Losing Interest in Interest: The Land of Bilk and Money

Theme: Resisting the Revolutionary Reset: Virtues, Skills, and Catholic Good Sense for Flourishing amid the Madness

David Simpson explores the moral, spiritual, and social corruption embedded in the modern financial system. Simpson traces how society moved from real, tangible commerce toward an abstract and exploitative monetary system driven by usury, virtualization, and centralized financial control. He argues that this “financial revolution,” intertwined with historical religious and political revolutions, has enslaved people by turning money and comfort into idols, distancing them from God and authentic human life. Citing Catholic teaching, history, and personal anecdotes, Simpson calls for rejecting materialism through local self-sufficiency, moral economy, and restoration of faith-based community living. He concludes that the true counter‑revolution lies in returning to virtue, simplicity, and independence from the global money system — “running in the opposite direction of the world.”

2021 SBC Conference