Darrow Miller and Friends

What GDP Could a Free Nigeria Generate?

GDP, believe it or not, is an indicator of a nation’s progress in discipleship.

I enjoy reading Mindy Belz’s daily global news update called “Globe Trot” at World Magazine online. In a recent post she provided a link to a Minneapolis Star Tribune article by Adam Belz that compared the relationship of the GDP of the United States to that of other nations in the world. The GDP – Gross Domestic Product – represents the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country during a year.

Adam’s article describes the economic contribution the US makes to the world by comparing the GDP of individual states to the GDP of the nations of the world. He developed the graphic below to picture this comparison. Adam’s map pairs states in the US with countries of similar GDP … Russia and California, for example.

GDP map comparison

Adam references similar maps developed by others who have reflected on the United States as a global powerhouse.

It is striking to think of the capacity of free people to create wealth. When you consider how many people live in a country versus how many live in the corresponding state, the potential of the world’s people to create wealth is staggering. Unleashed, it could erase poverty.

For instance the six million people in Missouri produce approximately the same GDP as the 174.5 million people of Nigeria. Consider the natural and human resources in Nigeria. What if the people of Nigeria had the metaphysical capital of a biblical worldview and the corresponding free markets, property rights, and rule of law that have been the hallmark of the United States? What would be the condition of the Nigerian people? What contribution would they be making to the world?

Go here to read a great treatment by Armstrong Williams of Nigeria’s “limitless promise and potential.”

–          Darrow Miller

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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