Lately, with Joe Biden’s $10,000 debt forgiveness plan, I’ve seen a lot of people discussing the issue. People’s experiences and perspectives lead them to their conclusions – some people feel it would be better going towards medical debt rather than educational debt, for example. I think that’s a fair and valid point. I also know a lot of people are not happy with the amount. Many people are deeply in debt and $10,000 is barely scratching the surface of their debt. I think it’s understandable why someone in that situation would be frustrated.
The thing that I don’t understand is this: when Christians say that debt forgiveness is “not biblical” and “not Christlike”. I have four major reasons why I completely disagree with that argument.
First: in the Bible, many people were community-oriented. That’s not to say selfish people didn’t exist in the Bible, because they absolutely did – but for a lot of people, the mentality was very much focused on the best interest of the group, the community, the culture; not what they could get out of it for themselves, but what would be best for everyone. I see this the same way: I certainly hope I benefit from this personally, but whether I do or not, this is going to help people. Something good doesn’t have to happen to me for it to be a good thing. It can simply be a good thing because it benefits people, regardless of whether or not I’m one of the ones who benefits from it.
Second: debt forgiveness happens a lot in the Bible. It’s not painted as a cautionary tale, either – of course there are plenty of things that could arguably be considered technically “biblical” because they happen in the Bible, but aren’t meant to be prescriptive. But debt forgiveness is consistently seen as a good thing. Additionally, a lot of people will say things like, “Well, the debt forgiveness in the Bible is metaphorical, not literal” – but in fact, much of the debt forgiveness in the Bible IS literal.
Third: in the Lord’s Prayer, *the* prayer that Jesus taught people to pray – debt forgiveness is included in that prayer.
Fourth: if your theology includes the belief* that Jesus died on the cross for your sins because you could not pay the price? Then literally the entire premise, the foundation, of your theology is debt forgiveness.
People can absolutely have discussions on debt forgiveness. People can have varying perspectives and opinions. I don’t think we all should think the same way about everything. There are plenty of valid points people can bring up in conversations about debt forgiveness.
All I’m saying is this: if you say that debt forgiveness is “not biblical” or “not Christlike”, you are objectively wrong. I am not one to say “the Bible is clear” because honestly, that phrase is used in very manipulative and controlling ways. In my opinion it contributes to a lot more harm than good. It’s often used to push an agenda, and a lot of times people aren’t really looking at the context of scriptures or the original languages – rather they approach it from a modern-day perspective. However, this is one instance in which I genuinely think the phrasing applies. I feel like the Bible is pretty clear that debt forgiveness is a good thing.
From purely a theological perspective, it does not make sense to oppose debt forgiveness by arguing that it’s unbiblical or unChristlike. Because debt forgiveness is, quite frankly, very biblical and very Christlike.
*Note – there are different theological perspectives on why Jesus died. The viewpoint mentioned here is PSA, or penal substitutionary atonement (also known as satisfaction theory). Throughout different times and places in history, and still today, not all Christians hold to PSA theology. Other atonement theories include Christus Victor (or ransom theory) and moral influence view. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christus_Victor This wikipedia entry explains some of each theory (and further googling can certainly give even more information, if you’re interested.)
Through Her Eyes 
I’ve paid off all my student loans (and they weren’t that bad) but I’m in favor of it. The payments are so small that by the time the federal government gets their money back, with interest, it’s years, and most likely decades. I know it all just adds up to the debt ceiling, but with any kind of advanced, specialized, or specific training, you’re looking at hundreds of thousands. In the end, they’re forgiving the interest, but still requiring the principal to be returned. And I am all for that. I’m not so much in favor if you get a degree in something completely useless, but to each their own. (Like getting a BA in Hungarian basket weaving [yes I know it’s not an actual thing, but it gets the point across].) If we could reduce medical school debt, it would completely overhaul the medical system. Doctors wouldn’t cram in patients to make sure they can meet their student debts. Deductibles and charges for surgeries and procedures and office visits would be far more reasonable, and insurance companies would recoup more money, and faster. This, of course, would be reflected in the premiums.
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