Board index ‹ Government and Politics

[Lemonade]

Is there a reading of the bible that explicitly endorses capitalism over other economic systems?

Which verses can be seen to support neoliberal capitalism as virtuous, "natural," or condoned by God?

[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?

[Lemonade]

Very compelling perspective! Thank you for this thoughtful reply.