Would Jesus Be A Capitalist?

A few months ago, Steph and I watched Michael Moore's most recent movie, Capitalism: A Love Story.  And I found myself not only laughing at it, but agreeing with alot of what Mr. Moore had to say (*gasp!).

Alright, confession time.  I am a bit of a Michael Moore fan.  I have not seen all of his movies, in fact I've only seen two (Sicko! and Capitalism).  And I found myself agreeing with a great deal of what he had so say in both.  Now, before my conservative family and friends plan an intervention, let me say that I don't always agree 100% with everything Mr. Moore says or with his political slant/point-of-view; however, I do like Mr. Moore more for being willing to ask the questions that many people are already thinking.  In every walk of life, you have to have someone that will look at the status quo and say "Yeah, but why?"  I think that Mr. Moore is that guy for our current culture.  Sometimes that puts him at odds with people, and he seems to be okay with that.

One of the questions Mr. Moore asks in Capitalism is "Do you think Jesus would be a capitalist?".  He asked this question of several different people from several different walks of life.  And all of them answered "No".  And I must say that I agree with that answer, I don't think Jesus would be a capitalist nor do I think He is all that impressed with capitalism.  It might even make Him sick to watch the rich get richer and poor get poorer while so many of His "followers" stand on the sidelines and complain or worse use His name to justify their own greed and selfishness.  I don't think Jesus is impressed with that at all.  Speaking of Jesus' followers, read Acts 2.  Verse 45 says that the believers were selling their property and possessions and were sharing with everyone that was in need.  That does not sound like capitalism to me.

Now at this point you may be thinking "So you are saying Jesus was a socialist?"  No, I am not!  Stop trying to define this in terms of modern thought and stop putting words in my mouth.  Read Scripture.  Jesus was intensely about people, but He was ultimately about carrying out the will of His Father.  So Acts 2 is not about an economic or political statement, it is about the power of Holy Spirit to move deeply in the hearts of people so that their response to the work of Christ in their souls is to embrace His intensity for people to the point that they are willing to part with the rubbish of this life to see the fullness of the work of Christ in others.

The question that we are then faced with is "Have I allowed the Holy Spirit to work in my life in such a way that I am willing to take drastic measures to see the fullness of the work of Christ in other people?".  In other words, am I willing to REALLY make Jesus ultimate, regardless of what that means for my life, including my financial security; OR have I so bought into the lie of the American Dream and the "rightness" of Capitalism that I am willing to sacrifice parts of my soul for a bigger, better piece of the pie?  It is difficult to wrestle with these thoughts, because we have all bought into the lie, at least a little bit.  But we must acknowledge that, at least in the light of Scripture, that our live must be about more than the pursuit of our own comfort and stability.

Lessons from my son

Matthew and Stephanie have a new nightly bedtime ritual. Every night Stephanie reads him a story, a passage of Scripture, and then they sing a song. Last night's song was "God is So Good". After practicing for a few minutes, Matthew wanted me to come and listen to him sing. It was probably the most precious moment in his two years of life. I struggled to choke back the tears.

I thought about that moment for the rest of the evening. I even struggled to sleep, which never happens, thinking about the impact of that moment. The question that kept rolling around in my head was "When did I begin to doubt the goodness of God?" I know that God is good or at least that I am supposed to believe that He is good. But I also know that at times the reality and difficulty of life makes that truth hard to embrace with great affection. Maybe it is just me, but there are times and moments in my life where I have struggled with the concept that "God is good all the time and all the time God is good". I know it to be true and I know that is what Scripture teaches, but in those moments I struggled to make the realities of life match up to the goodness of God.

I think that is why I am so thankful that my relationship with Christ is not dependent upon my ability to rationalize the mysteries of God. Matthew's simple faith reminded me that God is always good, whether I can reason out His goodness into the circumstances of my life or not. God is good, whether I choose to see it or choose to ignore it. And in the most difficult days, it is the goodness of God that grants me the strength to endure, the patience to wait, and the grace to press on. Because the alternative is that without God's goodness, I am crushed by the weight of things that I am unable bear alone and more importantly, as a follower of Christ, was never meant to bear alone. After all, it is the goodness of God and the love that overflows from the core of His nature that allowed Jesus to die in my place.

So, as my son learned last night and my soul echoes this morning,
"God is so good, God is so good,
God is so good, He's so good to me."