Why Economics Should Be Important for Christians
posted by Josiah Garber on June 1, 2010
in Church, Economics
by Shawn Ritenour
It is not uncommon for Christians to treat economic science with suspicion, because, it is often assumed, economics deals with the things of this world. It must therefore be tainted by the assumption that consumers are selfish, entrepreneurs are greedy, and the market is a cold mistress to the poor and needy. What the world needs instead, it is thought, is love sweet love, and besides the Kingdom of God is not of this world, so why should we care about production and consumption? This attitude is unfortunate because good economics is not dependent upon any specific assumption about the morality of human motivation to action and, as I point out in my new book, Foundations of Economics: A Christian View, God also cares about the material aspect of our existence.
An obvious point too often forgotten is that God did, after all, create a material world – “all things visible and invisible,” as the Nicene Creed says. God explicitly tells us that his, largely material, creation was very good. In Proverbs we are told to learn from the ant which provides material provision for itself in the winter by working hard in the summer. In Deuteronomy God related blessings and curses that would be visited upon his people depending upon whether they were obedient or disobedient. When obedient, God would bless them with many children, cattle, and much food. When disobedient, God would curse them with barren wombs, small harvests, and shrinking herds. These blessings and curses, therefore, were largely material in nature. Additionally, Jesus himself came in the flesh. Clearly God is not Platonically anti-material.
This point is also explicit in the first mandate given to man after creation. Even before sin and the fall of man, God told our first parents to “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over… every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). As David Hegeman points out in his primer, Plowing in Hope, this mandate requires filling, working, keeping, and ruling creation.
Hegeman also notes that fulfilling God’s dominion mandate requires wise balance. It is possible that we rashly try to draw too much from creation too quickly, make changes too abruptly, or do so without replenishing the earth. We can, however, err on the other extreme and act as if nature is a museum and we are its curator. We can attempt to keep the earth in its pristine natural state, by prohibiting all development, outlawing all new construction projects, and refusing to allow the erecting of any new factories. Acting in this manner results in our failure to reap the resources necessary for our continued existence and the very cultural development decreed by God
In light of the cultural mandate, therefore, an important question comes to the forefront. How do we wisely develop God’s creation? More specifically, how do we fulfill the cultural mandate to have dominion over creation and fill the earth with people without our starving to death or killing one another in a barbaric struggle for survival? These are not moot questions. Whether they know it or not, these are the questions economists work at answering every day. Different societies choose different paths in answering these questions and reap vastly different results.
Should Christians Endorse Torture?
posted by Josiah Garber on March 9, 2009
in Church, Politics
I think not. How can we love our enemies by torturing them? The really sad thing for me is that many Christians have accepted torture because they felt the need to support their choice for president: George W. Bush. This is a shame. Just like it is shameful for a Christian to vote for Obama and begin to support abortion because they feel the need to continue to defend their choice for president.
We need to get rid of our pride. How do I know this? I had to get rid of my pride to take another look at my vote for George W. Bush and it wasn’t until I did that that I realized how deceived I had been. Perhaps I will write more about why I can’t support George W. Bush and should have never done so in the first place. It is also important to seek out the truth. If you do not have a proper understanding of the policies of your candidate then how can you vote for them? This is about as ludicrous as voting for the 10,000 page 789,000,000,000 dollar bailout without ever reading it; and this is exactly what I did when I voted for Bush. I am sad to see that many people made the same mistake with Obama.
We should not change our beliefs based upon identifying with a political group. This is the danger in supporting a candidate at all costs (even Ron Paul). No political group or personality should have our full allegiance, this should only be reserved for our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Everything that enters our life as Christians should be under the authority of Jesus, and the Word of God. If it isn’t it will, eventually, overtake our allegiance to Christ.
Check out this article on why Christianity and Torture aren’t compatible. I’d love to hear what you think.