This category supports the concept that business, and the subsequent profits, are like sex: inherently good things that are often twisted and used for evil by sinful human beings.
Several verses caught my eye today. Proverbs 21:5, 16-17, and 20-21.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.
What’s wrong with abundance? Apparently nothing, when honestly gained. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, not the money itself. So planning and diligence, tools of every successful business owner, are good and their use will be blessed. Moderation, sensibility, and kindness – no matter the income level – are biblical precepts that will lead to success, often, though not necessarily, including material success. Short term thinking – loving pleasure – will certainly not gain you riches, and again, in this context there is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s even wise to amass treasure. But with prosperity, also pursue righteousness and kindness. In other words, regardless of income level, nobody’s entitled to be a covetous ass.
Other interesting verses in this chapter -
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
Verse 26 particularly interested me, given that I’m closing my business in order to – among other reasons – pay fewer taxes and do my small part to starve the government of needed funds. However, the bible never does encourage excessive taxpaying. Give to Caesar, yes – exactly what he demands, and no more. Here’s a good dash of common sense in the face of all those bleeding-heart “social justice” types.
Charitable giving in the bible is done on the personal level. Even in the Hebrew Jubilee year where they essentially pressed the financial “reset” button, that was conducted person to person – not, everybody give to the king and let the king redistribute that. Joseph, when he was leading Egypt, gathered all the crops during times of plenty. During the famine, he sold that food to the starving populace. I’ve made the case before that when the government gets involved with charity, it causes material harm to the church. And that when the government – as the Bush administration did – promotes business as a method of reducing poverty, poverty is dramatically reduced. Charity is good, and we are called to practice it. But as a practical matter, throwing a few bucks into a Kiva account is a good idea too. (As a side note, anyone interested in forming a Kiva group? Email me, or post in the comments.)
This rush toward socialism – in defiance of the clear testimony of China, which continues to turn more toward capitalism, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin had this astounding advice:
Excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence is another possible mistake.
True, the state’s increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks. Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent.
The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation.
In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.
Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.
And one more point: anti-crisis measures should not escalate into financial populism and a refusal to implement responsible macroeconomic policies. The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.
The irony is that Putin’s advice is more in line with biblical principles than what our ostensibly Christian president and generally Christianity-professing Congress is espousing. As China enjoys economic revival, it’s also enjoying religious revival. And as these two Communist countries advance toward capitalism and Christianity, we’re running top speed in the other direction.
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