Capitalism is a funny topic. In a world where we try to place every person and idea into carefully crafted boxes, capitalism has always had its detractors. Historically it seems that capitalism has been seen as a Judeo-Christian concept, and has always been played against communism and “social justice.” However, the more I started exploring the scriptures, the more I questioned this theory.
One quote that is sometimes falsely attributed to Jesus is, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, but teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” This is apparently an old Chinese proverb. However, there are certainly a great many proverbs from the Old Testament that emphasize personal responsibility:
Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor. – Proverbs 12:24
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. – Proverbs 14:23
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway. – Proverbs 15:19
Here is a New Testament quote about laziness:
…For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. – 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
Certainly I would think that the Christian founders of this country were all dedicated to hard work and self-sustenance, otherwise they would not have risked the journey, nor survived. Perhaps we sometimes associate Christianity with free enterprise because the two were so closely intertwined, and both required much perseverance for those fleeing persecution in Europe.
As for the kind of unbridled greed that has become associated with capitalism today, I hope any Christian would realize that this corruption is completely un-biblical. Even the brand of capitalism toted by the atheist Ayn Rand is decidedly ungodly; after all, in the introduction to The Fountainhead, she labels her philosophy as “man worship,” which directly contradicts the Judeo-Christian faith to the core.
Even in the pragmatic Book of Proverbs, more verses seem devoted to kindness, righteousness, humility, and honesty:
From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. – Proverbs 12:14
No harm befalls the righteous, but the wicked have their fill of trouble. – Proverbs 12:21
Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. – Proverbs 13:6
Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous. – Proverbs 13:21
A poor man’s field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away. – Proverbs 13:23
The Lord tears down the proud man’s house but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact. – Proverbs 15:25
Clearly, the biblical view is that God expects us to work diligently on whatever we are called to do, but the outcome of our effort is always up to God. We can easily bring a lifetime of work to ruin in mere moments with unwise words and decisions, as we watch so many times in the media; however, even the “just” and the “righteous” have their times of trial, such as Job and the apostles.
Jesus speaks about money in some of his parables, and it would seem that he argues both sides of the works / grace dichotomy. He speaks about the flat-rate payment plan of his vineyard workers, even though some people work far fewer hours than others:
“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – Matthew 20:9-16
The payment schedule mentioned above would seem more on the “social justice” side than on the capitalism side, would it not? Here he is speaking about the grace of God: many people will not repent until very late in life, doing much less “work” for the gospel, yet they will inherit the kingdom of heaven just as readily as those who struggle in the faith all their life.
But what about the parable of the ten minas, where the one with the most receives the portion of the one with the least?
“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
” ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.” – Luke 19:20-27
At first I was unclear what the minas stood for. But after reading commentary I realized I had missed the beginning of the parable, where he spoke about the master going away to a “distant country,” which meant he wouldn’t be back for a while. This is clearly a reference to the spiritual gifts and the Word that God has left with us before the final judgment. The servants are the believers, the stewards of the church, and he’s not talking about money.
There are so many biblical analogies to the “fruit” of the believers, and it is with his spiritual gifts that he will expect the greatest productivity. Thus, perhaps we are to work hardest at serving God: serving others, sharing the gospel, comforting the afflicted, loving one another, and praising God.
I look at capitalism as a great innovation that, when combined with the freedom for people to find their own vocation, allows for great productivity and financial blessings for the vast majority of the participants. However, it is still a gift from God, and must always remain secondary to our commitment to His way. The more we discard Christianity for materialism and academic atheism, the more likely we are to be a fountain of corrupt capitalism.
In the words of our saviour:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:5-8
