According to this article, credit card applications are up 90,000 or 11% over this period last year in Australia. Uncontrolled credit is increasingly becoming a problem for people, especially those of the so-called Generation Y, born from 1980s onwards.

According to one article I read (I can’t remember where), pre-Generation X’ers, born up to the late 60s, are fiscally conservative, and save before they buy. They get the money, then buy something. Generation X’ers, born during the 70’s, are more open to getting things on credit, but still reasonably fiscally responsible. Generation Y, however, those born from the 80’s to the mid 90’s, are credit animals.

I remember when I was a university student, 14 or so years ago. The bank gave me a credit card as a first year university student with no questions asked. The idea is of course to establish a credit relationship with a potential high-incoming earning person. It was an initial $500 risk for the bank, so pretty cheap, and the potential reward is to get someone using a credit card whose limit was eventually extended up to $5000 before I cancelled it.

A few months ago, passing through Sydney airport, I was offered an American Express card with a $5000 limit - with no need to provide any financial records or proof of income. Obviously air travellers generally have some income, so it’s the best place to do this.

This is going to become increasingly a problem. Up to this point we have been dealing routinely with people whose bodies, minds, and emotions are traumatized due to illicit sexual relations (including abuse), exposure to pornography, video games from an early age, drug use from an early age, junk food diets, and a myriad of other inputs which conspire to destroy determination and stability in responsible material and spiritual life. Add to this now the complication of a financial trainwreck and the challenge becomes even greater to help people “make a safe landing” and integrate themselves into a sane community.

Add budgeting, credit consolidation, and debt reduction to the palette of skills required by an urban missionary…