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.
