The Promises of God and Capitalism
by Chase Tibbs
For many Christians today, capitalism is a lot like God, and God is a lot like capitalism.
Both God and capitalism promise to reward us with material abundance and spiritual fulfillment as long as we faithfully trust in their ways and obey their commands. Kinda weird, right? To see the similarities more clearly, let’s consider how some perceive the promises of God.
The Promises of God
For many Christians, the God of Jesus makes two main promises: spiritual fulfillment--whether it be in this life, a second life, or both--and material abundance. More than anything, God wants to make us happy and bless us with the things that we want.
Yet while these promises may be offered to all, not everyone will receive the blessings of satisfaction and abundance. This is because the fulfillment of God’s promises is contingent upon the faithfulness of individuals. And though Christians who hold this view of God might also believe that human beings are “fallen” and incapable of ever fulfilling our part of any bargain with God, the blessings promised to us are only delivered to those who faithfully trust and obey, no matter what.
Here we can start to see a pattern.
God makes promises, hands us rules to follow, then rewards those who never question and always obey—it’s a, ‘God will give us x if we do y’ kind of a thing. In exchange for our unquestionable trust and obedience, God promises to bless us financially on earth, satisfy our feelings of dissatisfaction, transport us to a better second-life when we die, or all of the above.
Fail to follow God’s will and we won’t be getting any rewards. Which also means, if we really want to know who is truly faithful and who is not, just look at how spiritually fulfilled a person appears to be or how much money they have in their pocket--these are the signs of the believer!
However, this promise-obedience-reward pattern is not only how many Christians have come to see God. It’s also how they think life under capitalism works.
The Promises of Capitalism
Capitalism is a maker of many promises. Like the God we reflected on above, the two promises of capitalism that seem to win our undying allegiance are material abundance and spiritual fulfillment.
No human wants their needs or the needs of their loved ones to go unmet--whether it be our need for water, housing, healthcare, or stable, healthy relationships--and capitalism has always promised that it can (and does) deliver us from the world of unmet needs. Yet capitalism promises it can do more than simply ensure that our most basic needs are met. Capitalism tells us we could have it all and have it all abundantly--a kind of twist on Jesus’ “life to the fullest.”
What, beyond the paying of your bills, is it that you desire? Is it a bigger house? A sexier car? The latest, most coveted Apple product? Perhaps it’s money to vacation wherever and whenever, the life of the celebrity you follow on Instagram, or the freedom to retire in your twenties. Beyond our most basic needs being met, capitalism promises that anyone and everyone can become rich.
But the promise-maker doesn’t stop there.
Our deepest feelings of want, our constant desire for more, our restless unfulfillment; only capitalism knows how to abolish our lacking. In its goodness, capitalism knows how to make us whole, to make us complete, even end all our want. Who doesn’t long to live a meaningful life, passing at the end of our days completely satisfied and fulfilled? Capitalism guarantees that it, and it alone, can satisfy our spiritual desires for meaning and fulfillment.
Yet, as we all know, the rewards of material abundance and spiritual fulfillment are not free, and the promises of capitalism come with strings attached.
The blessings that capitalism longs to deliver to us will only be received by the faithful, the trusting, the obedient. Follow its commands and the riches of this world will be yours. Trust in its ways and its goodness will fill you up.
Stray from its command to work hard and fend for yourself, however, and you will not be blessed. In fact, if you really want to know who the truly faithful are, just look at how happy a person appears to be, what kinds of things they possess, and the size of their net worth.
Any feelings of unfulfillment or dissatisfaction, any lacking in material needs, reveals a flaw not on the part of the goodness of capitalism, but within you. Whether the source of your lack and want can be traced to the decisions you’ve made, a character defect, or a flaw of your community’s culture, the inability to abundantly reap the gracious rewards of capitalism in your life is a consequence of your failure and your inadequacy—not any failure of capitalism.
Like God, Like Capitalism
Many Christians participate in communities that tell us God can ensure that our needs are met, can bless us with riches, and can fully satisfy our deep seeded desire for meaning and purpose. All we need to do is trust, trust in the goodness of this God regardless of how life turns out, and obey its commands.
And in a similar manner, we are told that capitalism can do all these things as well. Capitalism wishes to reward us with wealth and has the power to make us feel whole and complete.
All we have to do? Work. Work hard, work fast, work long—just for a little while longer. Climb the seemingly natural ladders whenever we can and be smart with our money. That’s all there is to it.
This isn’t a game. The system isn’t rigged. This is the fairest, most just world imaginable. The rich, the famous, and those who seem happy have attained it. And the good news is that So. Can. We. Anyone—everyone!—can have it all and have it all abundantly.
All it takes is our unquestionable trust and obedience. If we remain faithful, capitalism promises, the rewards of fulfillment and abundance will be ours, forever.
Or is this all just smoke and mirrors?
Questions For Reflection
What promises do you believe God has made with us?
Do humans have to unquestionably trust and obey God to become benefactors of the promises? If so, what do we have to do to receive Gods blessings? If not, why not?
What promises do you believe capitalism (and its defenders) make to us? What, are we told, has to happen for those promises to be fulfilled?
How have you seen these promises (of god or capitalism) go unfulfilled? Why do you think that is?
Can everyone, by trusting in capitalism, become wealthy and powerful? Why or why not?
Are the promises of capitalism just smoke and mirrors or do you truly believe in its goodness? Why or why not?