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[Righteous One]

Why are some Christians capitalist? Is that compatible with the NT? Shouldn't they support socialism?

In Luke 3, verse 11, John the Baptist told his audience,

"Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."

At the end of Acts 2, verses 42 through 47 say (and I've put one part in bold):

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

So evidently, God favored their communal living and economics.

[jimwalton]

The Bible doesn't dictate any particular economic system. In the Bible God does not dictate the shape of society. He does not seek to form a "perfect" society, because no society is perfect (since it is a society of fallen humans). He rather speaks into the shape of society as it exists in those times and encourages his people to live holy lives in that society. God never dictates an ideal economic structure (capitalism, socialism, communism). Every system is flawed; every system has its pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. They are all vulnerable to abuse, as we have seen many times in history.

The Bible contains three basic principles that are fundamental to forming a Christian approach to economics: ownership (the legitimacy of private property, implied in the Eighth Commandment among other places), stewardship (ownership is not ultimate; everything ultimately comes from God, belongs to Him. and is to be used for His glory rather than personal gratification). and charity (one way to glorify God with wealth is to help the poor). Capitalism and socialism both fail in two out of three. Furthermore, both in one way or another ignore the reality of human depravity. Capitalism, with its teaching that the pursuit of "enlightened self-interest" will result in benefits for all, ignores the fact that most self-interest is anything but enlightened and encourages greed. Socialism, on the other hand, with redistribution of wealth and control of the economy by the state, assumes that while individuals cannot be trusted to handle wealth ethically, the government can be. How can a state composed of sinful individuals be expected to act righteously?

> Lk. 3.11; Acts 2.42-47

Also Acts 4.32-35. These verses are descriptive, not prescriptive. They shared the use of their possessions, not the ownership of them. Each member regarded his private estate as being at the community’s disposal for their use. From time to time some would sell, but they were neither commanded to sell or obligated to sell. Sell their homes, lands, and possessions was not a requirement. They retained private property.

The text doesn't indicate that they lived communally, only that they lived generously with open hands.