JC's Weekly June 13th 2005

In a recent interview with British author Joseph Pearce, the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, spoke about his worldview, having lived much of his life in Soviet prison camps and now watching as Russia struggles to free itself from the grip of communism.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn was asked; "A British journalist recently stated that you believe that Russia has overthrown the evils of communism only to replace them with the evils of capitalism, is that a fair statement of your position and, if so, what do you feel are the worst evils of capitalism?"

To which he replied, "In different places over the years I have had to prove that socialism, which to many western thinkers is a sort of kingdom of justice, was in fact full of coercion, of bureaucratic greed and corruption and avarice, and consistent within itself that socialism cannot be implemented without the aid of coercion. Communist propaganda would sometimes include statements such as "we include almost all the commandments of the Gospel in our ideology". The difference is that the Gospel asks all this to be achieved through love, through self-limitation, but socialism only uses coercion. This is one point.
Untouched by the breath of God, unrestricted by human conscience, both capitalism and socialism are repulsive."

There is a common tendency in the west to equate materialism (capitalism) with Christianity. This is not of God as many in America would claim. And yet, capitalism as an economic system appears to have many benefits. It offers the individual, if properly administered, with the ability to enjoy the fruits of his or her own labor. However, capitalism is an economic system and not, as we in America have come to understand it - a political one. Neither is it intended to be a religion; yet in America it has become just that.

The Bible speaks a great deal about money. Jesus warned His followers not to seek after financial wealth. Jesus was not an aesthete as some claim, denying all property rights and ordering people to live communal lives of poverty. As I have mentioned before, He and his followers had a bank account and through St. Paul, we learn that money is not the root of all kinds of evil - but the love of it is. The great problem of our generation is that the west is in love with money. Jesus taught a proper perspective for money; a perspective which I believe we have lost.

American life is inseperably intertwined with this natural desire for money. I use natural here in the pejorative, negative sense - as the Bible does. It is a "natural" person who cannot understand the spiritual things of God (1 Corinthans 2:14) and it is this same natural desire for money that permeates American society. But is Solzhenitsyn correct? Is capitalism, bereft of God, repulsive? I believe it is. And stand guilty of having participated in its ugliest aspects.

Capitalism as a system seeks the attainment of capital, for production and profit. In and of itself, this system is neither good nor bad - it, like the money upon which it operates is neutral; purely a system. But nothing in our world is truly neutral when it involves mankind. This principal illustrates the foolishness of much modern thinking ( or rather non-thinking) about government, schools and religion. There are no real atheists and to suggest that someone must remain "neutral" toward all things is idiotic. No one lives life without emotion, desire and will and so no system of man can exist without these things. This is the problem of capitalism. This is also the reason Jesus spoke in such harsh tones about the pursuit of money. He identified the "deceitfulness of riches". (Mark 4:19) and He said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven. (Mark 10:25)

Solzhenitsyn did not say capitalism was repulsive. He said capitalism "untouched by the breath of God" is repulsive. My assessment of America is that much of our country is "untouched by the breath of God" and certainly our economic system must be included. For the Christian, our highest aim is always to love God and secondly to love man. One of the ways we demonstrate this love is out of service. No one can seriously suggest that the system of capitalism which we utilize in America serves mankind.

At a recent government hearing of the Joint Economic Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan said, "The income gap between the rich and the rest of the US population has become so wide, and is growing so fast, that it might eventually threaten the stability of democratic capitalism itself." Thus the problem of American capitalism. In a system where each individual seeks his or her own highest good, someone eventually loses, because what may be in my best interest is not necessarily in yours, or anyone else's for that matter. When my own economic benefit is my highest priority, I and those whom I influence will eventually suffer.

Jesus taught that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) If we are honest, we know this to be true. When my aim in life was to become wealthy, my energies, efforts, time and resources were directed to this cause. Which means they were not directed to the love of God and my neighbor. "But can't we do both?" someone has asked. Not according to Jesus. He said "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Matthew 6:24)

Communism as a system is of the devil. It operates by force and coercion and Sozhenitsyn knows this well - he suffered by it. Capitalism is not necessarily of the devil - it is a system of economics. But without God as our guide, capitalism quickly becomes a tool of the devil - as does anything mankind uses or develops having left God out of the development.

How can we know where our "heart" is? Ask yourself the question, "If I lost all of my material possessions tomorrow, would I be burdened by this?" If answered honestly, most would say "yes!" If someone were to come to your house and ask for anything in it - could you give it to them? Or is there some cherished possession you must hold on to which is really the repository of your heart? Jesus taught us that no material thing is really worth anything. Sleeping in a bed under a roof with hot food and even transportation is a blessing from God. And so can be other material things. But ultimately, even the most opulent material thing will waste away into nothing. If there is something which you possess which you could not this day give away, then you do not possess the object - it possesses you.

Recently, a friend of mine was awakened by the smell of smoke and jumped out of bed to find his house on fire. He rushed to his children's rooms and woke them and he and his wife and children fled to the safety of the street outside and watched as their house burned. When I called him later that day, and asked how he was doing, he said "fine. My house burned down, but my family is safe and I can always get a new house - but only God can give me a family". His heart is in the right place.

Sozhenitsyn might ask, "is yours?"