Bitcoin fixes this?
Central banks, since their inception, have acted as a hindrance to human flourishing, siphoning wealth and eroding the value of time. Although positioned as stabilizers of the monetary system, in reality, they function more like a cancer that guarantees the gradual erosion of the value of money. Enter Bitcoin: a decentralized monetary network with a fixed supply, designed as the antithesis to the fiat system. For many, discovering Bitcoin has been a revelation, exposing the inherent flaws of central banking and illuminating how money profoundly shapes every aspect of life that matters.
This journey—often described as going down the "Bitcoin rabbit hole"—has inspired countless individuals to believe that Bitcoin is the ultimate solution to humanity’s problems, summed up in the popular mantra, “Bitcoin fixes this.” In this view, hyperbitcoinization is seen as the panacea, the moment when central banks are defeated and the world is finally set right. While a world running on a Bitcoin standard sounds appealing, the uncomfortable truth is this: no amount of Bitcoin will ever fix the corruption of the human heart. More sats won’t make the hateful loving, the greedy content, or the cruel kind.
Bitcoin and the Corruption of the Heart
It’s easy to blame the fiat system for the world’s evils—wars, famine, plandemics, and conquest seem to provide overwhelming evidence of its destructive influence. From the surface, fiat money appears to be the root cause of these issues. However, a deeper look reveals a more troubling reality: fiat money, with all its flaws, is not the biggest problem. The real issue lies in the human heart, from which all these evils originate.
The Bible speaks to this in 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” This verse points us directly to the root cause. The greed, corruption, and injustice we attribute to fiat money are merely reflections of the hearts of those who design, manage, and benefit from the system. It’s tempting to blame the “powers that be” for all our troubles and view everyone else as helpless victims swept along by this diabolical system. But here’s where introspection and honesty are important.Are we truly as blameless as we think?
Free Money and the Sacrifice of Liberty
Consider the 2008 financial crisis. As the economy spiraled into turmoil, cries for government intervention echoed across the nation. “Too big to fail” became the mantra of the day, and even President Bush famously declared, “I am abandoning free market principles to save the free market system.” This statement, absurd as it was, was met with widespread sighs of relief. However, that relief turned into anger when it became clear that Wall Street—not the average Joe—was the primary beneficiary of the bailouts. This sense of betrayal later spawned the Occupy Wall Street movement.
But let’s pause for a moment. Had the bailouts been directed toward the average person instead of corporations, would there have been any protests at all? The uncomfortable truth is that free market principles—and ultimately liberty—are often quickly sacrificed at the altar of "free money." Yet, there is no such thing as free money. The cost is always downplayed, and the state inevitably takes its pound of flesh from its so-called beneficiaries i.e. the taxpayers.
Politicians understand this dynamic all too well. The more they promise “freebies” to voters, the greater their chances of winning elections. But these promises are nothing more than a bait-and-switch. The supposed benefits of government programs usually translate into either higher taxes or higher inflation, both of which punish the very people those programs were meant to help. It’s a fraudulent game, where voters willingly trade their liberty for the illusion of getting something for nothing, and politicians eagerly exploit this willingness by selling empty dreams
The stimulus checks distributed in 2020 and 2021 during the height of the Covid pandemic provide another striking example. These payouts, essentially bribes to secure public compliance with indefinite house arrests (aka lockdowns), were funded by printing money out of thin air.
While most people eagerly accepted this “free money,” few paused to consider the inevitable inflationary consequences. The checks were portrayed as a solution to ease the pain of lost income due to, wait for it, government-mandated lockdowns. This was akin to an arsonist offering gasoline to extinguish the very fire they started.
This expansionist monetary policy, enabled by the Federal Reserve’s unchecked ability to conjure dollars from nothing, was celebrated at the time. It wasn’t until inflation began to devastate the economy in 2022 that the true cost of the stimulus became evident. By then, the damage had been done.
A stealthy transfer of wealth from the middle class to the top 1% was complete, with skyrocketing asset prices and rising interest rates making it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to make ends meet without taking on more debt. Predictably, calls for further government intervention followed, this time to target “price-gouging” retailers. Different scapegoat, but same sleight of hand.
The True Problem: Humanity’s Love of Money
In his book End the Fed, Ron Paul aptly observes:
“...But the people endorse the system because they have requested and expect the government to provide benefits that can’t be provided any other way. Transferring wealth is limited when taxes and borrowing are the only tools the politicians can use. Printing money is required. The cooperation of the people, the politicians, and the counterfeiters at the Fed is based on the immorality of fraud, deceit, and ignorance.”
At its core, this fraudulent monetary system reflects humanity’s deeper problem: the insatiable love of money. 1 Timothy 6:10 famously warns, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” However, the verse continues with an often-overlooked insight: “...for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” This love corrupts everyone who participates in this financial system and doesn’t merely manifest in economic corruption or systemic exploitation; it ensnares individuals and societies in a web of deceit, destruction, and spiritual decay. Far more insidious than its economic consequences, the love of money supplants higher spiritual values, becoming a counterfeit replacement for the love of God.
Bitcoin as a Tool, Not a Saviour
Which begs the question: can Bitcoin fix this? Is Bitcoin adoption the solution to this vice? Absolutely not. Bitcoin, like fiat money before it, is merely a tool—a creation of man. In the grand scheme of things, no amount of Bitcoin holds eternal value. It, too, will one day pass away. Acknowledging this truth helps us maintain perspective and focus on the real problems Bitcoin can address. Prior to Bitcoin’s existence the world lacked a viable alternative to fiat money, allowing the fraudulent, debt-based financial system to thrive unchecked.
Now, with Bitcoin’s existence, Christians are faced with a moral opportunity. We can no longer excuse our participation in a rigged system that perpetuates suffering and enables the very evils we denounce. Unless we seize this opportunity to build a parallel system, we will continue to indirectly support a diabolical system that empowers vices we preach against every Sunday morning.
Without the money printer, governments would be forced to live within their means, curbing the rampant fiscal indiscipline that fuels this destructive cycle. Bitcoin serves as a tool to break the yoke of financial slavery imposed by the central banking cartel. However, it is not meant to be idolized or regarded as one’s ultimate raison d'être. Bitcoin should be viewed in the same way David saw the stone he used to defeat Goliath—a tool for the task at hand. In this analogy, the central banking cartel is our Goliath. Once this giant is brought down, the real work begins: rebuilding a system that aligns with higher values and fosters true human flourishing.