“I have no problems admitting the extraordinary superiority of market capitalism; it is a remarkable engine of dynamism, fruitfulness, productivity, and so on. I question that not at all. But it is only a mechanism, and the problem comes in when people make it a source of meaning.”
However he sees the problems and those are telling,
“ Unless capitalism has an ethical boundary, it will always create two problems. One is the problem of insatiability, never knowing when to stop, always wanting just a little more. The other problem—you can see this very clearly in America today—is commodification. The good society draws a line between what is and what is not for sale, but, in modern America, almost everything is up for sale, including much that should not be. We need powerful faith with strong ethics and knowledge of what is legitimate to buy and sell—that’s the market at its best—but certain things are not for buying and not for selling, and we should know why.”
If you hadn’t noticed it’s nearly Christmas, that time of year where we go slightly loco with money and stuff, and it’s a unique event. Rampant consumerism and the celebration of the birth of Christ in a stable, and it was combining those two things that led to this very clever advert. Of course in the race to condemn all this excess we may kill all the fun or so thinks Sarah Dunn. This chart shows Christmas spending by country.
Unsurprisingly, in America despite not having the most money they will spend nearly the most on gifts. This is because, as Eugene Peterson says in this short video, the most materialistic we have ever known and shows how to handle wealth! (Ht: Mark Meynell)
It was following a drive through America that Tim Challies began to seriously think about the issue of money. He found this prayer on stuff and contentment and then ways to think wrongly about money. He then asks the questions do I have to give? And if so how much do I give?
This all goes to show that we live in a consumer age and it’s a pressure not evenly felt. By that I mean, as this post says, ‘UK parents seem to find themselves under tremendous pressure to purchase a surfeit of material goods for their children. This compulsive consumption was almost completely absent in both Spain and Sweden.’ A thesis that our personal experience can anecdotally support.
The best antidote is to be generous and to cultivate gratitude and that takes some thought. It’s worth thinking about.
In this post (HT: Andrew Wilson) Wilson poses a thought experiment where you can double the incomes and welfare of the least but in doing do increase the wealth of the richest tenfold at the push of a button. He ends with this,
“This is your ethical “dilemma,” and part of your test is whether or not you even think of it as a dilemma. Would you refuse to push that button out of hard principle? Would you push it, but with a guilty conscience? Or would you, like me, push it while whistling a cheerful air, with your hat on the side of your head?
If you would not push it, or if you would push it reluctantly, then that urgent yearning for social justice that you feel all the time in your gut is not compassion at all, but cancerous envy. It is evil. It is a deadly sin that must be mortified. You don’t love the poor at all — you hate the rich, and you want to use the poor as a club. And why would this malevolent genie want to take your precious club away?”
On all counts I think Wilson is wrong. His over simplistic statements make too many assumptions and presumptions. First that poverty is an absolute and never relative, Wilson thinks he’s dealt with absolute poverty so everyone should be happy. But by massively widening and increasing relative poverty he creates plenty more problems.
Here are ten reasons to care about inequality, and five causes of inequality, one economist (HT: Freakonomics) who says, “There is perhaps some sort of failure in how our system is working.” For more on the ills of social inequality read The Spirit Level.
From my review of the above book, here is the result of greater social equality, “In more equal societies there is less crime so the money spent on prisons could be spent on education. In more equal societies there is less obesity and all its health related issues and the money could be spent on better transport and so on and on. Equality reduces crime, teenage pregnancy etc..and allows a society to continue to invest in the quality of life of the nation.”
What Wilson does is actually make a bad situation worse but pretend it’s better by simply looking at the bottom line. It’s the same reason that many millionaires don’t feel wealthy and why this commenter can say that someone earning $150k a year is struggling.
And lastly of course Wilson’s magic button has replaced the apostle Paul’s magic remedy: generosity. That it is the wealth of the rich (generously and freely given) that relieves the burden of the poor.
“For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.” (2Cor 8:13-14)
Which brings us to a more equal situation wouldn’t you say?
In his original invitation (no longer on the site), organiser James Macdonald said,
“I am also excited to hear him state his views on money, which may be closer to Scripture than the monasticism currently touring the Reformed world.”
In the first Elephant Room, Macdonald went toe to toe with David Platt on the issue of money. For what it’s worth I thought they were both wrong. What’s interesting here is that Platt (not involved in the second one) is known for challenging the American church on their wealth. TD Jakes on the other hand is a millionaire and an extremely wealthy man. He teaches prosperity.
That strikes me as interesting. Macdonald disagrees with Platt and then invites TD Jakes whose views on money he thinks is closer to Scripture. Which really is sad. So it was interesting to think through some of the issues raised yesterday talking about the pay of megachurch pastors (some more thoughts to come on that by the way). TD Jakes would have raised that average quite considerably all on his own.
Money is a big deal, a really big deal. Love it too much and you can’t serve God. Put too much trust in it and it will reward you but God won’t. What we do with money, what we think about money, what we say and teach about money matters. It matters a lot. So let me be clear, on the issue of money TD Jakes is wrong and unbiblical and if James Macdonald thinks his views are closer to scripture then he’s wrong too. End of story, although not of debate. Thoughts?
The financial crisis affects everybody but not everybody equally. Working in the charity sector (and more specifically, the church) insulated us from much of it and our church was fortunate in that very few were hit by redundancies. Now that we’re in a blissful mortgage free state (and house free state) in another country I thought I’d reflect a little on this ongoing mess we call the global economy.
On a personal level I think it would be fair to say that we were net beneficiaries of the parlous state of our nation’s finances. With low personal debt, living within our means we gained as interest rates fell. We had a tracker mortgage (2% above the base rate) and we’d set it up so we could overpay without penalty. A further blessing was that we were committed to sharing our home with someone who became a great friend and her contributions to the house went to overpaying on the mortgage.
In May 2008 the interest rate on our mortgage was 5.89%; less than a year later it was 2.5% and we were £150 a month better off. From May 2008 to October 2011 the financial crisis saved us just over £6000. Thanks very much.
Now if we were good consumers we would have spent that money and sunk it back into the economy. Instead we chose to be good citizens and help our bank recapitalize by using that money to pay down our capital. Our aim was always to reduce the mortgage as quickly as possible to free us to give more or serve the church more easily because our living costs had been brought down as low as we could manage. Simple living in order to be missional. It also, of course, gave us that bit of freedom to absorb the additional costs of a second child and to give more.
A financial crisis of this scale is not exactly something to be thankful for, but because we eschewed the notion of personal debt, because we believed in simplicity of lifestyle, reducing debt to maximise giving and because we believed in sharing our home we were not only protected from the shock but were also in a position to benefit.
The second reason is that despite the issues in the housing market from 2008-2011, the house we owned increased in value by nearly 40% in less than 9 years. So we gained again by being able to reduce our mortgage faster and through an overall increase in our assets. This is all very nice for us.
But here’s the kingdom angle. Now I can afford to house my family in Stockholm, the capital city of one of the most expensive countries in the world. Simply put, being a good steward of money meant that even during a financial crisis we could still be mobile and go when God called us to. I realise that not everyone will be so fortunate but the principle, I think, is sound: Good stewardship can be a servant to mission now as well as in the future.
Income seemed to influence the survey. 46 percent of people with incomes of $100,000 a year or more believe that capitalism is consistent with Christianity, while only 23 percent of those with incomes of $30,000 or less said so.
No kidding.
On the other side of the coin Dan Partridge admits,
“There are elements of Communism that resonate in my heart and mind. I like the emphases on social justice, one people working towards a common goal, and, to an extent, the idea that we share an inherent value and dignity which is expressed in different abilities and vocations.”
But there’s a problem,
“Communism throws everybody into the mixing bowl and imparts an ideology of same-ness, but it’s a same-ness which is average, mediocre. Christianity is so much better.”
So for a different perspective turn to a different source. How about Randy Alcorn and his new book Managing God’s Money. In this review the book is described like this:
This is no-holds-barred stuff; he teaches that most of us have neglected our responsibility to give deeply, consistently and generously. He rebukes the materialism that inhabits the church to almost the same extent that it inhabits the world. He calls for a radical rethinking of the way most of us relate to our money.
A timely word then to a world that needs to rediscover fresh, generous and liberating ways of living with money. And Tim Challies offers some more thoughts on how to resist the consumer mindset that is so prevalent in capitalist societies.
So in this recent Elephant Room discussion MacDonald and Platt argue about the nature of radical sacrifice. I’m basing all this off some notes made (with appropriate caution added)and the helpful reflection by Trevin Wax. So there’s a chance that a third person could be wrong about all this and that would be me.
CS Lewis says,
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them.” [Mere Christianity; see here].
Tom Schreiner says,
“Those who are blessed with wealth are to enjoy the good things God has given them, but they are also to be generous to those in need (1 Tim. 6:17–19). The New Testament clearly teaches that wealth is dangerous because it can seduce us so that we stray from the Lord. God is to be our treasure, and hence believers are to give generously and freely. For most believers in the West, that means giving more than a tithe.”
So let me ask you this, when was the last time you planned to increase your regular giving?
“Another key theme to the book is the danger of (especially the Christian Right) buying into the idea that Capitalism is the most theologically appropriate system. I don’t know many, if any, in the UK who have bought into this line – but it is clearly a big deal in the USA. And while he is pretty sure that there is no real viable alternative in a globalised world (some will no doubt dispute that – I’m not really in a position to argue either way), his case for a more nuanced and discerning approach is undeniably strong. Capitalism simply does not lead inevitably to the characteristics commonly identified as Christian virtue. This is because it presents many underlying challenges to virtue – here is my potted summary of his list (in pp71-77):
- Economic prosperity can never necessarily be identified with divine blessing.
- Capitalism requires a lack of contentment and degree of disaffection with the world in order to make it work. It also breeds a form of idolatry: “ascribing of divine power to things that in themselves do not possess such power, and, we might add, that can be done to systems such as capitalism just as easily as possessions such as golf clubs” (p74). Personal selfishness and acquisitiveness actually then morphs into a social virtue because you are upholding society and the system through your wallet (or credit).
- What we could call financial Pelagianism: “the problem is not simply the gospel of salvation by consumption that they preach; it is also the idea that I am in control of my own destiny, that I hold the answer to my problems, that this lies in the creaturely realm… It is a form of Pelagianism, built on the idea that I am my own god who can work the miracle of my own happiness by what I do with my cash” (p74)
- The fixation on rights of all kinds that a consumer mentality breeds (and this can be found on both Left (eg abortion rights) and Right (eg gun owners’ rights)) – and this is something that we see manifesting in church as well as society.
- The market inevitably determines values and virtues: “Where consumer is king, ultimately taste and profit margins will triumph” (p75)
In summary of this point, then, Trueman states:
Christians must realize that capitalism has brought great goods in its wake; but it is not an unmixed blessing, and some of the things about which Christians become most hot under the collar, from the reshaping of the family to the ease of access to abortion, are not unconnected to the system that they often admire with so little critical reflection. (p77)
Well said… It seems so obvious – but so rarely articulated – perhaps because we have too many vested interests…”
It’s helpful to appreciate the benefits that capitalism has brought but unlike say Wayne Grudem in this book I think it’s necessary to realise it is not all good and that we have consumerism because (at least in part) we have capitalism.
“By the end of the fourth century the Church had virtually captured society. In worldly terms of status and social influence, the episcopate of even moderately important cities had become an established career to which a man might aspire for reasons not exclusively religious.”
Chadwick describes the situation that while this mean that the church supported large numbers of the poor it also became an economic and political force.
“From the third century the question was being put with steadily increasing pressure whether the Church could occupy a position of influence in high society without losing something of its moral power and independence….Detachment from vanity fair was easier to those who expected the end of the world in the imminent future than to those who expected the historical process to roll on and who possessed some modest property to pass on to their children..”
Implication: the more you have the harder it is to not give in to persecution.
“In June, Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett started the Giving Pledge: an initiative aimed at getting billionaires to pledge at least half of their net worth to charitable donations. So far, 40 individuals have signed up. The roster includes household names like George Lucas, David Rockefeller, Ted Turner and, not least, founders Gates and Buffett, who have pledged significantly more than half of their net worth. While some have already argued that part of the estimated $600 billion that this initiative could raise would have been donated anyway, the impact of the Giving Pledge remains astounding. We break down the numbers in this infographic.”
See it here
While a number of practical details still need to work themselves out over the next few weeks and months essentially from the 1st August I made the shift from being a proprietor to landlord. We retain the freehold on the business and are proud to have a Christian bookshop and cafe, a Christian youthwork charity and a Christian money advice charity find a home in our 200 year old building.
Christian bookshops in the UK are a vanishing breed, even theological colleges can’t maintain them and there are more towns without than with. I hope one remains in Shrewsbury for years to come. I hope the new trust that has taken on the bookshop build on our successes and succeeds where we have failed. I’ll remain a loyal customer.
Having said that I feel it is all in God’s hands and His timing is eternally perfect. So I have real peace about it and am grateful that now my family has grown and the church is merging, there is one less responsibility to give attention to, one less division on my time and energy. I’m not really one to dwell too much on the past so there’s a certain amount of anticipation as to the next step in the adventure of following Christ.
In 2004 I became one of the owners of a Christian bookshop. I believed that there was a place for a business that made Christian books, resources, music and most importantly the Bible readily available on the High Street. The selection of Bibles in your average Waterstones or WH Smith is, after all, not too great.
I believed that this shop could have a different ‘spirit’ to it, run (as best we could) with Christian values, that could offer employment and most importantly be a place that was a witness to non-believers and an encouragement to the family of God.
In this I think we have in some measure succeeded. Recently a woman gave her life to Christ right there in the shop, others have been prayed for, found encouragement and a listening ear. The coffee shop is beginning to provide a venue for fellowship and friendship. Not to mention those who have found the Word of God, resources to build faith, strengthen marriages, give generously, be creative, and live wholeheartedly for God. The stories continue to grow.
I hoped it would succeed and provide me with the opportunity to be generous with the proceeds and on this front we have failed. It’s a tough word failed, but when it comes to making money this bookshop has done the opposite. It’s been frustrating, confusing and painful. I was sure, I am sure that it was the Lord who led me to take on this old business and give it new life. In my head I know the life of even one soul who has found Christ is worth more than tens of thousands, my heart and bank balance struggle to agree.
There are a number of frustrations. I get cross with Christians who tick us off for selling say a Joyce Meyer book or The Shack because they think its theology is dodgy and then go and buy stuff from Amazon which sells any old godless crap. I get frustrated by the lack of reading and hunger to learn about our faith (it’s just such a wasted opportunity). I’m bothered by a belief that penny pinching somehow equals good stewardship, and upset that some churches think they have a divine right to a discount.
Anyway my time as the owner of a Christian bookshop is soon to come to an end but not I hope for the bookshop. I’m hoping that the Christians of Shrewsbury (and further afield) will see the vision I have, see the reasons why there should be illumination, light on the high street, why it’s important to help someone in person find a copy of the Bible they can read or give and will buy shares in a new charitable trust in order that not just the bookshop but the mission of the business can carry on. This video explains the campaign more
Help keep the light shining from Illuminate Trust on Vimeo.
If you want more information you can find out more by emailing trust@illuminatebooks.co.uk.
HT: To Andy & Gareth for plugs on their blogs
The top issue in this election campaign (whether we like it or not) is going to be the economy. Who can we trust to run our nations finances and deal with the nations debt? The state of the economy decides what can be paid for and what must be borrowed for.
We’re emerging from a deep recession and everyone knows taxes will go up and government spending must be cut. No government in peacetime has ever borrowed money like the present one and now most people think that level of borrowing has to stop. What you won’t hear is much about how and when. This is the golden rule of elections – promises are made before the election and no matter who wins the pain will come after the election.
But there are some fundamental questions about the economy that should be considered. What are we aiming for? What do we hope for? What is the role of government in all of this? What do we mean by prosperity? What are the biblical principles that should be considered when thinking about the economy?
Principle 1: Stewardship – Fundamentally, those in charge of the nations finances must be good stewards of the nations resources and use those things wisely. Is the money well spent? Is it being wasted (everyone thinks it is but doesn’t agree about where it is being wasted)? Is it producing a return (think Parable of the Talents as applicable to government)?
Principle 2: Dealing with debt – When Solomon built his vast temple and his even more lavish palace he essentially co-opted the nations workforce and enslaved them, the people struggled as Solomon prospered. So when his son Rehoboam succeeds him he seeks advice on the way forward. The old men counsel him to relieve the people’s burden. The young men the opposite. Rehoboam didn’t choose wisely (1 Kings 12:1-11). Continually increasing the debt burden of a nation isn’t smart.
I’m not against credit or borrowing (I have a mortgage and have had loans) but the issue is always about the ability to repay and at what cost. Right now our national and personal borrowings are massive and we can repay. Just. But I’d always advice people to live within their means, to produce budgets based on balance not on deficit, to reduce debt not increase it and to be generous with the difference between what we need and what we have. I see little good reason why the principle should not be applied at a national level (although you don’t go from where we are to this in just a single step). Can we grow the economy without increasing debt? Yes we can, but you don’t get different results by doing things the same.
Principle 3: Work is good – God created work, work gives dignity to those so employed and is the means by which we carry out the image of God in us, to work as He worked. To nurture and tend the planet He created, to use the gifts and talents we have. Work is good but not all work is paid. Work is good but not working all the time. So I think government has a role to play in nurturing, creating, fostering an environment for job creation where people can work and then rest. Can we rediscover an economy where work is seen as a good and not a necessary evil, where those that contribute to the nations well-being like volunteers, carers, parents raising children full time are in some way rewarded for their work? Can we rediscover an economy that knows what it’s like to down tools, rest, play, recover (one of the great losses to our nation as a result of Sunday trading)? Work should also provide enough, if you work full time and still cannot afford to cover the basics of shelter, clothing and feeding your family then then there’s a problem.
Principle 4: Taxes should be fair - Here’s a big one. Fair to who? Well it seems to me that the poorest should at the very least not be paying a higher proportion of their income in tax than the rich. It’s reasonable to pay tax and that everyone should contribute to the nations purse because we after all expect something in return but not everyone should pay the same. Fair and tax will be themes of this election campaign, pay close attention.
Look out for the principles that lie behind the policies. Economics can be confusing but principles shouldn’t be. What principles would you apply to the economy?
Revealing isn’t it?
I don’t agree and I’m glad to say Cadbury’s don’t either. Here’s their response to a recent badger…
“We are happy to confirm that Cadbury has extended its commitment to Fairtrade. Three more markets are to receive Fairtrade certification for Cadbury’s flagship brand, Cadbury Dairy Milk, by early 2010: Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This announcement will bring the independent FAIRTRADE Mark into millions more homes in five of Cadbury’s key chocolate markets. Due to our distribution chain, bars will also be available in Japan! Cadbury celebrated the arrival of the first bars to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark into UK shops in July. Through Fairtrade certifying Cadbury Dairy Milk in five key chocolate markets, Fairtrade cocoa sales from Ghana will be quadrupled, from 5,000 to 20,000 tonnes. Cadbury and the Fairtrade Foundation are proud to be working together to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers. Fairtrade Cadbury Dairy Milk builds on the work of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership’s investment in sustainable cocoa growing communities and Cadbury’s long heritage of social responsibility. You can find out more about this by visiting: http://www.cadbury.com Cadbury estimate that by 2018 it will have made a demonstrable difference to the lives of around half a million farmers in Cadbury’s cocoa markets. You can also learn more about our approach to ethical and sustainable sourcing and Cadbury’s broader sustainability commitments by visiting www.dearcadbury.com. To follow the development of the Fairtrade story, you can also visit our dedicated blog site at:http://www.cadburydairymilk.typepad.com If we can provide you with any additional information about the Fairtrade certification of Cadbury Dairy Milk please do not hesitate to contact me on +44 1895 615011 or at alison.ward@cadbury.com. We are always delighted to her from Tearfund supporters and we thank you for once again contacting us to share your views. My family are loyal Tearfund supporters and so I have followed your developments for many years! Yours truly Alison Ward
Global Head of Corporate Responsibility
Cadbury”
Well done Cadbury’s!
“The more sacrificially generous you are on earth, the greater will be your enjoyment of heaven. Therefore, since Jesus loves us and summons us to maximize our eternal joy in heaven, he demands radical freedom from the love of money and radical generosity, especially toward the poor . . . The reason money is so crucial for Jesus is that across all cultures and all ages it represents the alternative to God as the treasure of our hearts, and therefore the object of our worship. . .There are two things being said here. One is that a selfish spirit will keep us out of heaven. And the other is that there are degrees of reward, or degrees of joy, in heaven, depending on how sacrificially generous we were on earth.”
HT: Adrian Warnock
Jeremy wonders whether we can carry on consuming while Colin Beavan argues that Treating anxiety and depression could save the planet while Matt Hosier points out some of consumerism’s more silly statements when buying a shirt. Gareth reminds us that TV is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Here are 10 theses on social action and the kingdom of God while Kevin DeYoung begins a new series on social justice and the poor. While on the other side of the coin Warren Buffett wonders about the US financial recovery.
Come on, somebody find me a capitalist somewhere to justify this. They might be right, but I want to hear a justification because I just can’t for the life of me imagine what it might be that doesn’t boil down to greed.
(HT: Challies)
If you know of anyone who has preached a cracking sermon on money, generosity, consumerism and the like I’d be grateful if you could let me know.
This is great (HT: Tim Chester)
I believe Jesus when he said 'life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions'. I believe he offers something better. This blog is mostly about that search.
I'm also a husband, a father, church planter, keen runner, reader, and motorcyclist. These and a few other things make guest appearances from time to time.
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