movement, movement

So I recently commented on a blog by a friend of mine who has understandably become quite disgusted with capitalism. I commented on his remarks and as all good conversations go, Eric threw some challenging questions my way. I hope you’re ready to read…

Questions:
1. Amos, how can we help to reform capitalism to make it more biblically sound?
2. How can we approach other believers who are using capitalism corruptly, such as the ways I posted about?

Response:
These pretty loaded questions. Honestly I don’t feel truly qualified to answer. I hope that doesn’t disqualify me in anyone’s mind from at least describing the situation and throwing out some (maybe too idealist?) thoughts.

In my abstract thoughts in looking for an answer to how to make capitalism more biblically sound, I would start by saying this:

1. Lets not start a discussion based on the premise that there is a perfect economic system out there. I’m not saying anyone is suggesting that premise, only that we should be aware of it and the other assumptions on which our understanding of our culture and lives are based. In other words, lets not assume that capitalism can be perfected. But lets not use that as an excuse to do nothing either. As I said, there’s always a battle to be fought. Thats what being a member of a Fallen Humanity includes. If you (as readers) aren’t aware that life is, was, and will be battle after battle (big or small) until the day you die, you’re in for a rude awakening. And if you’re avoiding battle or have too fluffy of a life to have to deal with anything, I truly mourn for your soul, because that I see as even worse. (Lets not get off track…)
2. The thing about capitalism is that its an human economic system, and it is implemented by more than just Christians. This is the same thing as trying to implement Christian ideals into government simply because the ideals are Christian. Ideals like human rights and freedom should not be implemented into a society because they are attached to a specific religion, but because they are good and true. To take this a step further, there is much reason love your neighbor even if Jesus had never said to. Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on truth, beauty, or righteousness in this world. (this is not an endorsement of unitarianism, thats a totally different discussion) Point is: lets not try to take capitalism toward some purely Christian ideal. All that leads to is Prosperity Gospel. Let us take the ideals of Christianity that are shared by all humanity (freedom, human rights, justice) and implement them into both our governmental and economic systems.

All this to say: I don’t think this macro-level reformation of capitalism should be the strategy. Instead, look at it from the micro level:

This is where the second question comes in, because approaching other believers is at the micro level. To hopefully edge our minds towards understanding the direction and role that Christianity should play both in our lives and in our approach towards our [any] economic system, I would say this:

3. As for Christians, if any Christian is truly loving his neighbor then I think its fair to say this isn’t a person needing approach concerning the brokenness of capitalism. You could say that that person may still be majorly caught up in materialism and all the more inward focused character mis-traits, but I’d say that they go hand in hand. Loving yourself (materialism is a derivative of self worship) is the same as not loving your neighbor. If there is such a person as this, or at least one who understands this concept and is working towards its actualization in their life, I think it arguable that this person need not approach.
4. For all the rest, I say the answer is not separated from any other part of life. Its not that we should divide Christian approach into provincial procedures. How un-genuine is that? It even sounds like a form of marketing in itself- approaching a certain group of people with a character and attitude perfectly molded for how to “win” them over or “sell your product”. This is also similar to choosing not to be “real” friends with another person simply because you judge that they are not a Christian. Talk about not loving someone.. Rather, a person of solid character and a true understanding of love and how a capitalist economic system affects the mind and society should approach any and all fellow humans: in solidarity of character. Those words have been running through my mind a lot as I type this- solidarity of character. Its a big-word-version of saying to just be true. Real. Genuine. (haha.. one word sentences reminds me of Rob Bell..)

What I mean in perhaps similarly abstract terms is to know what is wrong in the human role in capitalism and fight against it. Any economic system is going to have 3 things that I’d like to categorize: a) its positive effects on its society; b) its inherently (and rather unavoidable) negative effects on its society; c) more precisely, negative individual effects and abuses by members of society using the system selfishly. Roman affluence and obsession with vanity led to its complacency and later overrunning by barbarians. French feudalism and neglect of the poor led to the French Revolution of 1789. Marxism (socialism) led to Communist Russia and allowed for mass murders and all the other wonderful things we know communism to have brought about before its collapse in on itself with help from the US. Meanwhile, the capitalist economy of the US has led to affluence, materialism, consumerism, and what I would consider to be the most apparent culture-wide self-worship ever known to man. If we edge out the Romans in this self-worship it is due to this attitude not knowing class boundaries – as they say – America is the only country where even the poor people are fat. Where will this lead? History has shown that cultures build up and then spiral down. Is this what is in store for America? Perhaps. But don’t panic yet, we’ll save that discussion for another day.

Battling the third of these categories, the parts of capitalism that allow for members of its society to take advantage and “un-love” one another, must be fought not with government regulation (or even government subsidy) or with any other “hit and run” style tactics meant to tell the sinner that he’s sinning and to stop it while you go on about your business. The impersonal approach I just mentioned is yet another way to “un-loving” of said neighbor. I believe it takes the movement of love – radical true love that would take time to spread throughout a culture to fix the problems of inhumanity. This is big. So much bigger than we can comprehend, and so big that it will make you feel like you would if you were about to eat a dish of ice cream the size of the moon. It starts on the micro level, mouthful by mouthful. If it were somehow to become a reality it would become evident on the macro. In our lifetime? Hah! Yeah right. But you can definitely start by convincing all your friends to start eating ice cream with you.

So I don’t know if all that I just said makes true real world sense to others the way it does to me. I suppose, as mentioned before that I really don’t have any definitive solutions. I recognize the problem, same as you, but at the same time recognize the similarities we would find if we could somehow simultaneously objectively examine both our current system and a parallel universe in which the US had implemented socialism 230 years prior.

I apologize if this blog book doesn’t even quite directly address the questions of applying the Bible to capitalism or approaching corrupt Christians. In my mind this is about not regulating the system or trashing it all (inevitably leading to something worse) but rather educating people on love (and goodness and truth) and exampling love to them. I know, I know, my use of the word “love” is so abstract, but herein lies as much of the problem as anything- finding out what true Christ-like love is and turning it into real life.

Perhaps I’ll take a stab in another post here in a day or two about the positive effects of capitalism. And in defense of capitalism, there are those who suggest that its implementation was only able to develop in a Christian world-view, but then again I hear murmurs of the same about communism.

Folks out there, please respond with your questions/comments/criticisms/cash donations and feel free to let me know if you think I just like to hear myself talk. I know, its a long blog. Maybe you even skipped the whole thing just to read this last paragraph thinking it would offer some form of resolution. Sorry. If that be the case, just tell me I talk to much.