Matthew 15: 10-19 “Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of a mouth, this defiles a man......... what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.”
On the heels of so many economic crises - from the corruption in the banking and mortgage industries to environmental disasters such as the BP oil spill - the question presents itself: Can capitalism and Christianity co-exist? In Michael Moore’s movie, Capitalism, a Love Story, a Catholic Bishop, a priest, and Michael Moore himself seem to conclude that capitalism is inherently evil and therefore cannot be reconciled with Christianity. Certainly. when we juxtapose the present day version of capitalism with the gospel they seem like disparate bedfellows. Modern day capitalism is characterized by an impersonal, carnivorous pursuit of profit whereas the gospel emphasizes self sacrifice for the betterment of others. Nonetheless, the wholesale rejection and vilification of capitalism seems simplistic and perhaps a little too convenient. Reflecting on Jesus’ teaching about defilement, it is clear that corruption and evil develop from the inside out - from what comes out of our hearts and minds. Applying this principle to economics, we can infer that systems, institutions and organizations do not define us; we define them. If Jesus is the CEO of any company, or the leader of any commune for that matter, it will be a beautiful thing. On the other hand, place Hitler in the same positions and the system or organization becomes vile. We put too much stock, even misplaced faith, in systems. Jesus was deliberately apolitical. Despite the pressure on him to challenge Rome’s corrupt authority, he seemed disinterested. I believe his indifference towards political action is rooted in the profound wisdom that change must begin from within. Then and only then can our systems be transformed - ‘new wine must be poured into new wineskins’. Change, as a revolutionary gospel concept, is the transformation of a human being from one born of the flesh to one born of the Spirit. It is this rebirth that has the regenerative power to change everything in our lives. Jesus said, ‘You will know my true followers by their fruits’. Those who are truly born of the Spirit have their primary identity rooted in Christ. The “born again” experience has nothing to do with some form of demonstrative hysteria such as ‘speaking in tongues’ or fainting. It is the process, highly individualized and varied, by which a person’s primary identity becomes rooted in Christ. In the same way that a tree branch cannot work against its own trunk, those rooted in Christ cannot compartmentalize any aspect of their lives in order to exclude or undermine him. Doing business is simply an extension of one’s Christ-based self. Thus, we “do business unto others as we would have business done unto us”. Capitalism does not necessitate greed and corruption. People have defiled this system and many others throughout history by what comes forth from our hearts and minds. Real change, revolution, comes through the revelation of Jesus Christ as the core of our individual and collective identities. Only then will our human systems reflect the greatness of God’s will and the fullness of His glory.
