Christian view in economy

[jonpeter]

Hi,

I want to know what is the christian position about free market? I read "Poverty and Wealth: why socialism does't work" by Ronald H. Nash. He explains what is free market and interventionism; and says free market is the better way economy can work. Is he right?

please, recomend me a more recent author, calvinist of course

 

[Jake]

I'd recommend this book: https://www.ivpress.com/church-state-and-public-justice

While not strictly addressing markets, they are certainly discussed and part of this discussion. It includes contributors from various different theological perspectives, including Corwin F. Smidt from the Neo-Calvinist perspective.

There is another work which will show you the breadth of the Reformed tradition on this question. I've only read one section of it, so I cannot speak for the overall quality of it. https://www.amazon.com/God-Politics-Reformation-Government-Confessionalism/dp/0875524486

 

[TrustGzus]

Wayne Grudem's Politics According to the Bible has a sizable chapter on economics. That's only 7 years old.

 

[arapahoepark]

Gary North has some economic commentaries on the Bible that are free market. Gary Demar has written against socialism in God vs. Socialism. I think they are correct. Though I do believe it to be a matter of Christian liberty.
I cannot see how everything somehow belongs to a government to be distributed and that is not called theft. I also do not believe one can be a die hard communist and Christian at the same time having read Marx's degenerate stuff.

 

[TheOldCourse]

While there are Christian principles that are useful in evaluating economic positions, I don't believe that there is a "Christian position" per se. Since you're interested in a "Calvinist" approach, it's worth noting that most (if not all) of the authors you find purporting to explicate the Christian view on economics are not confessionally orthodox Reformed theologians.

I think the reason is that a Calvinist is constrained by the need to demonstrate by good and necessary consequence from Scripture before calling something the Christian or biblical position as that label carries with it a claim upon the conscience to conform. Other traditions who invest equivalent authority in the church or in private judgment as much as the Scriptures are under no requirement.

 

[VictorBravo]

I see Chris (TheOldCourse) said something I was planning to say last night. It ends up being a pretty complex question. Christians of various ages come up with different answers. Some tried communism with various levels of success (e.g. Mayflower Pilgrims?), some went with socialism. In our times, conservative American Christians tend toward pure capitalism while equally conservative British Christians might be tolerant of a significant level of socialism. Trying to say something is "Christian" ends up being difficult.

John Robbins got a lot of criticism for his contentiousness, but he was a confessional Presbyterian and he had a lot of interesting things to say about economics. He supports free markets. Here is a starting point: http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=127

But the problem is in the details. Free markets can become skewed because not everyone likes the idea of "free." People commit fraud. Some people use technology to market fraud on a large scale, taking the money and running. In practice, the purely free market can be slow to self-regulate and people get hurt in the process. Courts, established to address personal wrongs, are slow and expensive. Maybe some large player in the market has been causing some yet unknown long term damage to many people at large, (like a factory polluting a river that causes fish and plants to die far downstream). Redress for that sort of harm has historically been difficult by private claims.

So governments exercise their God-ordained obligation to protect people. They step in to regulate things, and markets are rendered less free.

Scripture obviously supports the idea that governments are to regulate bad behavior, so one can say that regulation of the interactions among men (i.e. "markets") is a Christian duty, or at least a function that Christians should honor. That regulation, to the ear of a hard-core free market libertarian, implies socialism of some kind.

Scripture also tells us, among other things, to honor our contracts, be content with our wages, not to withhold the wages of those we employ, pay our taxes, see to it that the truly poor are not oppressed, and to enjoy the fruits of our labors while giving thanks to God, etc. We are given an example from our Lord teaching that freely negotiated labor rates are fair regardless of what others get.

Look into Robbins, though. I think he was at his best when he dealt with economic issues.

 

[ZackF]

R.C. Sproul Jr. wrote "Biblical Economics." I found it helpful and he's Free Market in his perspectives.

 

[jonpeter]

I see Chris (TheOldCourse) said something I was planning to say last night. It ends up being a pretty complex question. Christians of various ages come up with different answers. Some tried communism with various levels of success (e.g. Mayflower Pilgrims?), some went with socialism. In our times, conservative American Christians tend toward pure capitalism while equally conservative British Christians might be tolerant of a significant level of socialism. Trying to say something is "Christian" ends up being difficult.

John Robbins got a lot of criticism for his contentiousness, but he was a confessional Presbyterian and he had a lot of interesting things to say about economics. He supports free markets. Here is a starting point: http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=127

But the problem is in the details. Free markets can become skewed because not everyone likes the idea of "free." People commit fraud. Some people use technology to market fraud on a large scale, taking the money and running. In practice, the purely free market can be slow to self-regulate and people get hurt in the process. Courts, established to address personal wrongs, are slow and expensive. Maybe some large player in the market has been causing some yet unknown long term damage to many people at large, (like a factory polluting a river that causes fish and plants to die far downstream). Redress for that sort of harm has historically been difficult by private claims.

So governments exercise their God-ordained obligation to protect people. They step in to regulate things, and markets are rendered less free.

Scripture obviously supports the idea that governments are to regulate bad behavior, so one can say that regulation of the interactions among men (i.e. "markets") is a Christian duty, or at least a function that Christians should honor. That regulation, to the ear of a hard-core free market libertarian, implies socialism of some kind.

Scripture also tells us, among other things, to honor our contracts, be content with our wages, not to withhold the wages of those we employ, pay our taxes, see to it that the truly poor are not oppressed, and to enjoy the fruits of our labors while giving thanks to God, etc. We are given an example from our Lord teaching that freely negotiated labor rates are fair regardless of what others get.

Look into Robbins, though. I think he was at his best when he dealt with economic issues.

What I learnt from Dr Nash is that free market doesnt mean something like free to steal. Free market is within a framework of rules, in order to make possible the free market, or with another name: voluntary exchange.
I understand that the goverment must intervene to regulate bad behavior in the market as the examples you gave, but it doesnt mean some kind of socialism (I think).

The free market is restricted or reduced when goverment intervene not to regulate bad behavior but to manipulate the market in a way the goverment thinks is good for the market (or for other reasons). I cant get or sell what I want or in the price given by a free market as it has been limited by the goverment because of a plan they have for the market. it is like changing the value of something to make me decide for another option that I normally wouldnt take.
I dont remember examples in this moment but Nash give some explaining how interventionism in the market with good intention has caused more damaged than benefits

maybe I shuldnt have used the word calvinism. I used it thinking that calvinism deals with culture. what I ask is if free market is closer to a biblical worldview than interventionism

bare in mind I just have read one book about this topic. Thats why I want to deep

Ill check what you share, thanks for your answer

 

[jonpeter]

TheOldcourse and VictorBravo helped me clarify. Thanks for your answer. And for the other answers thanks, Ill be checking what you shared