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Given that the Gospels record Jesus as so often talking about money and riches, we do well to seriously investigate the issue.
It is amazing to note how often Jesus commented negatively on how we as humans treat money and wealth, saying that it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:23), saying that you cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24), and saying that God's judgment will come upon those who have been rich in this age but who have not been generous to the poor (Luke 16:19-31).
Jesus made clear that the reason for his stern pronouncements was that the way you treated money revealed the nature of your relationship with and understanding of God, our heavenly Father, who created the whole world in the first place and who cares for all our needs (cf Matthew 6:19-34). The more you hoard and covet, the more you reveal a lack of trust in God. And judgment will come upon you because the more you hoard and covet, the more you fail to see the need of your neighbour - another human being of equal worth to yourself.
It stands to reason, therefore, that the less you know of and trust in God, the less the economic system you practice will conform to God's standard. How, then does the economic system as practiced in the West stack up? Consider at the outset the very definition of economics in our Western textbooks: "Each economic system in its own way tries to solve the central problem of allocating scarce resources among alternative ends. The ends are goods and services the economy can produce. Resources are scarce because people's wants are not easily satisfied, if not insatiable." (Microeconomic Analysis, Allan J. Braff, John Wiley & Sons, 1969), or, "Economics is basically concerned with the most efficient use of scarce resources (factors of production such as land, labor, capital) in producing various types of goods and services to satisfy numerous different and competing demands." (The University Desk Encyclopedia, Elsevier, 1977).
Notice that the two basic factors common to these definitions - scarce resources & people's wants - are directly related, because resources are perceived as becoming more scarce as people's wants increase. But since one of the leading qualities of Christians should be contentment (cf 1 Tim 6:6-10), it stands to reason that 'Kingdom economics' will take on a different form to that which is taught in our universities. Added to that the knowledge that in God our resources are never scarce, since our God is a generous and abundant God who is able to create something out of nothing, we do well to rethink all that we may have been taught to date about economics from a secular point of view!
Let us therefore go back to some first principles upon which to base our economic thinking.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and He told people to fill the earth and subdue it, and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves on the ground (cf Genesis 1). God also did not create the earth to be empty but formed it to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). He also made us in His image, which means amongst many other things that we are creative, just like God Himself.
From this simple framework, we may establish a few important points:
1. By definition, the more people there are, the more the 'standard of living' should increase, because we are creative beings endowed with numerous and various giftings and talents.
2. By definition, unless God continually replenishes the 'content of the Earth', the Earth's resources will ultimately deplenish. But this is not our problem, it is God's! [And it in actual fact is not a problem, because God has already ordained a new heaven and a new earth. What is more, given the whole overall plan of God (see Zeta) I can sense that it was always His intention to create a new place for us to live after the period of this age was complete and the earth had become full of people!]
Therefore, it is not in the first instance for us as humans to worry about sustaining the earth and its resources! That is thinking coming from a mindset in which there is no God and this world is all there is for us for 'eternity' (or until the sun explodes, etc).
God's first and most important priority for us is to conduct all our relationships, even and especially our economic ones, humanly. We are not machines. Each one of us is a person made in the image of God and is to be treated with dignity and respect, and we are to have open eyes and ears to the needs of our neighbour.
Five keywords thus arise, around which we as Christians should conduct our affairs: contentment, creativity, love, responsibility, subsumed under the banner of doing all for the glory of God, equaling true 'beauty'. These can be the hallmark of a Christian's economic activities.
We can thus formulate some basic principles governing our daily work:
1. We should be able to enjoy what we do.
2. The place where we work should be aesthetic from our perspective. It should be a place fit for the person's spirit to soar.
3. The total environment in which work is conducted should be healthy - mental, spiritual, physical, emotional - such that it is conducive to giving us life. Consider the case of an inter-continental sailor on a container ship: is it really good for a married man to be away from his wife for so long? Why can't ships that aren't fitted out for family accommodation be converted into such for the sake of the complete health of all?
4. The purpose and fruit of our work cannot be separated from that of meeting the needs of others. There is no place for hoarding, whether in 'private barns', gold bullion, stock markets etc. One person's abundance is to supply another person's lack (cf 2 Corinthians 8:13-15).
5. When it comes to what work to do, first principles in any society must always be the production or provision of sufficient food, drink, and clothing, closely followed by shelter. Once these needs are met, and we ensure that these primary producers are always getting enough in return for their labour, and that they are satisfied, can we joyfully diversify our work interests and use our talents and labour to bless people in other spheres of living (eg professional musicians). But note that we never have to worry ourselves about the provision of these needs. Jesus said that as we seek first the Kingdom of God all these things will be given to us (Matthew 6:25-34) - not dropped in our lap, but that as we go about looking to fulfill our responsibilities the right doors will open for us (note that the birds don't worry but still have to fly out of the nest in search of food).
6. We each have a responsibility to work for as long as we are fit and able to (cf 2 Thessalonians 3:6-14), where work is defined as my productive labour for the glory of God (and hence of benefit to others). And this is to be done within a reasonable 'work-rest-play cycle', originally defined by God as 6/1 (86/14). [Today, the 80/20 rule seems a good guide: Commit 80% of your time and resources, leave 10% spare for emergencies/surprises, and leave 10% for God. In hourly terms, after allowing 68 hrs for sleep per week, we would have 10 hrs for God, 10 hrs for 'unforeseen details', 40 hrs for work, 40 hrs for family/hobby etc, and the 10 hrs for God could be split up as 1 hr per day and 4 hrs on Sunday for example.] It is also interesting to note God's rest plan as it works out during the years of our lives: 1 day in 7, five weeks per year (counting up all the feast days of the Jews in their religious festivals), one year in seven (the Sabbath year of rest where the land was to lie fallow), and the rest year of the Year of Jubilee. The maths is fun and interesting when you try to work out therefore how much you should 'earn' in those days that you do work so that you could take those scheduled days as holidays! Basically, the formula reduces to the following: W = E x (1+0.3S), where W equals your required weekly wage, E equals your normal weekly expenses to live, and S is the standard of living you want to have in those weeks where you are on holiday. S=1 means that your expenses in the holiday weeks are the same as your normal working week; S=2 means that your expenses are double that of your normal working week, etc.
7. Where possible we should seek to employ others who are currently unemployed, asking them to join with us in the task before us, so that they, too, may have the benefit of participating in a task for the glory of God and expressing their talents and gifts.
The application of the above points lead to factors for great social gain.
For example, if no-one actually wanted to do a job, then it shouldn't be done! Not all consumer wants are good and wholesome, and money must not be the deciding factor of whether or not the service is provided (consider the case of prostitution).
Furthermore, a person's consumer wants should not dictate the working conditions of those required to produce that good. If they do, then the consumer is actually the creator of slavery, and the Bible teaches that slave-trading is contrary to the gospel (cf 1 Timothy 1:9-11) and that we should, if possible, try to get out of slavery work-conditions (cf 1 Corinthians 7:20-22).
We may also extend the above to goods and services which, although people both gladly produce and consume, offend God in His own right (eg the making of idol statues, cf Ephesians 19:23ff), but by definition, if it offends God it cannot be good for us, for we are made in His image. In this case, persecution may have to be endured by the one advocating the change, because the people in that industry have now lost their source of livelihood and expression of talent, but he should always be prepared to clearly explain the folly of the practice and encourage those producers to seek God and hear His new direction for their lives - he can be sure that God wants them to have life to the full too!
So what about our current economic system? We are living in a free market capitalist society that seems to have a different agenda than the one just presented. So whilst trying to implement and live according the Biblical worldview just outlined, a Christian should also know how to live in a God-honouring way within this current system. This will mean addressing issues at each of the four 'sites' of this economy in the context of what the Bible says: „God has given us all things richly to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17):
1. The site of consumption. We need to challenge the 'fetish of the image' so prevalent in our society. Most of the consumer questions today are related to image, and we must be careful of that trap ourselves. Our identity is in God first, not the Nike tick, for example. Questions to ask: a) Can we afford the product? Why or why not? b) Is its consumption good for us or for the bioregion? c) Why do we want it or 'need' it?
2. The site of marketing / distribution. We are confronted today with an impersonal place-less market. We need to be persons in our transactions, not just 'machines' who dispense with and receive cash. Questions to ask: a) How is the product imaged and packaged, and why? b) Who takes a cut in the distribution? For what service? c) To whom is marketing targeted, and why?
3. The site of manufacture / production. We must address treating people as just exploitable human resources and as just 'providers of labour'. Questions to ask: a) What are labour relations at the point(s) of production? b) What are the working conditions? c) How does supply influence demand?
4. The site of resource extraction. The earth, whilst given to us by God to subdue, is not first and foremost to be seen as an untapped and exploitable resource. In the fulfilling of our human potential for the glory of God, we are to treat the earth with regency and respect, but not stoop to attitudes of reverence (as though the earth was more important than us) or romance (as though we are equal with the earth). Questions to ask: a) Who 'owns' the resources from which the materials come? b) Who does the extracting? Under what conditions? c) Are the resources exhaustible? How are they managed?
5. Capital. We also need to come to a biblical view of money itself. If we give money an independent life of its own and act as if it existed in and of itself, we become its slaves and devotees. Furthermore, if we think about it deeply, money actually represents the property of another person. Perhaps one of the best teachings on money can be found in Luke 16:1-15. Here we come across a dishonest manager, or steward, who is held up to us as an example by Jesus, because in his dealings with money he used money to bless people, and thereby make friends. The shrewd steward reduces the debts which people owed his employer (either 'unjustly' from his employer's perspective, or 'justly' to a level which probably matched the original lending price, cutting off an unjust or illegal interest factor). In this way the steward looks for his future security not in a new accumulation of capital, but in the making of friends. In this way, money is disconnected from the search for money, from the pursuit of more, and it becomes a non-threatening means of improving human relations. Mammon is de-sanctified. Jesus' words are profound in verse 15. He says,”What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.” He is saying that our human desire to get more money (as though money is the source of our security) is detestable to God!! He also said “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (verse 11). In other words, God will not give you spiritual responsibility, and even an open door to heaven, if we have not been generous and kind and fair in our relations with other people at the level of money and possessions. Powerful. Questions to ask: a) By whom has capital been invested in this venture, and why? b) How was the capital 'created', managed, and controlled? c) What is the profit margin for the owners of the means of production?
(Note: the above five headings and associated questions come from „Who will Roll away the stone?" by Ched Myers)
It is also pertinent to have a look at perhaps the most mis-interpreted passage in the Bible regarding money: The parable of the talents in the section Matthew 25:14-46. It has been so common to allegorize from the story that Christians are to make as much money as they can for the Kingdom, that I sense we miss the actual meaning. There is a direct connection narratively between the talents parable and the following 'sheep and goats' account. They belong together, and I believe what Jesus is doing is contrasting how two different types of rulers make their final judgments - rulers in the Kingdom of Mammon and Kingdom of God. In this world of venture capitalism, where people often "harvest where they have not sown and gather where they have not scattered seed" (Matthew 25:24) due to principles of oppression and force, where those with money make more money and those without it actually get less (Matthew 25:29), if you don't play the game and don't even put your capital in the bank to earn interest, because you don't want to advance this mammon system, you are an enemy of the system and you need to be cast out! (Note: I believe the third servant who buried his talent [an amount worth about US$1 million] did so because he realized it was 'blood money' gained at the expense of the poor and considered it as unclean. [Remember, his master was a 'hard man', reaping where he had not sowed (Matthew 25:24-26); God's principles are that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7)]. It is similar to the principle in Scripture that money from a prostitute must not be brought into the temple (Deuteronomy 23:18)). But in the Kingdom of God, judgment as to whether you are cast out or not is exactly on the point of how you treat the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, etc (Matthew 25: 35ff). Jesus is highlighting the completely different values-set upon which He will make His judgments. Jesus is I believe thus also distancing Himself totally from the principle of investing money to make more money, especially when the increase comes through oppressing the poor, creating slavery, and reaping where you have not sowed (cf Job 20:19). (Note: I find it interesting that it is Matthew, the former tax collector who probably knew the intricacies of Roman capitalism, who provides us with this insight in his Gospel account). However in Luke 16:9, Jesus does not tell us to bury the money that comes our way (even though it is unrighteous mammon), but to use it for the 'making of friends'. All this seems to match with the wisdom in Proverbs 28:8.
At this point we should also ask questions about whether we should put our money in the bank to earn interest. Collating all the Old Testament passages on the charging of interest (eg Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:35ff; Deuteronomy 15:1ff; Proverbs 28:8), it becomes quite clear that charging interest on any money that you give to those who are in desperate need, and who need the money for food and drink so that they can survive, is forbidden. However there seems to be silence about charging interest for business ventures which are actually providing for wants beyond our needs of food, drink, and clothing. At present, I have decided that normal bank interest rates are reasonable and fair rates for the lending of money for „business ventures" and do not contribute to slavery. Furthermore, I am also very prepared to lend money at no interest to those who need it, and even cancel debts where required as Jesus said in the Lord's Prayer. However, I am tending to gravitate towards the concept of lending money / capital freely and only expecting in return a percentage of the profit where profit is generated, similar to that described in the parable Jesus told of the land owner and the vineyard in Matthew 21:33-46. This seems to be also in line with God's expecting a 10% „rental return" on all our income. The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it, and we are his stewards! In practice therefore, I have decided to allocate my compulsory superannuation funds away from the share-market and into cash investment plans which only generate interest at normal bank interest rates. I sense that capital growth in shares occurs mostly because of greed and speculation, and not really a desire to see others and the world blessed. I believe it is the "casino principle" in the share market which is deadly, not the principle of shares themselves.
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