faith

Cogito Ergo Sum

July 6, 2013 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

I first read Rene Descartes’ “The Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences” back in high school. I was fascinated by the simplicity of his hypothesis “I think therefore I am“. It had a profound effect on my own philosophy from that time (secular humanist if I were to give it a title) onward and particularly later as I came to faith in Christ.

Descartes helped me to bring things down to basics. After all his argument is persuasive if not for its simplicity: if I seek to find the thing(s) of which I can be sure, I first need to eliminate all that can not be definitively known. Most people would consider the physical world around us to be a definite, but I was not so sure. I remember working through Descartes’ argument to explain to a friend that the only thing of which we can be sure is that we in fact exist simply from the fact that we are thinking. When I tried however to persuade my friend that we can not know anything outside of that, a wall went up. “Of course we know about other things. I see trees and grass etc.” I responded that perhaps we are only dreaming and that this is not in fact real, but only imaginary. (I wish I had Vanilla Sky or The Matrix as a reference at the time.) But my friend was having none of that and the conversation ended there as did may other similar conversations.

The Discourse is broken up into six sections. The first contains some ideas on science. In the second section Descartes lays down some ground rules on the experiment which he is about to undertake. In particular, he argues that he needs to strip away past beliefs to get down to truth(s) which are obvious for everyone. In the third section, he sets forth some maxims for his investigation. In the fourth section, he finally comes to his argument that “I think, therefore I am” based on the fact that everything we perceive can possibly be explained away as a mental phenomenon, but the fact that we think, can not. He continues on to argue that we are not perfect and therefore a more perfect nature must exist to explain the objects external to himself. This leads him to the conclusion that a perfect God must exist and be the creator of that perfect nature, which he, as an imperfect man, could possibly not. He continues on in sections five and six to discuss some issues related to medicine and nature, but these are not the focus of my investigation.

In the past number of years, I have heard what I believe are misrepresentations of Descartes’ position. I am not sure where he was spiritually, but I have heard it argued that what Descartes was in fact trying to do is to prove that he alone exists. The point of my exercise here has been to re-read the Discourse and to figure out what he was arguing. I am now more confident that Descartes used the “I think therefore I am” argument solely to establish what could be known and that once he did that, he continued on to prove the existence of God. This argument in fact helped my in my faith and for this reason I am thankful to Descartes.

Milton Friedman and Greed

October 11, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

I really like this video of Milton Friedman on the Phil Donahue show. He takes his host to task on the question of greed.

I have struggled in the past trying to reconcile capitalism and greed. The corporate greed and crony capitalism that has become increasingly prevalent in the market over the past 10-20 years or so is very concerning. Capitalism, as a system, is being denigrated by the examples of corrupt players in the game. I grant that one of the strengths of capitalism is the liberty one has to operate within the system and that with liberty comes the risk of abuse. The increasingly unchecked personal ambitions, with disregard to the corporation or those working in it, reflect an increasingly depraved morality not just in the business world, but the western world in general.

Having said that and having lived in a communist country, I can attest that greed is not unique to our economy and culture. Its manifestation may be subdued by authoritarian rule in communist regimes and exaggerated in liberal democracies, but the underlying lusts of the heart which drive us to greed in the first place are the same no matter where we go.

There is something deeper at the heart of the problem and that is our own sinful nature. The Bible tells us that the disobedience by the first couple turned us away from God and as the descendants of the first sinners, we have inherited this propensity to want to be our own gods and the rulers of our own destinies. In the post-modern world, we try to ignore the “rules” of the game, by setting out our own, false parameters. Regrettably, this has only exacerbated the problem. Whether you believe in God or nature as the ultimate creator and ruler, we live by a set of rules and when we break those rules, we should expect consequences.

Capitalism and Christianity – The Fallen World

August 23, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

It is easy to blame the ills of the world on the capitalist system. As Christians, we often see it being in opposition to the teachings of the Bible. Jesus pointed to the poor and downtrodden as the right objects of our love and attention. The Bible contains a mandate to serve the poor and protect them from the abuses of the rich. As God has bestowed his grace and mercy upon us, so should we do to the poor. But is capitalism, as a system, to blame for the poverty, or for the abuse, or for the greed that we see in the world?

One quick way to see if these negative aspects are based on the system itself, is to look at other systems to understand if the issues capitalism face are unique to it. This post isn’t long enough to get into a detailed analysis of other economic systems. From a personal perspective however, having lived in the most laissez faire economy in the world (Hong Kong), a free market, capitalist economy (United States), a socialist market economy (Canada), and a central command economy (Mainland China), I can attest that inequity of wealth and power, greed, consumerism, and depletion of natural resources are by no means the exclusive domain of capitalist economies. While there may be aspects of the capitalist system that help facilitate these things to happen, the issue is really our hearts.

Capitalism can allow us to reflect God’s character, but it can only be fully realized when it is undertaken by God’s people properly reflecting his image in all of their relationships and actions. There is an underlying morality necessary for the system to function properly. We have seen in earlier posts that God created us to be producers, managers, and workers. Entrepreneurship, business, capitalism, investment and employment are all productive manifestations of these. Because of the freedom inherent in the system, capitalism, contrary to popular belief, actually allows us the opportunity to show our love and build our relationships with one another. It provides an opportunity for us to treat one another with respect and dignity. I am not saying this happens all the time, or even enough, but the system makes it possible.

The system seems flawed to many however because there is still poverty and inequality and we see rampant greed and consumerism. But when we work through the arguments, we come to realize that the root problem is not a flaw in the system, but because of the brokenness of our hearts. The Bible tells us that God made us to be in relationship with him. Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden and had a direct relationship with him, but when they disobeyed God by eating the fruit on the tree, they rejected his authority. They were tempted by the prospect of having their eyes open and being like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5) This is what is known as the Fall. They became eternally separated from God and we, as their descendants, continue in our sin and in that separation. And it is this condition which leads us to see the evils we see in the world.

One oft misquoted line from the Bible is 1 Timothy 6:10. It is often quoted as “money is the root of all evil,” but what the Bible really says is “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.” It is the love of material things, and power, and prestige that drive us to act in a way that is hurtful to our fellow man and not necessarily those things in and of themselves.

Do you think the love of something and the object itself can be separated?

Capitalism and Christianity – Work

August 16, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

work team The third leg of the Capitalism and Christianity stool comes from our call to work. While God created us to be producers and managers, he also created us to be workers. Even before the Fall, man was called to work;

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15 ESV)

People often see work as a burden, as something bad, but work was meant as a good thing for man to do. It was man’s disobedience that led to the Fall and that in turn fundamentally changed the way in which we work.

And to Adam God said Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:17-19 ESV)

As a result of the Fall, work became difficult, but that does not fundamentally change its original purpose. God did not put Adam to work as punishment. Employment is an opportunity for us to glorify God. We can glorify God in our relationships with superiors and subordinates. When the relationship between employer and employee is working properly, both parties can benefit. Most simply, work enables us to be obedient and productive and relational.

Striving to improve our work is another way to glorify God. Competition helps us to grow the gifts that God has given us. We are pushed to higher expectations, to get better at creating things, reflecting God’s desire to have us to do well and improve what we are able to do. The competitive system tests our abilities and if we are able to do them well, we will be paid for it. The Olympics have just finished and while the athletes are not getting paid for their participation, the games are one of the best examples of the glory God can get from those who work hard and push themselves and develop the talents God has given them.

This is not to argue that work doesn’t play a part in any other other economic system nor any other religion. What is does say however, is that as Christians, we should believe that work is good, and that it has been negatively affected by the Fall, but that one day in the New Heavens and New Earth, it will again be as it was first meant to be.

They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain . . . (Is 65:21–23 ESV)

Do you see your work as a curse or as a way to be blessed and glorify God?

Capitalism and Christianity – Stewardship

August 13, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

In my last post, I wrote about the first of the three foundational truths which lead us to understand the morality of capitalism, and that was creation. The second truth is stewardship. Men and women are not just called to create, we are called to manage, in a godly way, what has already been created. God appointed us as his vice-regents or as his representatives on earth. While he has allowed us to utilise the resources he has given us, he has also called us to steward all of creation in a way that glorifies him.

“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:27-28a)

God owns all of creation, but men and women are entrusted with the management of these resources through control or implied “ownership” of them. Capitalists and investors are called to manage the resources put under their control with a view of maximising their value.

In the parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:12-26), the nobleman gave each of his servants ten minas, which they were to increase by doing business. When he returned, the nobleman rewarded the servants according to how much they were able to grow the initial capital. Although this may speak primarily to spiritual matters, the fact that Jesus used an economic example like this is significant. Profits can be an indication that we have been faithful to steward God’s resources more efficiently than others.

We may have a long-term claim on the earth and all that is in it, but it is necessary to recognise that true ownership still lies with God. We do not have a right to abuse our “ownership” by recklessly exploiting the natural resources with which God has endowed the planet. Conflict comes when entrepreneurs, capitalists, investors, and other business people see a responsibility to steward the resources under their care without regard to other resources. God is owner of all things and as his representatives, we have the responsibility to ensure that our stewardship does not impinge on those resources under the stewardship of others.

The role of stewards gives us an opportunity to imitate God. Once again referring to Business for the Glory of God by Wayne Grudem, he posits:

. . . ownership of possessions is a fundamental way that we imitate God’s sovereignty over the universe by our exercising “sovereignty” over a tiny portion of the universe, the things we own. When we take care of our possessions, we imitate God in his taking care of the whole universe, and he delights to see us imitate him in this way. In addition, when we care for our possessions, it gives us opportunity to imitate many other attributes of God, such as wisdom, knowledge, beauty, creativity, love for others, kindness, fairness, independence, freedom, exercise of will, blessedness (or joy), and so forth.

These represent God-given desires to exercise dominion over the earth and exercise faithful stewardship so that we and others may enjoy the resources of the earth that God made for our use and for our enjoyment. We glorify God by doing this in a responsible manner, which takes into consideration the effects our actions have on all of creation.

How can we effectively manage the resources under our control without negatively impacting other resources? Does the financial system discourage this attitude?

Capitalism and Christianity – Creation

August 9, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

A great idea Today I want to talk about the first of what I believe are the three core, biblical truths that lead us to see capitalism as a moral, economic system. Creation is foundational to capitalism because capitalism is fundamentally a creative endeavour. I can feel the pushback or even confusion already. Are you trying to tell me that business is creative? The answer is a resounding yes!

But first about our calling as creators. The very first words of the very first verse of the very first chapter of the Bible are;

‘“In the beginning, God created …” (Genesis 1:1)

Throughout the first chapter of Genesis we see that God created the heavens and the earth, the land and the sea, the night and the day, the plants and the animals, and he created man and woman. In essence, God is a creator and he has made something out of nothing.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth . . . (Genesis 1:27-28a)

He created man and woman in his own image and as such, we too are purposed to be creators. Whereas God made something out of nothing however, men and women are created to make something out of the raw materials he has already been made. We are called to be pro-creators and re-producers and throughout history, men and women have been applauded for their ability to create, whether as traditional artists (painting, sculpture, music, and film) or as artisans (carpenters, seamstresses, or silversmiths). But what does creativity in capitalism look like?

In its most raw form, creativity in capitalism looks like entrepreneurialism. On one level, it is the intentional act of creating a product or service. It is the entrepreneur seeing a need in the market and striving to fill that space; It is the industrial designer designing the most useful widget she can; It is the production engineer figuring out the most efficient process to manufacture them; and it is the employees who makes and sells them.

On another level, we have all those companies and people who help facilitate the process. They can include lawyers and accounts, or investment bankers and stock brokers. Although these people are generally not consider “producers” in the traditional sense, not only do they help create companies which create and sell products and services, but through the process of providing their own services, they too build up their own companies, they provide services, and they employ people.

I realise that most people are never going to see an entrepreneur in the same creative light as a sculptor. Even though their end product is not necessarily as aesthetic (although we can think of Steve Jobs and Apple), entrepreneurs are creators in the most fundamental sense of the meaning. Capitalism is the system that facilitates these people to be producers, by providing them with the infrastructure that allows them the freedom to pursue their dreams.

In his book Business for the Business for the Glory of God, Wayne Grudem argues:

That is why God made us with a desire to be productive, to make or do something useful for other people. . . such desires to be more productive represent God-given desires to accomplish and achieve and solve problems. (28)

Capitalism and Christianity – Definition

August 2, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

Before going any further in this series, I thought it would be a good idea to set out a general definition of capitalism to make sure we are talking in the same terms.

Dictionary.com defines capitalism this way:

An economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

Merriam-Webster defines it as follows:

An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.

I don’t normally reference Wikipedia as a source, but I thought the entry for capitalism does a great job of outlining it:

Capitalism is an economic system that is based on private ownership of the means of production and the creation of goods or services for profit. Competitive markets, wage labor, capital accumulation, voluntary exchange, and personal finance are also considered capitalistic. Competitive markets, capital accumulation, voluntary exchange, and personal finance are, however, not capitalism, and often a part in non-capitalist systems such as market socialism and worker cooperatives. There are multiple variants of capitalism, including laissez-faire and state capitalism.

I am not going to try to produce a comprehensive definition myself. I agree with the main gist of these definitions and I see no reason to reinvent the wheel. The main point I would highlight is that at its base, ‘capitalism’ is a system that facilitates capital and resources to be owned, transferred and employed.

What I will not entertain in defining capitalism, is what its opponents often attempt; that is to sneak in moral judgements and attribute them as essential aspects of the system. The above definitions isolate characteristics that are unique to capitalism. As I will argue in the later posts, morals and ethics are integrally intertwined with the system, but they cannot be attributed to it. They are readily found in most other economic models as well. For example: greed is not a moral behaviour unique to capitalism. The system may in some way more readily tempt its participants to greed with the hopes of great profits and wealth, but greed comes from the participant and not the system. It is no way conditioned as part of its definition.

In the next three posts, I am going to address the issues of creation, stewardship, and work, primarily from a biblical perspective, with the hope of showing how they are fundamental to the capitalist endeavour. I will follow those up with responses to some accusations against capitalism often levelled by its opponents. I then hope to bring these together by looking at some of Jesus’ parables and other examples in the Bible to try to understand God’s view of this economic system.

Capitalism and Christianity – Intro

July 31, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper 4 Comments

This week I’m going to be starting a new series on Capitalism and Christianity. Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was business. I dreamed about being a businessman, travelling the world, and having a stately office with a view of the city. In either my first or second year of university, I was introduced to an author named Ayn Rand. I devoured her two most famous novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountain Head. Their appeal to hard work, intelligence, and capitalism as the best and only economic system, strongly resonated with me.

While running my own company in China, I became a Christian and I started to struggle to reconcile my faith and my business. Capitalism under the Ayn Rand model is so much about selfishness, but everything I knew about Christianity pointed to it as a religion which exalts turning away from material things, giving up for others, and what seemed like a call to poverty or at least a life void of material blessings.

As I continued to study, the light started peaking through and I increasingly came to see the convergence of capitalism and morality. But the colossal failures of Enron and Anderson and more recently the banking meltdown as well as the personal greed that led to these fiascos, really cast doubts on my view. How could a system that could facilitate such divergence from morality be reconciled with my faith? The problem was that I still hadn’t put all the pieces together. I recently wrote a paper on the ethics of capitalism and the light came on, as it were, while doing my research. I have come to believe that not only is capitalism moral, but that it is the economic system God has created and determined for his people.

Capitalism has been much misaligned in recent years as the cause of many of our societal woes. In this series, I hope to show that contrary to popular belief, capitalism is the economic system that allows God’s character to be best displayed, but that it can only be truly successful when it is undertaken by God’s people properly reflecting his image in all of their relationships and actions.

It would be irresponsible not to recognise the arguments against capitalism and to discuss the so called ‘failure’ of capitalism. I also hope to show that the concerns which underlie these arguments are not only valid, but they are essential in our discussion on the topic. My initial response however is that the arguments are generally based not on the system itself, but on the sinful nature of man while he operates within the system. I am going to do this by responding to some of the most common arguments.

People often recognise that capitalism could not be successful without “the rule of law”, but I believe that the moral underpinnings of the system are essential to its success. Unlike Ayn Rand, I don’t believe the system has built-in checks and balances, but that they can only come from the players in the system having a proper ethic, founded in God’s creation and law.

Unconditional – The Movie

July 23, 2012 By Stephen DeKuyper Leave a Comment

I had the opportunity to attend a pre-release screening (VIP at that) of a new movie called Unconditional. It was a real tear jerker from beginning to end. Here’s the trailer:

The movie is about a woman (Sam) who is brought together with an old friend from elementary school (Joe). Sam is still reeling from the death of her husband at a robber’s hands and Joe is running a centre for underprivileged children who come from primarily fatherless homes. They are brought together by circumstances involving a couple of the kids from the centre.

I particularly like that there is absolutely no compromising scenes or language. Better than that however, even though it is “Christian movie”, it is actually very professionally and well done. Not to say other Christian movies have necessarily been bad, but the quality of the acting, cinematography, etc. in this movie seems pretty top quality to me. There is a solid plot, although one of the sub-plots (can’t tell you which one or I’ll ruin it for you) is a bit weak.

It opens in the theaters on September 21, 2012. I highly recommend you get out to see this one and I definitely recommend taking a box of tissues with you.

Your Job is Your Ministry

July 3, 2012 By admin 4 Comments

An interesting article just came out on the Resurgence website by Sutton Turner called It’s Not a Job When It’s Ministry. It is a good article addressing the move from the secular world to a ministry position in a church. What caught my eye however, was not so much what Turner had to say about the way one approaches their work in the church, but on his basic presupposition:

At the time, I was president of a successful company that was a piece of cake to manage. My life was quiet, comfortable, and easy. I wasn’t looking for a change. Why give up CEO status to be an executive pastor at a church?

For me, the answer was simple (if not easy): God called me out of a job and into ministry. (my emphasis)

For most Christians, work in the secular world is generally not treated as ministry, but as “a job”. If we are faithful to the idea of God having a calling in each and every one of our lives however, should we not treat our job (secular or sacred) as our ministry? Surely God did not call us all into vocational ministry. Does that mean we have to wait until the end of the work day in a secular job before we can down to the business of doing our ministry?

God created Adam to work the Garden and not run a church. While the first Adam’s disobedience resulted in the ground becoming hardened and the work becoming more difficult, it was not originally intended that way. Has not the second Adam opened up the opportunity to use that work to his glory?

This is in no way meant to diminish the importance of vocational ministers. Many would argue that the position of pastor is the highest calling a man can have. In many ways I would agree, but most of us are not called into that position. As Christians, we should see our secular occupations as part of our sacred calling. We have opportunities to glorify God through the way we conduct our business, through our attitudes toward difficult times, and maybe most importantly, through the relationships we cultivate with our staff, colleagues, and clients.

This is particularly important in light of the Great Commission. We are called to go and make disciples of the nations. Is not secular employment and business a great way to do this? Think of how many opportunities the average secular worker has to interact and share the gospel with those around him or her.

Remember that regardless if your work is in a secular environment or a sacred one, your job is your ministry. “So, whether you eat or drink, or ^uwhatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31 ESV)