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Show ! THE AMERICAN WAY l .. - 1 , P I CHRISTIANITY AND iw- i CAPITALISM Alfred P. Haake Many times I have been asked ask-ed if I believe that private, competitive com-petitive enterprise is compatible compat-ible with Christianity. My answer ans-wer has always been, "Yes." How did I arrive at this conclusion? con-clusion? Many things convince me that Christianity is compatible compat-ible with capitalism. To begin with, man is placed here on earth with a somewhat higher status than that of a mere animals; he is given freedom free-dom of choice. God never forced man to accept God. The thing distinguishing him from the animal, an-imal, that makes him a little bit lower than angels, and qualifies qual-ifies him to become the Son of God, is the fact that he is given giv-en freedom to choose for himself. him-self. He may choose to worship. He may choose not to worship. And whichever, he does, he accepts ac-cepts the consequences of the choice that he makes. The same thing applies to his life under capitalism. Again, under both Christianity Christian-ity and capitalism, we find man is entitled to enjoy the fruits of his labor. This is emphasized in the Master's teaching. The 25th Chapter of Matthew and other passages of the Bible make this perfectly clear. The laborer is worthy of his hire, and he is entitled to enjoy the fruits of that work. So private property is endorsed under both systems; under both a man may actually own things. Along with that ownership goes a responsibility, stewardship. steward-ship. A man can use his freedom free-dom and property rightly or wrongly, and take the consequences. conse-quences. Under Christianity it is made perfectly clear that he is given a stewardship. He is accountable ac-countable to someone for . the way in which he uses the sifts he was given his abilities, powers and the materials that we call : natural resources. Under the capitalistic system, the individual is likewise responsible re-sponsible for the way in which he uses that which is his. If he uses it rightly he is let alone, but if he uses it wrongly he is subject to punishment. In the case of Christianity, we have a God whose laws are immutable, im-mutable, unchanging. We may have different notions as to these laws, because God has not completely revealed Himself Him-self for human understanding. But it is God who metes out justice and who later metes out mercy and understanding. He does not, however, do away with justice completely, even in the interests of mercy. A God who denied justice would be unmerciful to those to whom justice was denied, even though it might look like mercy to the offenders. On the other hand, under our economic systemT-v t justice or order iv Seci rnent, under whir-in0"1 8ov tit lish the kind of cZl V;; f make it safe for nltlonv 1 ercise their freedom ple to . stroying that of thW: (fl But behind that tht " a sanction. And k W y that is recognize A"r I capitalistic system its"" : $ Perhaps you may H fj eyebrows at an econ. ' v if ogmzing God as tftf ! tion behind the law,1"31 ; V economics I do, knoV ' process of economic thjt '. erned by competition h? tion of natural laws' I somewhere there u ' M ' ' who sees that right : Pr-S' c done. One has Xyh fit enough history to Lto,'f invariably our sinsk-with sinsk-with us. ca'cti (j-je: On the common has;, iei dom of choice, the r S,ft Cff of private property W; tract, the recognition -; timate Power or sanSti f a" & ' force justice and der, Christianity and are thoroughly iomAvT I recognize the samT 1 principles. u-a:- |