Board index ‹ Government and Politics

[Distaff]

When I last read the New Testament I was shocked by how anti-capitalist it really was. Jesus is always condemning rich people, telling people to give away their stuff to the poor, and telling them not to worry about material possession. Early Christians even had a communal society. Yet right-wing Christians in the US are super-materialistic and capitalist. Can someone explain this to me?

Acts 4:

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all
34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Matthew 6:

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Luke 12:

33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

1 Timothy 6:

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Matthew 19

24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of 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?

[Distaff]

I'm not saying that the bible is against the government allowing free markets or capitalism. I'm saying that its against capitalism as a personal lifestyle.

[jimwalton]

It is not against capitalism as a personal lifestyle. It is not against private property; it is not against earning money for oneself through honest business practices; it is not against the accumulation of wealth. It is not against competitive markets; it is not against wage labor.

[Distaff]

You need to address the verses I quoted. They are very clear that you shouldn't be accumulating possessions and should instead be giving them to the poor. This isn't something I see Christians practicing at all.

[jimwalton]

> 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.

> Mt. 6.19-26

Jesus is talking about where we find our value in life, not how much we accumulate. There is nothing wrong with heritage, education, pleasure, or even wealth, but these things are not where we will find the value of life. His point is that we will find value in life in inner spiritual qualities, conforming to God's character, loving God and loving neighbor. Bruce Wilkinson comments, "When you serve God, you are using God’s money to accomplish His wishes. But when you serve money, you are using God’s money to accomplish your wishes. And when you do that, you will inevitably follow your human instincts to keep your money here." It is not so much a disciple's wealth that Jesus is concerned with as his loyalty and priorities.

> Luke 12.33

Parallel passage to Mt. 6.19-26 above. The point is the pursuit of knowing God rather than anything earthly, though there is nothing wrong with possessions or money.

> 1 Tim. 6.9-10

There's no arguing that having a lot of money creates problems. It can even be an addiction.

Money, according to the Bible, is neither here nor there. First, it says that money can really mess a person up, so beware its intrinsic dangers. Secondly, if you have it it doesn't mean that "God is blessing you," or if you don't have it, that "God is cursing you." If you have it, fine, as long you didn't do something corrupt to get it. But if you have it, use it for good, and share it generously, and help others with it, as well as provide for your family obligations. If you don't have it, don't be anxious about acquiring it, because money doesn't buy happiness, godliness, or long life. Learn to be content with what you have, and be responsible with it.

What matters to God is how we got our money (whether by legal means, according to principles of justice, or whether we exploited other people to get it), what we do with it (just accumulate it to indulge ourselves in luxuries, or whether we help other people with it), and what is the money doing to you, because money can really trash out a person.

> Mt. 19.24

A saying like this is a proverb, not a promise. The point is that rich people, in general (proverbially), feel self-sufficient and successful, don't see their need for God, and don't use their wealth in godly ways. It's not to say that if you're rich, too bad—no heaven for you!

So you can see that the verses you yanked out of context are not anti-capitalist. They caution us about our values and priorities, warn us about the dangers of money, but nowhere forbid money. Perhaps you remember or know that God made Abraham an extremely wealthy man. He did the same for Joseph and for Daniel. The Bible has no issues with private enterprise, private property, wealth accumulation because of hard and honest work, competition in the marketplace, or earning an honest day's pay.

[Gong]

A lot of great points but let me quibble with one: I don’t think capitalism creates greed. Greed is a default mode of the human heart. It is present in every human and in every economic system. The beauty of capitalism is that even if your motives aren’t good, you still must serve your neighbor by creating goods or services that help them in order to make a living. The farmer helps my family eat whether he’s motivated by feeding hungry people or by lining his pockets. In other systems, to satisfy your greed you have to serve the state as opposed to your neighbors.

[jimwalton]

That's a good point, and I agree with you. Greed comes from the heart, not from the economic system, and it's present in every human heart regardless of the economic system.

I also see your point about serving one another rather than serving the State. Thank you for the "quibble."