Questions: What are the verses dealing with money in the Bible? Why the controversy? Why does an economic system matter to Christians? Definitions? Verses: Acts 5:4 Unsold is still under your control (no obligation) Ananias & Saphira(sp?) Acts 4:32 giving all property for sake of church I Corinthians 9:17 who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit? What is fair for your work? II Corinthians 9:7 give cheerfully, gift to other churches Luke 16:1011, He said: “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much Luke 3:714 John teaching socialism and tax collecting? How does the man have two coats? why not stop collecting taxes? 2 Thessalonians 3:615 Dont be idle, a man will eat what he works for. 1 Peter 2:16 Live as free men Genesis 1:2628 Exercise dominion over the earth Romans 13:1 Let everyone be subject to government Exodus 22:2425 forbids lending, injustice to take advantage of poor, (Lev. 25:35) what if a loan is a blessing? Deutoronomy 15:111 Jubilee year, cancelling of debts, “open hands to poor”
Matthew 25:1430 Parable of the talents (capitalism changes meaning of parable) Mark 7:2123 Evil proceeds from within (sin nature, capitalism) John 12:48, 13:29 money box, for the poor? Matthew 16:1015 don’t be lovers of money Mat. 17:2427 fish money for taxes With the publication in 1991 of the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus, or The Hun dredth Year, Catholic social teaching has explicitly recognized the benefits of a market system. The pope’s critique of Marxism was devastating: “The historical experience of socialist countries has sadly demonstrated that collectivism does not do away with alien ation but rather increases it, adding to it a lack of basic necessities and economic ineffi ciency.” In contrast, he praised capitalism, including its reliance of entrepreneurship and profits. “When a firm makes a profit,” he wrote, “this means that productive factors have been properly employed and corresponding human needs have been duly satisfied.” All told, he argued, “the free market is the most efficient instrument for utilizing resources and ef fectively responding to needs.” The pope remained vitally concerned about the poor, however, and believed that capital ism cannot be the sum of society. He criticized “consumerism” and advocated govern ment intervention to ensure that “fundamental human needs” are not left unsatisfied. Fi nally, he wrote that individual freedom needs an “ethical and religious” core.
definition of Capitalism: "Capitalism" is conventionally defined along economic terms such as the following: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvest ment of profits gained in a free market. Source: Dictionary.com This is an example of a definition by nonessentials. An essential definition of capitalism is a political definition:
Capitalism is a social system based on the principle of individual rights. Source: Capitalism.org In order to have an economic system in which "production and distribution are privately or corporately owned", you must have individual rights and specifically property rights. The only way to have an economic system fitting the first definition is to have a political system fitting the second definition. The first is an implication of the second. Because the second, political, definition is fundamental and the cause of the first, it is the more useful definition and is preferable. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribu tion of goods. Communism is a socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalit arian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of produc tion and property in general.