Recently, the ire of many who are concerned about the
growing gap between the rich and the poor was stoked by a comment from the
golden microphone of conservative radio talk show host Rush
Limbaugh:
Rush Limbaugh |
“What has fed more people? ‘Freedom’ is not an option. This
is a multiple choice question with two possibilities, greed or charity. That’s
right. Greed has fed more mouths than
charity ever could.”
Limbaugh’s emphasis on greed expresses a way of thinking
that makes capitalism an easy target for those who believe it is morally unacceptable. After all, how can an economic system be
moral if it is ultimately driven by the sin of greed? But wait.
Does morality ultimately reside at the institutional level?
In a debate at Messiah College with Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, Arthur Brooks,
president of the American Enterprise Institute, asked, "Is capitalism
moral?” Brooks answered his own question:
“Of course not. Only people can be moral.
We're not asking the right questions." Instead, we should ask what economic system
is the most likely to produce moral behavior in us?
Brooks is correct. Greed
is a flaw in the character of individuals, not in an economic system per se. On the other hand, Jim Wallis views the
American economy as “unfair, unstable and making people unhappy." He
agrees with the Occupy Wall Street movement (What are they advocating?) and
seems ready to throw in the towel on capitalism while turning to an even
greater emphasis on wealth redistribution to narrow the gap between the rich
and the poor.
But will wealth redistribution bring happiness? Not according to Brooks who cited data from
studies of lottery winners and welfare recipients, and concluded. "If you
don't earn it, it won't bring you happiness. True happiness comes from earned
success.” Instead of rejecting
capitalism, Brooks challenged his listeners to reexamine the moral basis of the
American political system as understood and applied by our Founding
Fathers. They believed that all humans
are created in God's image. Human rights
come from God; namely, the “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
as stated in our Declaration of Independence.
Government’s role is not to insure “equal justice”, equal
wealth, or happiness for all. According
to Jay Richards, author of Money, Greed, and God, history is
littered with the corpses of millions that have died needlessly under the
tyranny of those such as Lenin and Stalin who had promised social
equality. Instead, a government’s role,
according to Richards, is to establish and maintain the rule of law, limit the
intrusion of government into the economy, and secure free and just participation
in the production and exchange of goods and services. In a free society with a free market system, each
person has the opportunity to define and pursue happiness in a moral sense
according to his or her perceived goals and purposes.
Although I believe our free market economy is threatened by
a government that has misunderstood its role and has overestimated its ability to
deliver “happiness”, it seems to me that capitalism is also being threatened by
two other elements—(a) those who consider themselves poor and/or
disenfranchised, represented by “Wall Street Occupiers” and (b) the financially successful who have
forgotten their responsibilities, represented by “Wall Street.” Both of these elements have a moral and legitimate
place in a free society. Nothing wrong
with a public assembly and protest within the bounds of the law; and, it is not
wrong to become financially successful if wealth is gotten ethically. But both rich
and poor may possess virtues that can be perverted.
First, those who are poor and disenfranchised are prone to
envy and covetousness which can lead to anger and a life of crime. The Scriptures teach the importance of assisting
the poor (Matthew 5:42; Luke 6:34-38), but assistance that is not aimed
properly can be demoralizing. In his debate with Jim Wallis, ArthurBrooks listed four kinds of assistance to the poor: “immediate relief, reward for work,
education, and an improved culture where people can talk honestly about moral
issues like children born outside marriage.”
Notice the progression designed to rescue, encourage, and equip human
beings so that they regain hope and aspiration to use their gifts and
abilities. History is filled with many
accounts of men and women whose generous giving and mentoring have transformed
poor, hopeless people into highly successful workers and leaders. According to Ephesians 4:28, He who steals must steal no longer; but
rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he
will have something to share with one who has need.
Second, the financially successful also have proneness toward
habits that threaten capitalism. For the successful Wall Street financier or
CEO, what may have begun with a well disciplined self-interest can become perverted
to a life ruled by greed. The Bible
condemns greed as sin-- a rebellion against God’s righteousness. The tenth commandment states, You shall not covet… (Exodus 20:
17). Jesus warns in Luke 12:15, Beware, and be on your guard against every
form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of
his possessions. This is a warning
to us all. One preventive measure is to
heed Philippians 2: 3-4:
Do nothing from
selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as
more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal
interests, but also for the interests of others.
Notice that the passage does not condemn “self-interest.” In fact, self-interest is an essential quality
for anyone to observe the Great Commandment stated by Jesus Christ in Matthew
22: 37-39 as You shall love the Lord your
God…and …love your neighbor as yourself. Without
“self-love” which Jeff Gates, my colleague at Cedarville University defines as “the
proper attitude and behavior toward self in the Christian life,” it is
impossible to properly love God or my neighbor.
Therefore, a person transformed by Christ’s sacrificial and
unconditional (agape) love is free
and empowered to love God and others. He
or she enters into a stewardship of the
love of God by recognizing that love originates from God and is given freely as
a trust to share for His glory. “Stewardship
of love” expresses itself in a reciprocal love toward God, a healthy love of
one’s self, and a love for our neighbor.
This love, or “charity” can overcome selfishness and greed which are
contrary to the interests of our neighbor.
As Arthur Brooks noted, “what America needs is not less
capitalism but better capitalists.” The
problem is not in the immorality of capitalism, but the immorality in the
individual capitalists. Perhaps Brooks would
agree that people who are stewards of the love of God are “better capitalists.” Such love overcomes the greed and selfishness
to which all of us, rich and poor, are prone.
It helps us all to recognize that, at the very outset, it is God who is giving you power to make wealth…
(Deuteronomy 8:18).
If you can understand and agree with my line of reasoning,
you will agree that Rush Limbaugh’s claim that “greed has fed more mouths than
charity ever could”, while well intended, is an inaccurate and unbiblical
comparison. Perhaps it is better stated,
“greed that is overcome by God’s love which overflows in charity toward our
neighbor has fed more mouths than…”[you name it] ever could. Such an economy, an oikonomia, is invigorated by the stewardship (oikonomia) of love—it overcomes the envy and helplessness of the
poor with aspiration to push forward, especially with loving neighbors and “hands
up” assistance; and it overcomes the proneness to greed of those who have been
blessed with wealth and power. Perhaps
you know of CEO’s who understand their stewardship responsibility to their
company and employees, a perspective that can lead to real job creation and
fulfilled employees.
Thank you God for
pursuing and rescuing me as a lost sheep, for bringing me into your fold as
your child, and enlisting me in a stewardship of your love, abilities, time,
and opportunities. Thanks for giving me
a biological family; and a spiritual family, the body of Christ, your church. Thank you for giving me the ability to work
for the betterment of my neighbor and your creation; and to support a family.
Thank you for resources to support the ministry of a local church as well as
worthy organizations aiming to provide emergency assistance as well as
long-term assistance in education, community development, and ecological
restoration. In all of this, thank you
for a nation and freedoms that allow individual hopes and aspirations to be
achieved. Grant wisdom to our church and
community leaders, teachers, and government officials at all levels that they
may apply principles of your Word as a guide to proper enforcement of the laws
of the land so that our freedoms and justice for all may be protected and
enhanced. Amen.
2 comments:
John,
I agree that Rush Limbaugh is well intended, but unbiblical. And as you said, there is a big difference between greed and self-interest. Self-interest need not be selfish. Here is a great quote from Kathryn Tanner in her article "Is Capitalism a Belief System? (Anglican Theological Review. v. 92 issue 4, 2010, p. 617-635):
"All that free markets absolutely require, however, is individuals in pursuit of their own goals; those goals do not have to be selfish or greedy ones. Self-interested action becomes equivalent to selfishness only if' one cares only about oneself. Hunman beings typically pursue, however, often in part for moral reasons, goals that include the well-being of others—the well-being at least of the family and friends they love—and the market in that case becomes a way of achieving those ends. One works to support one's family, for example. Self-interested action is not simply the equivalent of benevolence, any more than it is the equivalent of selfishness. But self-interest is compatible with benevolence if, say, for moral reasons, one takes a personal interest in benefiting others. As the eighteenth-century Anglican bishop Joseph Butler reminds us in his sermons, hunman beings are characterized by self-love, an interest in furthering their own happiness, but that is no reason for thinking that acts of benevolence, in which we work for the good of others, cannot be part of what makes us happy."
Jeff Gates
Thanks, Jeff, for your critique and for adding further insight on the subjects of self-interest and greed. I will be returning to your manuscript on "self-love" soon. Thanks for sharing it; a perfect complement to my blog entry.
John
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