Stephen DeKuyper

Capitalism and Christianity – The Fallen World

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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?

It Takes a Nation?

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Apparently not only does it take a village to raise a child, but it takes a nation to build a company. President Obama’s remark about entrepreneurs today is very disturbing. “If you’ve got a business – you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” It sounds like something out of an Ayn Rand novel (the antagonists of course).

I guess at face value, he is right. It takes investors, managers, employees, customers, amongst others. But I am quite confident that is not what he meant. He was talking about government. As someone who has run their own business, I can attest that pretty much all the government gave me was grief. They took fees and taxes, made me get licenses and a whole raft of other regulations and non-productive work.

Obama is also probably right about himself and his wife. They didn’t get where they were on their own. It took people to lift them up, to get them into colleges, to hire them, to pay for their campaigns. President Obama is a product of the government 0r charity. He is a taker and not a giver, so I guess he assumes that every else is also. He is suddenly reminding me a lot more of Wesley Mouch in Atlas Shrugged:

It was James Taggart who gave him a start in the Bureau of Economic Planning and National Resources – in exchange for double crossing Reardon in order to help Orren Boyle in exchange for destroying Dan Conway. From then on, people helped Wesley Mouch to advance, for the same reason as that which had prompted Uncle Julius: they were people who believed that mediocrity was safe. the men who now sat in front of his desk had been taught the law of causality was a superstition and that one had to deal with the situation of the moment without considering the cause. By the situation of the moment, they had concluded that Wesley Mouch was a man of superlative skill and cunning, since millions aspired to power, but he was the one who had achieved it. It was not within their method of thinking to know that Wesley Mouch was the zero at the meeting point of forces unleashed in destruction against one another. (Atlas Shrugged, 148)

The ironic thing about socialism is the government only has resources and money to “help others” thanks to those who produced the wealth through capitalism in the first place. A socialist without other people’s money is simply a communist.

Ripping Off Conan

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Apparently, there is a night time show in China that has copied a portion of the opening sequence of the Conan O’Brien Show. I have come to expect movies and luxury goods being ripped off, but really? Is there truly such a lack of innovation in China in what is supposed to be a creative industry? Producers and creative types can’t even think up their own opening? Check it out. It’s hilarious:

Your Job is Your Ministry

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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)

Living in the Material World

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It struck me this morning as I was reading through the news, the irony of how China, although it professes Materialism, is growing in spirituality. While the US, which professes to be spiritual, or at least to have a freedom of religion, is moving toward materialism.

It is also ironic how one of the main goals of the revolution in China was the eventual elimination of religion and (presumably) spirituality in favour of materialism. Having wiped the slate clean, the ban on religion and spirituality seemed to play out pretty much how it was meant to play out, at least for a while. But change comes and as even a sliver of freedom appeared, the people ran right back to their spirituality.

Here in the US, the story is moving the other way. There seems to be an all out assault on religion and religious liberty, although this is more perceived than real. Many people in the US remain religious and spiritual, but the system is moving away from allowing them as individuals or as a society to practice this freely. There are stories daily of how the court has ruled against religious liberty. There was a story today about the court ruling against a couple who own a photography company because they refused to photograph a same-sex marriage.

What scares me is how the government and the courts seem to be more willing to force people into doing things they would not otherwise do. They are forcing them to think things they do not agree with. And they are forcing them defend the indefensible.

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