i think we probably have the same views and struggles. I guess that the only thing I can say is that I really have no problem with the fact that God creates us unequal. I look at that and say that no human economic system is a solution for that.

I agree about the greatness of the church in this respect. You have all types of people who are unequal in skills and abilities. It is a beautiful thing to see how different people fill different roles. Some people are highly educated and some have no education. Some have very little to offer but themselves and their presence. You take this group of unequal people and they try to become more like God. They look out for one another spiritually and also physically. I’d say that your church is the one group of people who you should be able to count on. I would say that is being like God.
I would also say, it is very hard to get people in our churches to admit that they need help. Everybody is so daggone independent that they try to go it all alone.

Just thought of something. The greatness of our country has never been people living in isolation from each other, but people actually working together to improve each other’s lives. It has only been in the past, I’d say, 40 yrs. that this “self-reliance” has come about. I really think this is because of a lack of faith in God. When we trust God, we see that He has put people in our lives that we can help and who can help us. We learn to rely and depend on each other for each other’s welfare.

Capitalism could be a beautiful thing in a nation of men who want to be like God Himself. No cheating, no lying, no false advertising, no gimmicks, no shoddy workmanship, no crazy work hours…etc….Simply individual people working with one another to imrove each others lives.

The one thing I would say about a Socialistic and Communistic Govt. is that both governments tend to try to fill the role of God in the lives of individual people. Ultimately, that is why they will fail.

Certainly there are many scriptures that directly or indirectly state that everything belongs to God and that we are intended to be good stewards of his stuff.

The tiny pieces of “lib” in me say that while capitalism purports to give freedom and dignity to everyone, the fact is that all people are not in fact created equal. Capitalism works great for people who are “self-starters”, entrepreneurs, and ambitious. But it doesn’t work so well for people who are not any of those things. It’s possible to be a hard worker and yet not have a great deal of ambition on a personal level. I’m a case in point, I think. I don’t mind hard work at all. And while I have dreams and goals, I don’t think that they will ever make me a rich man in a capitalistic sense. I’ll never be Rush Limbaugh or Barack Obama - not because I don’t want to work as hard as them, but because I don’t have the level of personal ambition that they do.

At the risk of trying to prop myself up on a pedestal (which is definitely not my intent), what about people who have fewer talents and gifts than myself? What about the “one talent” guy? What about the guy who is in fact poorly educated, has no personal ambition, etc, and was lucky to get on the factory line, making widgets? Where is the dignity in the system of capitalism for him? Where is the freedom for him? There’s not much there.

Perhaps God has told him that he is to be a widget-maker for all his life. Certainly that gives him a bit of dignity, but it is dignity that comes from the inside, not dignity that is seen as such by the folks on the “outside” so to speak.

I don’t know, Ben, as I said, I’m quite conflicted on this whole issue. I do think that capitalism is the best of a bunch of bad systems that all became flawed because of the Fall. But I’m not sure that God cares so much whether Christians are capitalists or whether our nation should export capitalism to socialistic countries. I think he would rather see us 1. On an individual level, be people who are more like Him, and 2. Export that process of “being more like Him” - and take note that I didn’t say export “Christianity”. We already have enough “Christianity-ers”…. People who say they are Christians but all they mean is that they live a “good” life - not that they actually depend on Christ on a daily basis.

I’ll be interested in seeing your article….

Tabster

i’m trying to write an article about socialist countries and the decline of christian faith. I can’t figure out which comes first or if it is hand in hand. I look at Europe and the lack of faith there, and ponder.

Great post to make me think and I’m glad about that.