Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of whitepapers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s 2018 Global Event.

— by Jeff Holler

The term globalism is used freely in our world today, but what does it mean and/or imply? In reviewing many definitions and philosophies regarding globalism, I found a definition I like in an article by Colin Stief. He explains globalism as the process of increased inter-connectedness among all countries of the world, most notably in the areas of economics and economic development, politics, and culture. Ikea stores throughout the United States, U.S. fast food in South Africa, Apple phones with American technology manufactured in China, global customer service call centers in India, and the influence of the United Nations are a few small examples of globalization.

Conceptually, globalism seems to make sense as a strategy to improve everyone’s lives, in poor and rich countries alike. The idea is that everyone should benefit from increased efficiency of how people, knowledge, and things move and communicate throughout the world with constantly improving technology, and with the increasing ease of transportation around the globe. In theory, globalism should encourage free trade among all countries and should increase competition such that prices for everyone are ultimately reduced. It should also provide poor countries a chance to develop economically as developed countries invest in their people and resources as a cost-effective way to expand their own capabilities and reach. As poor countries grow economically, it should likewise create new markets for multi-national companies to sell their goods, as well as open new markets to which the developing country can export their goods and services. It is believed that this ease of transfer of information, ideas, people, goods, and services should also foster more transparent and democratic governmental systems throughout the world. And, as we learn more about each other through increased communication and interaction, the world should become a more open and respectful place for all cultures and people to peacefully co-exist. These are just a few of the many benefits cited by the articles available on the subject.

While we have, in fact, seen our interconnectedness help improve the lives of many around the world, globalism is not a utopia. There are winners and losers as jobs leave one country for another, localized and traditional values diminish, and some individuals with great power become self-serving and corrupt. Additionally, not every country plays the game fairly, which creates results that are far less efficient or beneficial than the ideal. Furthermore, the increasingly interconnected global monetary systems seem to be backed by less and less substance as global growth, and in some cases simply maintaining the economic status quo, are fueled by debt.

Most concerning to me, however, are the early indications regarding how the process of globalism is developing. While articles on the subject point to a lot of different dangers, my opinion is they all fall into one of three categories.

First, there has been a consolidation of power politically and economically. A smaller number of developed and wealthy countries and their politicians and bureaucracies are driving the political process. Likewise, a small number of very large and powerful multinational companies are exerting their influence. Combined, this relatively small group—rich, powerful, intellectual, and politically connected individuals and entities—are propelling the globalist policies and processes. Globalism is promoted as a solution to most of the troubles in the world today, but we are beginning to see that those who encourage and push its policies are benefiting more than others. For example, while extreme poverty is rapidly on the decline, there is a well-documented, growing gap between the richest and the poorest around the globe. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) states that the average income of the richest 10% of the world’s population is about nine times greater than that of the poorest 10%, which is the largest gap to date. It has also been documented that the middle class is in decline in many societies. Additionally, the UN Development Program reports that the richest 20% of the world’s population consume 86% of the world’s resources while the poorest 80% consume just 14%.

The second category of dangers is the loss of freedoms we are beginning to experience because the process of globalism is being built on a politically correct, faithless foundation. The pursuit of “globalist policies” and the associated large (and growing) godless government bureaucracies as a problem solver, are leading to the loss of many freedoms. These include the freedoms of religion and religious liberty, freedom of speech if it threatens the “accepted norm,” and even freedom of parental rights. For example, the United States Supreme Court will soon decide if a Christian baker in Colorado can be forced to create artistic expression that violates his faith. In Germany, Christian parents recently had their home raided and children forcibly removed and taken into custody. Their crime? Homeschooling.

The third category of dangers is rooted in a globalist trend toward a governmental “nanny state” approach to providing for individual’s core needs. In my opinion, this approach is proving to be harmful as it is diminishing individual responsibility, work ethic, and human dignity. A governmental “nanny state” is also eliminating the traditional role of the church to be the primary influencer, problem solver, and special needs provider in people’s lives. The “nanny state” approach is also expensive and unsustainable economically, as indicated by the growing global debt burden, much of which is being used to fund social welfare.

We also must consider how technological advances, particularly rapidly emerging artificial intelligence, will be used to advance globalism. What kind of decisions will machines make when God’s commands, teachings, and principles are not allowed to be considered in their programming? How will this technology be used in godless hands?

The problems with globalism are many and multi-faceted. I believe, however, that at the core of these problems is the removal of our Judeo-Christian history, practices, teachings, and values from the public domain, as well as an effort to silence the church in the public and corporate realms around the globe. What can possibly be more dangerous than taking God out of the equation and replacing Him with godless bureaucracies and corporations?

Ted Malloch, PhD, is chairman and CEO of The Global Fiduciary Governance LLC, a leading strategy and thought leadership company. He has served on the executive board of the World Economic Forum, held an ambassador-level post at the United Nations, worked in international capital markets on Wall Street, held a senior position in the U.S. State Department, and is author of Davos, Aspen, and Yale: My Life Behind the Elite Curtain as a Global Sherpa. In a recent article published on WND.com, Malloch said, “To some degree, I would say if you want to understand globalism, you need to get at the spiritual underlying currents in globalism, which is not only relativistic, but it’s a divorce, a great divorce, from religion and from any notion that there is a God who exists or that you can know him personally.”

Malloch goes on to convey that globalists have lost touch with the foundations of their culture in Western civilization, “which is actually Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian.” Furthermore, he believes globalists not only want to attack the pillars of Western civilization, but also are “radically against the family.” He implies that the globalists want to shape how people think and interrelate, a role historically and scripturally reserved for the God-guided nuclear family in conjunction with the church. Globalists want their global government solution to become our god, as it is theirs. Without a core of God’s natural law, serving God, and love for God’s people, I believe those who are driving globalism forward will become ever more self-serving and corrupt, and in the end will hurt significantly more people than they help.

Special thanks to Chelsea London Phillips on Unsplash for the cover photo