A Goody From Woody

John Owen, perhaps one of the sharpest theological minds in Puritan history said, “Without absolutes revealed from without by God Himself, we are left rudderless in a sea of conflicting ideas about manners, justice and right and wrong, issuing from a multitude of self-opinionated thinkers.” (Owen 1616-1683)

I’ve been thinking lately, as most American are, about our economy. Two ideas are on the stage for acceptance: capitalism or socialism.

Throughout world history these two ideas of social organization have squared off against each other. Either collectivism or individualism will prevail. Collectivism has taken many forms: fascism, welfare-statism, socialism and even communism. I left out Nazism—add that also. The only social system that has worked for individualism is laissez-faire capitalism. (The French term means “let do” or “let it alone” in reference to the economy. In 1680 it was first used to advocate for leaving industry alone—to be free from government intervention.)

For the average Christian in America it is obvious that the battle to lead our country to socialism is in high gear. If you interviewed college professors, politicians and main-stream journalists, you would hear the callous and base put-down of capitalism. They believe socialism is “morally” superior to capitalism.

Dr. David Noebel, in his book The Battle for Truth, writes “The Christian worldview embraces democratic capitalism (laissez-faire) for a number of reasons. The Bible not only grants man the right to private property, but also calls for man to be a good steward of his property, and the free enterprise system affords man the most opportunity to act as a responsible steward by creating wealth and opportunity. Further, the competition in a free market works according to the principle of comparative advantage, which affirms the inherent worth of every individual.” (Page 295)

Which system is more just? Dr. Noebel writes, “Capitalism is also more socially just than socialism. While the socialist calls for economic equality, capitalism respects the Biblical requirement of equality before the law. This does not, as the socialist contends, cause the rich to get richer and the poor poorer. Rather, it encourages the rich to create more wealth, thereby aiding all of society. The policies of redistribution, including welfare systems, only multiply the problems for the poor—creating needless bureaucracies and concentrating too much power in the hands of the government. Conversely, capitalism encourages freedom in the political sphere. This removes the danger of granting sovereignty to the state instead of God.” (Page 296)

If the Christian understands the battle over the economy today in worldview terms, he or she will end up in favor of capitalism and free enterprise. This truth was very evident to Frederick Engels (the father of communist theory) who said, “If some few passages of the Bible may be favorable to communism, the general spirit of the doctrine is, nevertheless, totally opposed to it.” (Page 296)

Socialism does away with private property and even individual responsibility. (Read Isaiah 65:21-22; Jeremiah 32:43-44; Acts 5:1-4, and Ephesians 4:28 supporting capitalism.)

The only theology I know supporting socialism is called “Liberation Theology,” misreading and misunderstanding Acts 2:44-45. Personal salvation is based on a relationship with our wonderful Savior. Liberation Theology is “collective” salvation from so-called economic, political, and social conditions. Personal salvation from sin or social collective salvation from economic, political, and social problems? The government “saves” us, or we will choose salvation from sin through Christ. You can’t have it both ways.

In a culture that has abandoned “absolute” in relationship to God, moral laws, ethics, etc. in favor of relativism, it is great to be reminded of what John Owen wrote, “Without absolutes revealed from without by God Himself, we are left rudderless in a sea of conflicting ideas about manners, justice and right and wrong, issuing from a multitude of self-opinionated thinkers.”

God’s truth is by its very nature absolute. It does not depend upon any time, place, or condition to be true.

Jesus said, "There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about you? You're fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.' Jesus went on to make these comments: If you're honest in small things, you'll be honest in big things; if you're a crook in small things, you'll be a crook in big things. If you're not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: he'll either hate the first and love the second or adore the first and despise the second. You can't serve both God and the Bank.” Luke 16:1-2, 10-13 9 (The Message)

God Bless,
Woody