You didn't mention that the evangelicals, like Bush, are Christian Zionists, hence the approval of the Jewish practice of charging interest.

Whats with the anti-christian vitrol? Seriously. Why must you (and by this I mean mojoB in general) always paint with such a wide brush?

Besides, did you ever consider the fact that most states where "the christian right wields power" are states of low socioeconomic status, thus making their residents more likely to be victims of predatory lending? Did you also consider the fact that active military personnel are also an extremely disproportionately large segment of the payday loan customer base and that bible belt states provide considerably more active military per capita than more liberal higher-income areas? No, of course not, because if you can take a shot at christians (and heck, why not clump mormons into that group, who cares if they have huge major differences!), you just might as well take.

I must ask you, Ms. Mencimer, give me one thing about this post which serves to inform the audience with newsworthy material other than a potshot at religion.

Charging interest at a reasonable rate isn't a jewish practice, it's just logical. When someone lends money, they take on risk that they are not going to be paid back. The interest rate is set to compensate them for that risk. There's nothing immoral about it. Without interest, there would be no lending. Without lending, there would be little or no innovation. Don't blame belief on this one, dude.

Why was my first comment refused? It wasn't malicious and it was on topic. Please respond, MJB.

Wichita, KS has attracted many of these "lenders" in the past few years. The laws are favorable to such organized crime, and population demographics fit the target market.

What is disturbing is how corporate america these places are. The TV commercials are locally produced, but hardly unprofessional. One chain places billboard sized (est 10'x25') high-rex video screens on all its fleecing centers (branches?) These constantly show a cartoon bear dancing with big wads of money in its paws and baloons/confetti. The window signage resembles the current H&R Block posters. Very slick, showing young professionals receiving that important $100 they needed to pay the violin teacher on Thursday - the day before payday at whatever Fortune 500 company the are dressed up far.

The curb appeal makes Walmart seem dirty and suspect.

Wichita, KS is not on the Buckle of the Bible Belt by any means. Yet Kansas votes overhwlemingly GOP (avg. +20 pts. over Dem last 5 elections) in presidential races, and Todd Tihart is a know fundy flock panderer. The church bells ring loudly here, and most SUVs are adorned with mutiple US flag decals...

So there you go - legal crime flourishes where old fashioned sin - art, culture - has failed.

Nothing strange about it....the Christian Right Radicals pick and choose whatever suits their at-the-moment particular reason to hate, which is usually anyone who disagrees with them.

We use to blame everything on the Jews, now we blame it on the Christians.

Why is it news that practices condemned in religious texts seem to flourish in regions whose populations are literalist-devotees of these texts? I recall that Jesus is credited with railing against the religious and corporate leaders of his day. Religion doesn't make the individual, and it certainly does corrupt public policy and practice.

Another one sneaked in about the same time, the Reagan/GeorgeI years. That other is casinos and lotteries. Symptoms of the Conservative malady.

If you listen to right-wing religious radio, you often hear ads from people who call themselves "Christian Mortgage Lenders." Conservative religious people have been urged to risk their entire future by putting their homes on the block with
super-high interest mortgage loans. They were almost being told it was their religious responsibility to support their "Christ Mortgage Company" by taking these expensive loans.

The Episcopal Church has been condemning these evil and irresponsible practices for many years. We know Jesus... and common sense...
warns us that these kinds of lending practices are stupid and wrong. Yet our fundamentalist friends on religious radio still push these high interest loans and people keep taking them.

I liked the article on usury.
You are absolutely about what the Bible says. Yet these fundamentalists ignore what the Bible teaches when it comes to money. They yell so much about the Bible and sex because it helps them cover up their violations of the Bible's teachings on charity and money. As you notice, the Episcopal Church, and other mainline churches, run most of the soup-kitchens
while way too many of our clients are members of fundementalist churchs... churches that would never even think about running food programs or feeding the poor.

Last week I heard that John McCain recently left the Episcopal Church and became a fundamentalist Baptist. I guess his new church is more in line with his new political thnking. It's just
too bad that he did that. He left the one church that could have saved his immortal soul and his political soul as well.

Rev. Rod, you should know that we Christians are not under the old Covenant with its detailed rules. We are under the new Covenant. Christ only gave us two commandments, love God and your neighbor. As St Paul said, we have Christian liberty(the Episcopal Church in America knows about this, especially when it comes to excess consumption of alcohol at church functions, I am a former Episcopalian, so I know), we are free to drink alcohol or charge interest, but if it offends our weaker brother(e.g. Methodist) who does not know the liberty they have in Christ, then we should not offend them by drinking alcohol or charging interest. Interest and alcohol is widely accepted in America, hence the lack of preaching on the same(except the Methodist still don't like us to drink the "Devil's lubricant"). Regarding McCain, he left the Episcopal church in 2000, and his family is baptist. In 2000, he did cuss out Jerry Falwell(conservative Baptist) and Pat Robertson, so he does not travel with that crowd.
"He left the one church that could have saved his immortal soul ". Rev Rod, you should know that the Episcopal Church never makes such claims. It is Christ who saves people's souls, it is not a structure made up of fallible men, such as the churches in the Anglican community. The Episcopal Church does have a lot of pompous asses.

I am not a Reverend but as a Christian I know that Jesus would not approve of the type of payday lenders that are preying on our nation's most vulnerable.

Exodus 22:25
"If you lend money to my people , to any of the down-and-out among you, don't come down hard on them and gouge them with interest."

Payday Lenders are a part of a system which is designed to keep poor people poor.

The Center for Responsible Lending atates:

"Research shows that the payday lending model is designed to keep borrowers in debt, not to provide one-time assistance during a time of financial need."

CRL's studies show, "that payday lenders cost American families $4.2 billion every year in predatory fees."

There is nothing in Judaism, Christianity or even secular morality that condones that.

Excellent article from Mother Jones. It's a fine sample of right wing "christians" cherry picking what's sinful --and what's not.

Pamela, in the Lutheran Book, The Great Luther stated that "We should help our neighbor to improve and protect that person's possessions and income. Christ said Matt. 7:12 "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. Matt 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. "

........FADE TO REVEREVD $EYMORE GREEN,S 3:30 A.M. INFOMERCIAL FOR CA$H 4 CRACK
.....AMERICAS # 1 PAWNSHOP SINCE 1981

Bobby, the names Seymore and Green are Jewish, so must be one following the Talmud which says that it is fine to charge interest to the Goys.

Historically, Christian opposition to usury has often been used to justify really overt and ugly anti-semitism, now roundly rejected by virtually all Christians. So, while you're right that many Christians could do much more to follow biblical models of just economics (a well-worn topic), you can understand why the subject of usury is a bit of a delicate one to take up.

You are right Steve. Historically, in Europe, the Bankers to the kings were Jews, since the Talmud allowed the charging of interest to non Jews and the Church did not allow the charging of interest by Christians. So what is a king going to do? Borrow from the Jews. The oppressed subjects saw the Jews as associates of the Kings that oppressed them(without the loans, the Kings would be severely curtained), hence the subjects did not hold the Jews in higher esteem than the oppressive royals. (Most Jews were as poor as the oppressed, but the hated Bankers were Jews)

This isn't about Christianity, nor even religion in general. It's about hypocrisy, something Jesus Himself had much to say about...

I recently read a Reuters news article, written by Nick Carey, Mar 23rd, 8:15pm ET, titled, "’Pay day’ loans exacerbate housing crisis". I would like to clarify that there are some great inaccuracies and bias in this story that really must be pointed out.

I have had extensive experience with pay day loans, and, though I agree that the APR (annual percentage rate) is quite high, and people can get into trouble when they do not use these loans as they are designed to be used, this news report highly exhagerates the cost of a loan. Read from the article as follows;

"A pay day loan is typically for a few hundred dollars, with a term of two weeks, and an interest rate as high as 800 percent. The average borrower ends up paying back $793 for a $325 loan, according to the Center."

This is not accurate! And there was much more inaccuracy than this in the article.

A pay day loan from a legitimate financial retailer generally costs about $15 for every $100 up to $500. This means that for a loan of $100 for 15 days the charge will be $15, totalling the loan at $115, which must be quoted as an APR of 365%. the actual total pay off for a $300 loan is $345.

In reality it is only a fee that is being paid, not interest. However, government regulations require that it be quoted as interest, as an APR.

The only way that a short-term loan, a pay day loan, could build up to the absorbitent amount qouted in the news story, is if the loan were to be "rolled over", which is highly illegal in nearly every state that regulates these loans, so, thus, it would be highly improbable that there would be an average of borrowers that pay such amounts.

Pay day loans are for exactly what they are named. A short term small loan to be paid off by the next pay date of the borrower.

These loans have saved many a borrower, in a temporary financial pinch, to pay some bill(s), from much harsher penalties and costs that are incurred by banks and credit institutions if checks do not clear or payments are late.

The proper use of a pay day loan actually shows a personal and professional level of responsibility when it is used properly.

Yes, people do mis-use these loans, people get into trouble, people borrow beyond their means, and there are less than savory lendors who do not do what is right in order to avoid such disasters for their borrowers.

Pay day lendors must exercise great responsibility to protect borrowers and potential borrowers from becoming victims of borrowing beyond their means. That might even mean turning down a less than able and questionably qualified customer from borrowing.

I am disturbed to also hear lawmakers and politicians who are buying into mis-information and threaten the reasonable management and existence of a very useful and helpful service to many people.

Bruce - Washington