To hear some of our contemporary preachers and leaders in the church, you would think that the Bible directly condemns capitalism. Or money of any sort. Some of these men and women are “thinkers” who have spent time considering the real differences between capitalism and socialism and have determined the latter to be more congruent with their version of Christianity. But many pastors and Christians are simply mimicking what they hear from the “Christian Left,” accepting their mantra that it is impossible to “love your neighbor” and be a capitalist at the same time. They have allowed very vocal and unrelenting Leftist pastors (and denominations) to convince them that they’ve been wrong their whole lives about America and capitalism and what it means to love other people. They’ve bought into the lie that capitalism equals greed and socialism equals compassion. These kinds of slogans sound nice, but they’re a far cry from reality or truth.
In the article, “‘Jesus never charged a leper a co-pay’: the rise of the religious left,” Rev. William Barber echoes the Leftist agenda, even while claiming to be above such political labels.
“There is no religious left and religious right,” Barber, a pastor and political leader in North Carolina, told the Guardian. “There is only a moral center. And the scripture is very clear about where you have to be to be in the moral center – you have to be on the side of the poor, the working, the sick, the immigrant….”
Barber, a co-chair of the [Poor People’s] campaign, says some conservative faith leaders have “cynically” interpreted the Bible’s teachings to demonize homosexuality, abortion, scientific facts and other religions. They are guilty, he says, of “theological malpractice” and “modern-day heresy”….
“Jesus set up free healthcare clinics everywhere he went. He healed everybody and never charged a leper a co-pay….”
Now, before you accuse me of making an incorrect inference about a political bent, read on…
The demands of the Poor People’s Campaign are as ambitious as they are progressive. They have called for a repeal of the Republican tax cuts, federal and state minimum wage laws and universal single-payer healthcare. Other proposals also mirror those of politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders [a self-avowed socialist].
“We are surely trying to impact politics,” said Liz Theoharis, a co-chair. “And we are surely trying to make sure that our elected officials take these issues seriously. But this goes far beyond any one election or election year.”
I share this article as but one example of the “us vs. them” mentality that has determined that any agenda that doesn’t coincide with their own is not Christian and is against the Bible’s express teachings about how we are to live, think, and care for others. There is no religious left or religious right, they say – there is only a moral center, which coincidentally happens to align perfectly with the political Left. And the political Left embraces socialism (along with homosexuality, abortion, fake science, and almost any religion other than Christianity). This is the type of teaching that is bullying ordinary Christians into reluctantly accepting a socialistic biblical interpretation of their faith. They don’t really have any other option but to acquiesce. They will be labeled a heretic, homophobe, racist, or some other derogatory epithet if they refuse to jump on the socialist bandwagon.
Socialism vs. capitalism
My purpose here isn’t to give you an overview of capitalism and socialism. I’ll save that for a later article. While admitting that both socialism and capitalism are fairly new constructs (from about 1848), I want to show you from Scripture that the idea of capitalism is quite compatible with Christianity and the Bible. [But see my article, “Is God a Democrat or a Republican?“] I’m defining capitalism as a system characterized by private ownership, private and corporate investment and profit, and the production and distribution of goods in a free market. This is the system predominantly practiced in the West. There are, of course, greedy capitalists and altruistic capitalists, Christian capitalists and atheist capitalists, (just as there are greedy and altruistic and Christian and atheist socialists) but the system itself, I contend, is amoral and is certainly not anti-biblical.
Pastors and Christian leaders who support socialism (state ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange, supposedly leading to equity in outcomes) point to the Bible’s concern for the poor, the “stranger” (which they have purposely redefined to mean “illegal immigrant” to suit their agenda), and anyone else who is marginalized by society. In the name of compassion and moral uprightness, they advocate taking from the “rich” (through individual and corporate taxation) to redistribute to the poor. They believe the rights of those who “have” should be subjugated to the rights of those who “have not.”
How the Bible is misapplied or misunderstood to support socialism
- Rev. Barber insists that “Jesus set up free health-care clinics everywhere he went.” Well, that simply isn’t true. He often healed people, but not everyone and not everywhere. And Jesus didn’t set up “clinics” for continued care of those who were physically hurting. He healed only those who came to Him at that moment in time when He was visiting their town.
- Jesus fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, but when the crowd followed Him, seeking a more permanent solution to their physical needs, He rebuked them because they were only seeking Him to fill their bellies. “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life…,” Jesus said. He was much more concerned about spiritual food than physical, and He only fed people twice. (See John 6:1-15, 25-59.) Even when God fed the wandering Israelites in the desert for 40 years, there came a time when the provision stopped and they were responsible for sowing and plowing and harvesting their own crops.
- In Acts 6:1-7, though, the early church did set up a daily food distribution program for widows. But if you read the passage, you’ll see that it was only for “their” widows, not for the general community. Christians were taking care of the needy Christians among them. But even then there were limits. First Timothy 5:3-16 gives strict instructions on who could or couldn’t be put on the “widows list.”
- Some point to Acts 4:32-37 as proof that socialism is God’s plan for the church. It states that there were no needy people among them (that is, among the Christians), because no one claimed his possessions were his own, and from time to time someone would sell a piece of property and share the proceeds with everyone else, so that no one was in need. Again, this was within the body of believers and it wasn’t confiscation of property to create equity (as would be the case in socialism). In chapter 5, when Ananias and Sapphira were struck down dead for lying about the money they received for the property they had sold, Peter asked, “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?” Private ownership of property was still maintained, and generosity was not coerced. (See Acts 5:1-11.)
- In the Old Testament, farmers were instructed in the Law not to harvest the edges of their fields so the poor could come and glean what was left. This could be interpreted as a sort of forced compassion, but it was only required of the owners of the fields, and the poor had to come and actually work all day to obtain food for themselves. The farmers weren’t required to pick it up themselves and distribute it freely to those who were in need. This preserved the dignity of the human spirit while also showing compassion. (See Leviticus 23:22 and the story of Ruth as an example.)
- In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats at the end of time and commends the sheep for feeding the hungry, inviting the stranger into their home [as individuals, not as a society or nation], clothing those who were naked, looking after the sick, and visiting those in prison. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” The goats are sent into eternal fire for not doing as the sheep had done. Allow me two observations. (1) The acts of care and concern are directed at fellow Christians and do not refer to social programs for the care of all the needy in society. Jesus specifically calls them the least “of these brothers of mine,” a phrase used in connection with those who are His followers. (2) The separation isn’t between those who do works of service vs. those who do not. That is, salvation isn’t dependent on works or lack of them. The sheep did acts of service because they were sheep. The goats didn’t because they were goats. The acts didn’t determine whether or not they became sheep or goats, but those acts were some of the obvious fruit of what they already were in essence. As I’ve already said, Christians should love and care for Christians. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It is our love and care and concern for one another as Christians that will convince people in the world that we are truly Christians, not our involvement in social programs to attempt to show love to those who don’t know Christ, because those acts won’t necessarily convince them. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t love and help non-Christians whom God brings into our path. I’m just saying that the Christian Left’s insistence that government-endorsed social programs to meet the needs of all of society are the hallmark of Christian compassion is not necessarily biblical.
Principles of capitalism endorsed in the Bible
- The Parable of the Talents (or “bags of gold” in recent editions of the NIV) – Matthew 25:14-30 – In this parable, a man entrusts his money to his servants before heading out on a journey. He gives to one 5 talents of money, to another 2 talents, and to another 1 talent. The first and second were industrious and put their money to work, doubling their master’s money. But the third buried the money and made no profit. The master was pleased with those who had doubled his money and put them in charge of more. But he chastised the man who buried the money and took away what little he had. He was “fired.” Jesus used this common theme that His hearers would understand to make a bigger point about when He returns and how He will treat those who didn’t multiply what had been entrusted to them in this life. He used a capitalist scenario to teach biblical truth. Note that there was an unequal distribution of wealth and an expectation to privately use the wealth to gain more. And success and happiness awaited those who were industrious and profitable. The “wicked, lazy servant” lost even the little he had. He was personally responsible for his outcome.
- The Widow’s Oil – 2 Kings 4:1-7 – When a deeply indebted woman’s husband died, she was ready to sell her two children into slavery to pay off her creditors. All she had left to her name was a little oil. The prophet Elisha didn’t tell her to go to her neighbors to ask for money. He didn’t request or demand that her creditors erase her debt. He didn’t supply money by way of a miracle. Instead, he told her to ask her neighbors for their leftover, empty jars. As she poured out her oil into the jars, God multiplied what she had and all were filled to the brim. “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what’s left,” Elisha instructed. Far from making her a beggar, Elisha made her an entrepreneur. There is no hint here that selling privately owned goods at a profit in a “free market” to pay off accrued debt and to take care of your family’s needs is somehow less righteous than asking others to pay your debt for you or leaning on “society” to meet your needs. This story is capitalistic at its core.
- The Proverbs 31 Woman – Proverbs 31:10-31 – In this proverb, a woman (the personification of wisdom) is highly praised and blessed for “working with eager hands,” providing food for her family, buying a field and “out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” “She sees that her trading is profitable,” she sews and helps the poor and needy (personally and without coercion by a socialistic system). “She makes linen garments and sells them.” “She does not eat the bread of idleness.” The writer of this proverb concludes with, “Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Could there be a more capitalistic passage of Scripture? This woman works hard, makes a profit, and uses what she has earned to care for her family and also to help the poor. This is how capitalism should work. As Wesley said, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” That isn’t a socialist ideal; it’s a capitalist one. Personal responsibility, personal decisions, hard work for profit, and a personal choice to be kind to others as you see fit. God doesn’t demand “equity.” If He did, then the Proverbs 31 woman would be chastised for having so much when others have so little. She would be forced to put all her money into a common treasury for it to be distributed to all in the community equally. But she didn’t. She took care of herself and her family first. She reinvested her profit to make more. And then she was kind and generous. God expects personal responsibility, good stewardship, and kindness toward those in need when He blesses our hard work.
- The Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16 – In this parable, we want to cry, “Unfair,” along with the characters. A man hires men to work his vineyard for an agreed-upon sum of money for the day. Every few hours he hires more men at an agreed-upon rate. At the end of the day, when he pays the workers, it becomes apparent that they all received exactly the same amount of money, even though some had worked the entire day while others had worked only an hour. Can you imagine the all-day workers trying to figure out how much they made per hour compared to the lucky ones hired at the end of the day? How could this possibly be fair? Those hired in the morning naturally expected to be paid more, because they had worked harder and longer. The owner of the vineyard dismissed the grumbling with this: “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?” Apparently, a company or corporation or individual hiring workers can pay them what they agree to, and it’s not unfair to pay some a higher rate than others. This isn’t the equity of socialism. It’s the free market of capitalism.
- Paul’s Admonition – 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – The Apostle Paul said, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.'” This principle ensured that those who were able to work but who were unwilling – those who felt they had a right to be taken care of by others – would not benefit from their laziness. While this may appear on the surface to be inhumane and cruel, it was for the benefit of society in general and also for the individuals who needed to learn the value and necessity of hard work and their personal responsibility in meeting their own needs. This is far closer to capitalism than it is to socialism.
Conclusion
While there isn’t room in this short blog article to address every instance of capitalism expressed in the Bible, nor to refute every claim to socialism by those who use the Bible to propagate their political agenda, I hope these few examples will help you to realize that capitalism isn’t a dirty word. In fact, over and over in the Bible the principles of capitalism are affirmed.
Often, the disdain of capitalism is focused on the “greedy” or “exploitive” nature of corporations or the exceedingly wealthy. Progressives will point out passages in the New Testament warning against greed or trying to serve both God and money. But there are greedy poor people and greedy Democrats and greedy Leftists just as much as there are greedy rich people and greedy Republicans and greedy conservatives. We should all acknowledge that greed is a negative character trait. And we can also all agree that kindness and generosity should be applauded. Capitalists are not against generosity any more than socialists are, although there are stingy conservatives and stingy liberals to be found. It simply isn’t sound exegesis to interpret every verse in the Bible that condemns greed and extols charity as tacit condemnations of capitalism.
On the contrary, nowhere in the Bible is socialism enjoined. We see no call from God for His people to turn over their wealth to the government to be equally distributed among all people. There is no case (other than the rationing plan used by Egypt during a famine in the book of Genesis, which was never emulated by the Israelites or the early church) where confiscation of property is encouraged for the benefit of all. Fair wages are encouraged and expected, but nowhere is there a call for employers to pay their employees an amount the government determines to be a “livable wage.” There is no expectation of equity in wages or outcomes. No one is promised prosperity, and being wealthy, while fraught with the danger of allowing money to win out over devotion to God, is never considered sinful in and of itself. King David was wealthy, as was Solomon. Abraham was wealthy by the standards of his day. So was Joseph of Arimathea. In fact, there is so little evidence for socialism in the Bible that it is more appropriate to say socialism is unbiblical than it is to say capitalism is unbiblical.
Individual responsibility, reward for hard work, earning a profit and having the freedom to determine what you will do with it, varied wages depending on ability or simply the generosity of an employer, self-determination, selling goods as part of a free market – all capitalist principles – are mentioned in scripture in a positive light. Profit is only condemned when it is at the expense of the poor or when the poor are exploited. That is not the case in capitalism per se, but is always a danger, but just as much so in socialism, as history has proven.
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that there are “thinking” men and women in leadership positions within the church who have determined socialism to be more congruent with their version of Christianity. As I read what many of these people write on social media platforms and in Internet-based articles, it is clear that they pick and choose Bible verses that will advance their Leftist agenda, without allowing Scripture to speak for itself. They start with the end in mind and find verses to support their political and social ideals instead of looking at what the Bible says in its entirety and deriving economic and political positions from it. But that is a disingenuous way to interpret Scripture, especially when doing so as a means to bully politically and socially conservative Christians. And especially when their agenda includes the radical overthrow of the social order and political structures. [See my articles on the “Reclaiming Jesus Confession of Faith” and “What Is the End Game of the Christian Left?“]
If you have been made to feel ashamed of America or ashamed of capitalism or ashamed that you have a job and someone else doesn’t or that you’ve made a good living and someone else hasn’t been as fortunate – by a pastor, Christian leader or Christian organization – please know that their position isn’t a biblical one. It is biblical to promote fairness and compassion and kindness, but that is true regardless of economic or political theory. People who are socialists are not more righteous than those who are capitalists by virtue of their philosophy. You can be a capitalist and a Christian. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
While there may be problems with capitalism as it is currently practiced by those who don’t heed God’s Word, our goal should be to redeem it, not replace it with socialism, which has no biblical basis as an economic or political system for governing a nation. Life is not always fair. There are not always equal outcomes. And God seems to be OK with that, regardless of the pontification of the pious advocates of progressivism on the “Christian Left.”
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