How should Christians think about economics and free enterprise? Should Christians be socialists? Jay Richards addresses these important questions in his book Money, Greed and God:Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem (HarperOne, 2010). Richards came to Southeastern Seminary to talk about this book, capitalism, socialism, the art of economics, Ayn Rand, Adam Smith and more.
Watch his lecture above, or read an excerpt below (edited for clarity).
Why Jay Richards makes the case against socialism and for economic freedom.
“In 1999 through 2001, I was on college campuses — including a lot of conservative Christian campuses — in which the same bad ideas I had in 1985 and 1986 were alive and well in the minds of 20-somethings in college, even in this late day. That’s when I realized that there is something about socialism that is a perennial temptation. It appeals to people’s moral intuitions, and it appeals to Christians’ moral intuitions. So you constantly have to make the case again for economic freedom.
“That’s the joke. It’s frustration that got me into this. There are all these great arguments [for economic freedom], things by the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids. They have this wonderful journal called The Journal for Markets and Morality that I had read for years. But no one knows about it, unless you go to a seminar and read that. You feel like these arguments are not getting to the ground where people need them. So that’s what got me into this.”
There is something about socialism that is a perennial temptation.
What is economics?
“Economics at bottom is about human beings, and how we trade, create, coopearate and compete with goods and services and information. It’s about us….
“Our goal should be to integrate the descriptive truths and theoretical insights of economics with the normative principles of ethics and the normative truths of theology.”
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2019-02-25 10:42:12
How Should Christians Think About Socialism? | Intersect
[…] Should Christians Be Socialists? Jay Richardsâ Case for Economic Freedom […]
2019-03-02 20:56:22
Jonathan Darville
That Texas dollar toy story was priceless! Thanks for making this available to those of us who were not in attendance. Fantastic! The work IP is putting out on economics is informative, winsome, clear, and concise. Keep it coming!
2019-03-03 14:31:53
Intersect Staff
Thank you, Jonathan! And thank you for your own contributions to Intersect!
2019-03-03 13:15:42
Jeff Taylor
How can we have economic freedom when we have a healthcare system that is not free market and demands an ever increasing % of our income? The system is rigged by greedy insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers. Particularly when employers based health insurance is lowering coverage and increasing costs every year. How can we have economic freedom when our you people are left with debts of $50,000 - $200,000 after graduating college with no chance of paying that cost off any time soon unless they go into a STEM based career? How can we talk about economic freedom when there are so many homeless children and even more children that go to school hungry and in dirty clothes even thought their parents work. It is time that us Christians get off of our arrogant pedestals of "doctrine" and take action to show that we are a true brotherhood of believers based on love and being part of the solution to these issues. Until Christians can start offering economic solutions instead of doctrine, social programs, not socialism, will continue to be the increasingly desirable solutions. Think about it? It seems to me that the first century church would, in our day, be viewed as a form of socialism. Jeff Taylor
2019-03-03 14:33:37
Intersect Staff
These are great questions, Jeff. Thank you for raising them! To the question of the early church and socialism, we've published a resource that tackles that particular question: https://cfc.sebts.edu/faith-and-economics/does-the-bible-say-christians-should-be-communists/
2019-03-06 14:01:17
dbdonnie
What we seem to have here is not 'Pure' Capitalism (No one big enough to influence the market...)(Marx's Euphemism for 'Free Markets"?), but Oligopoly, the domination of the market, segment by segment, of a few sellers...Tyrants 'consolidate power', Oligopolists and Monopolists 'Manage Markets'...they have an interest - in - common with 'power consolidator governments' on the Bureaucrat - to - Bureaucrat continuum ...??
2019-03-06 14:17:31
dbdonnie
....and let's not forget - Jesus was killed by tyrants...for criticizing tyrants... threatening the 'good thing' they had going at the time (Is the willingness to kill your critics a symptom of 'Tyranny of the heart'?)?