Fighting the Four Evils

Many people, both the unsaved and Christians, think that capitalism is the best way to generate wealth, and treat generating wealth as a 'right' or as a 'given'. However, what many people do not see, or fail to bother to care, is the morality and ethics of capitalism. Capitalism is challenged by the unsaved for political and economic reasons, but rarely, if ever, for its morality and ethics. Capitalism seems to be kind, because of the wealth it generates and its ability to lift millions out of poverty. Indeed, this is most starkly demonstrated China's conversion from an economically communist state, to a capitalist one. The real question though, is not what are the consequences of capitalism, but what underlies the ideology of capitalism, that determines whether it is moral.  The question as to what values underlie the idea of capitalism itself has been challenged, twisted and repackaged into one that seeks to determine its morality in terms of its consequences...

Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone. ~ John Maynard Keynes Indeed, capitalism is an astounding belief that wickedness can bring out good. Many think that the greed and selfishness that capitalism runs on will bring out the greatest good of everyone - generosity, compassion and prosperity. This includes many in the modern church. They argue that while capitalism is based on greed and selfishness, it is the best way to teach people not to be selfish, but generous because it allows freedom. They argue that the prosperity generated by capitalism for the world is a blessing from God, and therefore moral, implying that God has an obligation to give people wealth. The Bible makes it clear that God is Sovereign. Psalm 115:3 says: O ur God  is  in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased . Daniel 4:35 tells us:  And all the inhabitants of the earth  are ...

Many Christians, when confronted with the truth that capitalism is materialistic and demonic, are quick to point out that communism is materialistic. Indeed, communism is materialistic, but so is capitalism, if not more so.  In the capitalistic framework, gain in the material is an end in and of itself. Such gain in to be enjoyed as one sees fit for oneself. This is in contrast to the Christian framework that gain in the material are not ends in themselves, but means to an ends.  These ends is are that which is to ultimately serve God and others to obey the Two Greatest Commandments from Jesus: " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself " (Luke 10:27).  The capitalistic framework, consistent with its goal of achieving all the things of this world sees work or labour as a means to an ends, rather than as ends in themselves. Work is drudge, and a means of ...

There is a real world of difference between the way the Christians and the unsaved view capitalism. The unsaved, whether they are secular, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish or any other non-Christian sees capitalism as a problem. The gather together as economists, academics, authors, journalists and academics and say the same thing about capitalism: it promotes inequality and enslaves people to their money and possessions. They want and fight for a better system because they see themselves an enslaved to the system of capitalism. They see the pursuit of wealth as meaningless - because it is. That is exactly what it says in Ecclesiastes. Everything that will rot away is meaningless. Indeed, capitalism promotes inequality and enslaves people to their money and possession. However, the unsaved cannot see this: that it is not people who promote or support capitalism that they are fighting that enslaves people to their money an possession - it is the spirit of mammon that seduces people into serv...