Religion and Theology

The world is now in a Great Recession, and some people say that it might get worse  It may become a Great Depression rivaling or even surpassing the Depression of the 1930s.  But who is warning us about this  It might come as a surprise to many, but it is Gordon Gekko, the unethical corporate raider in the film Wall Street who was arrested and sentenced to prison for investment fraud back in 1987.  He is back, however, in Wall Street 2, and this time, he has many bright insights to share about what it means to truly live.

While Gekko was in prison, he developed a new heart.  A lonely prison cell gave Gekko a lot of time to think.  He had access to many booksincluding the Bible.  He remembered what he said in the past during a stockholders meeting.  It flashed back from his mind Greed, for lack of a better word, is good, he said.  But he realized that his greed led him to prison.  That was when he started reading the Bible.  He opened the letter of St. Paul to the early Christians and read that money is the root to all evil (1 Timothy 610).  He didnt believe it at first, but he gradually accepts the fact that it was money that brought him to his current lonely place.  He then remembers his daughter Winnie who blames him for the suicide of her brother Rudy.  She doesnt speak to Gekko anymore, and it hurts him more than ever.

Eventually Gekko is released from prison.  He longs to see Winnie, who is engaged to a stockbroker, Jacob.  But when he tries to call her, she refuses to answer him.  Frustrated, he remembers what he read in St.Pauls letters to the Corinthians Love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 134).  So he keeps his cool.  Later, he tries to call his old contacts, and he eventually confronts Bud Fox, his former stockbroker, again.  He asks Buddy for forgiveness.  It never occurred to him in the past that he hurt so many people, including Buds father, Carl, a hardworking blue-collar worker.  But now knowing the Bible, forgiveness is something he asks from Bud.  However, Bud finds it difficult to forgive Gekko.  He refuses to believe his prison transformation, and he thinks its all a trick, just as he tricked him in the past about Bluestar Airlines, where his father worked.

Gekko simply moves on.  He doesnt waste his time anymore and studies his computer charts.  When he was in prison, he had access to the librarys computer, and he studied a significant amount of financial data from the internet.  Many bankers are lending out mortgages that are extremely risky.  Even if the homeowners obviously dont have the capability to pay back their loans, they still lend them money, thinking that they could easily sell the collateral.  But Gekko could see the pattern of greedthe very same habits that he had before he went to prison.  So he confronts several bankers, bringing a Bible with him, and tells them all that they are committing grave sins.  Youre all going to hell with what youre doing, he says.  But they all laugh at him.  Being an ex-convict, he didnt have much credibility.

Since nobody believed in him, he eventually just tried to reconcile with his daughter, Winnie.  He calls Jacob, Winnies fianc, and asks if they could meet at Starbucks.  They see each other and Jacob tells Gekko about the death of his mentor.  Jacob suspects that it was his hedge manager who killed him, but he has no proof.  And he wants revenge.  But Gekko brought his Bible with him, and he points out that we should leave vengeance up to God.  We need to learn how to forgive, he said.  While Jacob thought about it, Gekko asked him a favor.  He had problems with Winnie and he needs him to help find her way back to Gekko.  Well, Jacob replies, You seem to be a different person from what Winnie described.  Tears started rolling from Gekkos eyes.  If it werent for Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, he replied, I wouldnt have survived prison.  I owe my life to the Lord.  So Jacob promised to help him.

Meanwhile, the stock market eventually crashes in 2008, but New York bankers assemble a press conference and blame the Chinese Yuan for it.  He attends the conference and manages to stand together with dozens of journalists from all over the world.  Why did the market crash asks one newsman to the bankers in front of them.  Its because of the Chinese, a banker replied.  Infuriated, Gekko shouted a remark to the banker You liar.  The Chinese have nothing to do with it  Its you greedy bastards that are responsible for the mess were in right now  Thou shalt not lie, saith the Lord  Suddenly the journalists start to question him, and he replies that we havent seen anything yet.   He warns them of the coming Great Depression, and that it is all due to American greed.  Greed is evil he shouts.  We need to repent as Americans.  The end is near, and unless we repent, we are doomed   But nobody pays attention to him, and they heckle him as a crazy fool.

Fortunately, Jacob brings Winnie back to him.  He finally sees his daughter after 11 years, and tears of joy roll from his eyes.  He realizes that his relationships and integrity are more important than money.  And it doesnt matter to him that nobody listens.  He has God and his family with him, and thats all that matters.