Capitalism, Socialism, Christ
Give it up, Christian; Volume 2
Capitalism, Socialism, Christ
Why it matters, and why it doesn’t, when we’re in Christ
This post is not a treatise on economics and government and how and why they intersect, nor is it a full study on either capitalism or socialism and how and why they might intersect in a given society. What I hope to do here is set a stage of the world we live in, to give us some common ground on which to tread as we move forward in what it means to give as a Christian. It is not a treatise, and it is nowhere near comprehensive. I’m going to share the opinions of a couple of theologians on the matter, tie in some real-world examples, and build upon a “third way,” hinted at by the authors I researched for this piece.
(As this is not an academic journal article, unless otherwise noted, the book I’m quoting from is, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom, written by Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan)
At the outset, I want to ensure readers are not confusing or conflating socialism with communism.
Socialism, Britannica offers, is, “The first is a transitional system in which the working class controls the government and economy yet still pays people according to how long, hard, or well they work. Capitalism and private property exist, though to a limited degree.” Socialism, therefore, is a framework and school of thought that can, and often does lead to communism. Though, like democracy, communism itself is lived out in different ways and, in the United States, communism is a term wielded in the sociopolitical sphere as an insult toward people that may or may not have anything to actually do with communism as political-economic system.
For the sake of this piece, we will hold closely to the idea of socialism in its original form, and not that of social media, or as a slur of sorts.
Capitalism, the economic system that rules the United States, centers around wealth creation and accumulation. Private individuals and corporations are encouraged to and rewarded for investments, ownership of property and business. Wealth is managed at the individual and corporate level and, theoretically, not the government. What’s interesting to note, and I will return to in a later post regarding poverty in society, McQuilkin and Copan point out, “Advocates of capitalism seem to dominate American evangelical thought; advocates of socialism dominate evangelical thought in most of the rest of the world…” (p. 463).
Advocates of socialism call out the competitive and individualistic tendencies for capitalism to thrive, for example, often at grave social and environmental cost as larger corporations dominate.
McQuilkin points out writers who contend that capitalism promotes money as the benchmark by which a society comes to judge and be judged (464). In order to escape this judgment, or triumph in such a system, one must hoard wealth, which goes directly against biblical principles, and one must often exploit to continue to hoard wealth, another anti-biblical stance. He ponders, then, if socialism might be a better choice, an answer to the ills of capitalism.
To turn to Scripture, as Christians must as our filter through which to view the world and organize our behavior, the answer isn’t so cut and dry, McQuilkin posits, and I agree. He writes, “The advocate of a free market economic system emphasizes freedom and the right to private property, while those who promote a controlled market economy for the welfare of all citizens emphasize justice, fairness, and equality…Yet neither economic freedom or equality is very pronounced in Scripture.” (P. 465).
Economic freedom in a capitalist system paves the way for “getting” and “more” and “even more.” Yet, Scripture yields (as noted in the first post in this series) a great deal of real estate to the commands of helping the needy. McQuilkin asks, “Whose freedom is more violated—a wealthy person prohibited from becoming more wealthy…or a poor person who is trapped in poverty?” (p. 465).
Aside from rights and freedoms here, we, as Christians, must focus on our obedience to commands from God, and there is no grey area about how God feels about those who accumulate wealth while others starve at their feet. I align most here with McQuilkin. Even if we find that, economically and socially, capitalism might make the most sense and offer overall more freedoms, that does not, for the Christian, authorize unlimited wealth accumulation for our own storehouses. Justice and mercy should always be at the forefront of a Christian’s mind.
How might that look, however, if one were to lay stake in the camp that suggests capitalism isn’t only fine, but is the best system in which to handle economic injustices and personal freedoms? Copan offers insight here, some of which I agree with and some I don’t.
Copan begins his argument by referencing the United Nation’s “State of the Future” from 2007, which highlights data that health, education, and wealth have all increased in nations under capitalism, where income per person has risen steadily in statistically every scenario (466). The counter is that socialist governments tend to end up “bloated” (467) and mismanaged . He argues that capitalism provides more opportunity to both help the poor and help the poor help themselves. This is why, he points out, that aid organizations that focus on market assets like entrepreneurship and free enterprise have a greater success rate for long term financial stability for those they help than organizations that primarily “hand out” (467-468).
On these points I am in agreement with Copan, and you can find the rest of his thoughts on socialism, some which I find weakly sussed out, in the book. But the agreement I have with him is shared by McQuilkin as they discuss the ultimate questions: How are Christians to respond to the poor? Guess what? It doesn’t matter what economic or political system a Christian find themselves in—the answer is the same: Regardless of the political and economic system a Christian finds themselves living in and/or under, they are to remain first obedient to the Word of God, which provides clear and indisputable guidance around wealth, stewarding gifts, and charity of all kinds to the less fortunate, the poor, the disabled, and the immigrant among us.
For Christians to envelop themselves in to arguments about systems of government and economics for the sake of the poor, as we’ve seen this year with DOGE and the lengthy government shutdown and its ramifications, is to miss the point. Our first job is to extend and help, before, during, and after governments figure out who and how they’ll be helping. It’s true that it used to be the case that most thrift stores and soup kitchens in the United States were operated by churches. Adoption agencies too, for that matter. That’s not the case anymore, and both a decline in church attendance and a worship of wealth among Christians are to blame for a great deal of that.
Does this mean, Christian, that you are to take a vow of poverty and just “hand your money away,” to everyone else. Not exactly, but not exactly no, either. I’ll cover that in my next installment as I delve deeper into how Christians must conduct themselves in a society that is riddled with poverty.
Until next time,
andrea