Is God a Capitalist? (2 of 6)
Series: Elephant in the Room
Scott Maze
Acts 2:44-45
Tonight, we discuss, ''Is God a Capitalist?'' Politicians love to quote certain verses to support their economic agenda. I am not an expert on economics. Capitalism is defined by Webster' dictionary as the following: ''an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.''
''THE BIBLE treats economics as a moral issue. It is full of stories and commands that have a lot to do with economics. Though Jesus had little to say about economic systems, He had a lot to say about economic life- about wealth, possessions, and personal morality- but a lot less about economic systems. . . . Capitalism provides the resources that are necessary for either private charity, or public assistance through taxes to help support the poor. Both charity and government assistance assume productive wealth creation. Otherwise where do the resources come from to help the poor? But, more importantly, capitalism provides opportunities for the poor to help themselves out of poverty and uphold their dignity at the same time, since they are participants in the system and not simply recipients of charity.'' -AUSTIN HILL AND SCOTT RAE, THE VIRTUES OF CAPITALISM
1. The Bible and Government
Hugh Heclo, who's a professor of policy studies at George Mason University, which is a kind of combination of law and sociology and things like that. He wrote a book called On Thinking Institutionally. One of his chapters talks about the fact that in Western society we're at a crisis point. There has never been a time in the Western societies in which there has been lower trust in the public institutions and the vocations.
Everybody believes you can't trust anybody. That's always been to some degree the case but ne ...
Series: Elephant in the Room
Scott Maze
Acts 2:44-45
Tonight, we discuss, ''Is God a Capitalist?'' Politicians love to quote certain verses to support their economic agenda. I am not an expert on economics. Capitalism is defined by Webster' dictionary as the following: ''an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market.''
''THE BIBLE treats economics as a moral issue. It is full of stories and commands that have a lot to do with economics. Though Jesus had little to say about economic systems, He had a lot to say about economic life- about wealth, possessions, and personal morality- but a lot less about economic systems. . . . Capitalism provides the resources that are necessary for either private charity, or public assistance through taxes to help support the poor. Both charity and government assistance assume productive wealth creation. Otherwise where do the resources come from to help the poor? But, more importantly, capitalism provides opportunities for the poor to help themselves out of poverty and uphold their dignity at the same time, since they are participants in the system and not simply recipients of charity.'' -AUSTIN HILL AND SCOTT RAE, THE VIRTUES OF CAPITALISM
1. The Bible and Government
Hugh Heclo, who's a professor of policy studies at George Mason University, which is a kind of combination of law and sociology and things like that. He wrote a book called On Thinking Institutionally. One of his chapters talks about the fact that in Western society we're at a crisis point. There has never been a time in the Western societies in which there has been lower trust in the public institutions and the vocations.
Everybody believes you can't trust anybody. That's always been to some degree the case but ne ...
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