Morality in the form of Socialism

Liz Moyer, a journalist for the New York Times recently published an article discussing the Biblical approach to the stock market. Throughout this heated, teeth gritting article Moyer discusses the effects of every mans desire to serve both God and Money. As one looks into the surface of the stock market one could empathize with Christian investors and their undesired urge to invest in so-called “sin-stocks”. Sin stocks include resources such as tobacco, alcohol, guns, gambling and etc.. Up until the recent decade graciously avoiding “sin stocks” has been simplistic for Christian investors.  However, according to Moyer, “two new exchange traded funds offer a conservative evangelical — what is called “biblically responsible” — tilt to that investing approach. The funds explicitly say in their regulatory filing that they will avoid buying shares in companies that have “any degree of participation in activities that do not align with biblical values,” including what they call the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender “lifestyle.” Okay, fair enough, Christian investors don’t want to be associated supporting a cause they don’t agree with morally. This all sounds fine in a moral perspective but when one takes the legalism of an evangelical Christian mindset and mixes it with the factual economic world it is bound to ignite a fire of war concerning Matthew 6:24, “"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The article states, “The approach is squarely at odds with that of nearly all of corporate America”. Is this because the evangelical church is ganging up on the LGTBQ community? No, it is because through the successful economics moral beliefs and feelings cannot be mixed. Wow. Does not sound like a Christian perspective does it? Its not supposed to, this is economics. I belief that an investor should not steal, cheat and lie his way through his career, but is it a sin to support investors who sin? No. If each investor was too concerned with the personal life and moral beliefs of the other the economic system would fail. Why would it fail? Because we are all judgmental sinners. Every employee would find something wrong with a potential client. Matthew 7:1-5 backs this idea up, ““Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Besides the Biblical perspective on well… a Biblical issue there is an economical stand point to this debate. Throughout “Crash Course Economics” I learned the difference between Communism and Socialism. Much to my surprise I found a parallel within Socialism and this very article. If Christian investors continue to support and live out the idea that they can only support those whom moral beliefs line up with their own, they are creating non-government form of socialism within themselves and the economy.

A rough 10% of the American people identify as LGBTQ. Now scatter that number across businesses, and ultimately as a result it is going to be rare for a Christians investor to find stocks to invest in that have absolutely no connection with the LGBTQ community. 100% of humans are sinners. Now scatter that across businesses. Now find a stock you can invest in without supporting sin. IMPOSSIBLE. Morality is generally based around economics. Whatever can produce the most money receives the most support from the people. Yes, this is a sinful way to live and run business. However, the most dangerous from is when economics is run by morality. If economics is run by morality NOTHING would ever get done because not one individual agrees with every moral viewpoint of another. As Adam Smith states, “All money is a matter of belief”.

         On an end note one should never allow economics to dictate their faith. As Christians we cannot avoid sin in our business lives, however through our actions and response to ungodly circumstances we are given the opportunity to both minister and be servants of Christ. Above all the Bible states in Isiah 30:21, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”