost

As I think I've shared with ya'll, before, I've read most of Bill Bonner's ouevre by now and am convinced the man is a Catholic. However, he's never directly acknowledged the fact, never used the words "Catholic" or "Christian," and never mentioned the name of Jesus, although his indirect references to God and the Catholic faith fly thick and fast in his writing. So I've been keeping an eye on this guy for more direct references--a soulwatch, if you will.

Because I want to believe Bill Bonner's soul is saved.

Maybe it's because he's the same age as my dad. Maybe it's because he's a good writer. Maybe it's because, in his world-weary pose as a cynical, contrarian, "metrosexual" ex-pat living mostly in France, he reminds me of a modern-day Erasmus--in secular drag. And yet...I haven't been able to really believe he was a Catholic who lived his faith...until today:

"The more man gets; the more he wants. If he can communicate via Internet…or via airplane…he'll do both. The Internet Revolution was supposed to reduce the demand for fossil fuel. Finally, man had conquered distance. You no longer needed to commute to the office…or half way around the globe. You could have your meeting, and do your work, without ever leaving home.
But what has happened? Now people work from the home…and the office! And still they travel. They want it all - bigger houses, more stuff, more vacations…and they want to work harder too.

"Work…work…work…consume…consume…consume…

"But something went wrong with this model in America. In the last quarter of the last century, people worked harder than ever. What did it get them? Nothing. Nobody realized it, but they had reached an era of declining marginal utility of work."

This is just a sample from one of his columns--which he churns out daily--and proves why I just love this guy. No dry analysis here...every statistic comes with a story. Every financial crisis has a face. In fact, the 'Daily Reckoning' often veers into personal territory, especially at the end:

"Last night's repast was organized by our friend, the reverend Peter Mullen, rector of St. Michael's Cornhill in The City. Peter is chaplain to the London Stock Exchange and an activist.

...

"We must do what we can to reverse what I call 'secular terrorism,'" he said. "You know, this didn't come from nowhere. A small group of intellectuals - notably Herbert Marcuse - got together. They said they needed to infiltrate our institutions and conduct a program of 'secular terrorism.' Marcuse used that expression. And that's what they did. Now, we have a situation where it is practically illegal, in Britain, for a teacher to tell his class that he is a Christian. And God help you if you dare to suggest that one religion is better than another. Even our own priests and ministers don't really believe in Christianity anymore. Many Church of England priests never even open the prayer book. They're victims of secular terrorism; they no longer believe their own faith. Instead, they believe all religions are equal…and all ideas are equally valid."

This is something I'd expect to read on a self-proclaimed Christian site. You could imagine he was Anglican or even an Evangelical for a moment. But then Bonner adds his own slant:

"We had a hard time concentrating. In front of us sat one of the most exquisite women we had ever seen. 'Yes, there is a God,' we said to ourselves. She had long red hair…and the kind of face you see on goddesses painted by Italian dreamers. She was probably in her 20's…so innocent and so lovely. And when she spoke, the tones came out like dessert.

"But what was she doing there? She was surrounded by middle-aged men, all of them grumping about the government, the intellectuals, the schools, art…finance…and all the other bad habits of our times…while recalling how much better things were 50 years ago. Her presence seemed so improbable, like a wedding cake in a machine shop. But it had a good effect on the old fellows. We sat up a little straighter and tucked in our shirts. Instead of yakking to one another with our typical boorish insouciance, we pulled in our stomachs and began making speeches. Now we had an audience…and a purpose.

"We are not the first to be in this position," began one Old Boy near us. "Since the days of Rome, we Christians have been a persecuted minority…not always…and not everywhere. But often. It's part of what makes us what we are. We have to be willing to accept martyrdom. That's what it's all about."

Aha! Gotcha, Bill! You're not just some cynical old nominal Catholic who glances balefully at the Church through bloodshot eyes while keeping a tight grip on the world, the wine, and your wallet. Neither are you a milk-and-water minister's man, with theology that goes only as deep as your boot soles.

No...this is a flesh-and-blood Catholic worldview that fully acknowledges original sin, man's faculties and frailties, and the beauties and pleasures of this life--while holding it all in an eternal perspective.

For a guy writing in secular finance, this is amazing.

Read the whole thing here.