Does Christianity Clash With Capitalism?

Laura Dean F. Friedrich/Protestants for the Common Good/Worthy Work, Worthy Wages:

As a nation, we value families, and we value work. We hold dear the notion that people in the U.S. can succeed if they work. Their [minimum wage earners] jobs make it possible for them to take care of their families, guide their children, and contribute to their communities. This vision of a stable, productive—and adequately compensated—work force falls short when it comes to workers who earn the minimum wage. These low-wage earners do not make enough to cover their basic needs, much less afford the extras many of us feel are essential for the good life.

As people of faith, we value all human life, and we believe in the dignity and integrity of all people. Stories about work fill our holy scriptures, beginning with creation itself. God speaks to us through psalm, prophet, and parable, and Christ calls us into relationship with one another and sets forth justice and compassion as integral aspects of our community life. PCG articulates our understanding of God’s claim and Christ’s call in our vision of a beloved community in which all flourish and all contribute.

Susan Brook Thistlethwaite/Washington Post/It's not 'class warfare', it's Christianity:

Capitalism isn’t “God’s Plan,” it’s an economic system that runs on the human desire for more, our own self-interest. This is not necessarily evil. It can actually be a very productive system, but it is not beneficent. In order for there to be good values in our economic life, capitalism needs to be regulated so it does not wreck the whole ship with unfettered greed...

The Christian approach to economics is to be the conscience of the nation and to insist that we regulate capitalism so it does not become reckless and destructive.

Blogging for Protestants for the Common Good, I am well aware of the pragmatic nature of our work.  We are an organization that seeks to create changes in an already given economic and political structure.  You will not find Che Guevara shirts, and Molotov cocktails in our downtown Chicago office.

But as a Christian, reading LDF's call for minimum wage increases and SBT's assessment of the inter-Christian debate over economic policy, I cannot help thinking about where we draw the line.  SBT describes capitalism as a system based on self-interest, and thus in need of regulation in order to fight the evils that come along with pure self-interest.  At what point do the regulations need to stop so that "capitalism" no longer looks like capitalism but more like something else altogether?  LDF describes the economic benefits that come with a higher minimum wage, but this is far from a consensus position amongst our pro-capitalism economists.

There is a level at which the Christian, the Christian who believes in a God who is about love and equality rather than profit and prosperity, has to stop thinking that it is their job to correct a system that fundamentally asks us to look out for ourselves above all other things. 

I want higher wages for workers not because it makes for good capitalism, but because it is how I view God's will.   Class warfare, higher taxes for the rich, call it what you want.  I don't care if its good for capitalism either.  I care if it is aligned with the gospel.  I am pragmatist, a realist, etc. etc.  But really, I long to be a dreamer.

-Tim