Are Christianity and capitalism incompatible?

In his indispensable NY Times essay, "Capitalists and Other Psychopaths," William Deresiewicz poses a contradiction that is antecedent to the subject:

Capitalist values are antithetical to Christian ones. (How the loudest Christians in our public life can also be the most bellicose proponents of an unbridled free market is a matter for their own consciences.)

I would quibble with Deresiewicz's parenthetical conclusion--that the "loudest" Christians' insufferable hypocrisy is somehow a matter only for their own demons--but his opening shot is incontrovertible. As I understand Christianity, its essential currents of selflessness and love and community stand in stark opposition to capitalism's selfishness and indifference and atomism. (Indeed, it is this very contrast, this clash, this conflict, that once divided traditional conservatives of the Burkean bent from economic libertarians of Hayekian inclinations; both of whom, in time, discovered Bill Buckley & Friends, whose artificial synthesis of the late 1950s and early 1960s is finally decaying).

But Christianity merely picked up where the theologico-philosophy of antiquity left off. For instance, Plato, whose assorted treatises dealt with the overarching questions of The Good and Justice--as ethereally descended on us earthly ragamuffins--and how in this world we could ever reconcile them with the pettiness of self-glory and self-interest. (Plato's answer, ultimately: a rather brutal communism.) Antiquity never figured it out, either.

Christianity, however, along with the world's other major religions, did divine the Golden Rule, which was something of an improvement on Plato's totalitarianism and Aristotle's often rather weird ethics. Just treat others as you would like to be treated. Pretty simple, pretty straightforward, pretty easy to remember, even if a helluva lot harder to always deploy, especially if one is in business.

One problem, though, is that Christians in business are forever rampaging through their theological memory banks to justify ... pretty much anything, but ordinarily some godawful, unjustified profit. The Bible is full of loopholes, escape clauses, clever ins and outs--and for all its indictments of this or that, one can, with little effort, usually find equally powerful and opposing justifications.

On the other hand, the stand-alone Golden Rule is a tough ethical nut to crack. For Christ's sake just be considerate; and before we act (in business, or everyday life) like the asses we are, we should stop and think, Is this what I'd want, coming in my direction?

This (to return to my customary territory of politics) is, it seems, how Christians such as President Obama comprehend Christianity, and how European-socialist-progressive-conservatives such as President Obama comprehend a more humanized capitalism. What's more, their actions tend to match their rhetoric. And that's more than one can say about most Christians, and virtually all Christian capitalists.

Comments

[Chris Andersen]

I think Jesus formulated it best. "Render unto Caesar that which is Caeser's and God that which is God's." One of the clearest descriptions ever given of the principle of the separation of church and state.

[You Don't Say]

A troll at another site I read said, "Well, in Jesus' time the gov't didn't take care of the poor," to justify capitalism in all its glory.

Never underestimate the ability to twist the Bible, the NT in particular, to fit one's cause.

[AnneJ]

I think the capitalist christians have something in common with the ancient cultures that worshipped many gods. That is, even though they have it narrowed down to only one god-the scary invisible hand of the market- their idea being that if you throw enough people down the volcano, eventually the angry god will be apeased and prosperity will ensue. Of course they are never the ones willing to make the sacrifice.

[Peter G]

Well one cannot deny that capitalism is the most powerful economic system for wealth generation ever devised. At wealth distribution it leaves somewhat to be desired. Curiously we devised in a co-evolutionary way the method of doing that as a species. It is called government. Different methodologies for accomplishing the goal have been tried. Some have been more successful than others. Christianity once dealt with moral conflicts inherent in the concept of usury by outsourcing finance to another religious sect, the Jews, and, once too much wealth had concentrated in their hands, murdering and robbing them of that wealth. Nothing quite so intemperate need be undertaken today. Some timely tax increases and a modest amount of budget cutting will do nicely.