The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite films of all time. At the same time, I find it one of the most troubling. It teaches such wholesome qualities as friendship, loyalty and the ultimate victory of good over evil. But the 1939 Hollywood classic also removes the veil of childhood innocence from our eyes, providing our first realistic look behind the thin veil and revealing the scared little men who pull the levers of power and bully us into honoring the imposter "god" of this world.

Those who have worshipped the U.S. dollar and the men who have artificially propped it up for the past several years are now getting their first look behind the Wizard's curtain…and they’re running scared. A recent opinion poll in Newsweek magazine revealed confidence in the US economy is plummeting. 71 percent of those polled believe a recession is likely. That translates into fewer consumer plans for the purchase of big ticket items, which could make the '01 recession a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Last week alone, Wall Street stockholders lost seven percent of their assets, the largest weekly rout in 13 years. Markets in Asia, Turkey and South America have led the way. It appears we are headed toward a global financial meltdown.

It would be easy to point fingers at Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton and a host of other figures who built the financial house of cards on the shakiest of foundations and pumped billions of public dollars into the private sector to bail out the market whenever it appeared headed for an overdue correction. Stories of the federal plunge protection team are borne out by chart watchers of recent years. The strategy has been two-fold… prop up equities and destroy the price of gold, which has been the historical "safe refuge" for those sensing that all is not right in the world of fiat currency.

Allow me to suggest an alternate theory. Just as the Great Depression followed hard on the heels of one of the most wicked decades of all times, "The Roaring ‘20s," this latest march to the edge of the abyss has followed a 35-year trampling of traditional Judeo-Christian values. From the "flower power" ‘60s and "free love" ‘70s, through the "me generation" ‘80s and the "anything goes" ‘90s, we have consistently thumbed our collective noses at the One who has faithfully fattened our bank accounts and offered His free forgiveness.

We’ve taken everything He’s given us and borrowed more, abusing our assets and purchasing all the rope we’ve needed to hang ourselves.

Now, we see a noose swinging in the breeze at our neck level and we’re finally starting to have second thoughts.

Christian Evangelist David Wilkerson has written a thoughtful book called, "God’s :Plan in the Coming Depression." He quotes a Presidential response to the growing financial threat that reads, "America’s industrial situation is absolutely sound. Our factories are humming. Business is healthy. The economy is in good condition. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with our underlying business and credit structure. It’s a good time to buy stock." The year was 1929. The President was Herbert Hoover.

Wilkerson and I agree on at least two points. Our financial problems and solutions are both spiritual in nature.

Go ahead and pretend you're Toto. Pull back the curtain. You’ll discover the Wizard couldn’t take you back to Kansas even if he wanted to. There’s not enough hot air left to carry him across the county line. And that ratty old balloon is full of holes.

So, what’s the solution? Glenda reminded Dorothy that the "Answer" had been with her all the time. Just like Jesus Christ, patiently waiting for us to request His help. As the days get darker and recession turns to depression, His light will shine brighter for those with eyes to see.

One day, He’ll wake us up and we’ll be right back where we belong. Till then, repeat after me…"There’s no place like home…There’s no place like home."

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