I think the main purpose of this program is to not be indebted to anyone in order to build personal wealth so you can reach your goals and give to others generously. This goal is in no way sinful and it would benefit all of us well to consider steps to follow to make this happen. The old "Just because you want it doesn't mean you should get it" mantra is a very helpful

If you are in great debt AND can filter out the bible garbage, Ramsey's program can work for you. You MUST be able to dismiss the guilt, and the God will be more pleased with you part.

Pros -
1- proven track record if you can stick to the rules.

2- Teach yourself to figure out wants vs needs.
(If you NEED a new fridge, you do not need to buy the $1200 one. OR if you want the $1200 one, find it cheaper buy buying used on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace! We got a $1200 one for $400 this way!)

3- Give to the Lord. You can start small, but give to the Lord. HE doesn't need your money, but you need to train yourself to think of others before yourself.

I understand the financial steps he lays out and why, but I do take issue with a few.
1- He charges $500 to take his course!!!!! Seriously?!?

2- not all debt is SINFUL. Is it better to not be in debt? oh yes! Credit cards may be a huge problem for some and a huge blessing to others. Pay them off completely each month and with the right kind of card, you can earn anything from cash back to frequent flier miles! This is wise use of credit cards! Shoot, we paid off the last 18 months of a variable rate loan that hit 7% by transferring it to a 0% for 18 month credit card! It saved us a bundle! Dave Ramsey would not have been happy with us!

3-You do not need to pay off the smallest amount first! This might be helpful to you if you need to have a quick success to motivate you to continue, but structly financially speaking pay the debt with the highest interest rate first will save you the most money! If you can move any of your debt to a lower interest rate card, by all means do it!!! In fact, you can call a credit card card company and request a 0% or 5% rate for xx months if you do a balance transfer to their card! (Just make sure the amount of money you will save during those xx months will be greater than the transfer fee.)

4-You do not HAVE to pay for your child(ren)'s college educationk outside . I know it is expected these days, but no, you are not denying your kid anything if you do not save for that for them. It is not a bad thing for a person to learn to figure out a way to get that thing that they want. They may need to attain their goal in a non-traditional way, but that is not bad either.

5. - One more. 18 months to pay off a gazillion dollars of debt?? Ok if you are mismanaging $120,000 a year, maybe, but many of us do not come close to that income base. It is not a race. The sooner the better, but sometimes it will take 3 or 4 years. Sometimes getting two extra jobs is not even an option due to time commitments to your best paying job and your family.

I say this as a Pastor's wife of ten kids. My husband has only served small congregations that have never paid anywhere close to district scale. It can be done, but it takes commitment, determination and often creativity. What motivates us is that if he'd ever loses his job, we do not want our home or cars repossessed.