Jim Wallis' backwards, unbiblical economic understanding

More Anti-Capitalist Drivel from Sojourners
Lew Rockwell.com Blog - Bill Anderson - 3/22/09

One of the unfortunate results of the government-caused financial meltdown is that it supposedly gives the religious left its "moral" ammunition against capitalism. The following missive from the "God's Politics" blog today pretty well demonstrates the out-and-out dishonesty of people who supposedly speak for God:

At a recent meeting of the Confederation of Italian Labor Unions, Pope Benedict XVI stressed that finding solutions for the global financial crisis requires “a new synthesis between the common good and the market, between capital and labor.” Franklin D. Roosevelt drew heavily from Catholic social thought in shaping the New Deal. This social justice heritage can help us think anew about applying these values to current economic challenges.

Disgraced Wall Street baron Bernard Madoff and the banking executives dragged before Congress recently would not want to meet the Hebrew prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah, who thundered against the greed of powerful kings enjoying lavish lifestyles while so many suffered around them. Those who trumpet a holy trinity of tax cuts, unfettered markets, and a savage brand of corporate capitalism serve narrow ideologies hard to square with the teachings of Jesus, who preached “good news to the poor” and kicked the money-changers out of the Temple. While the American ethos of “rugged individualism” and self-reliance often chafes against Judeo-Christian notions of solidarity with the poor, the scope of the economic crisis offers an historic opportunity to rebuild our economy to serve all Americans, not simply the privileged few.

Unfortunately, the exegesis of the Scriptures here is a bit lacking, especially since the "moneychangers" incident happened in the Court of the Gentiles, not the ordinary marketplace. But, when one speaks for God, I guess that truth and historical accuracy really don't matter.


CIVICS NEWS Comment: Also, the kings who were rebuked for their lavish lifestyles were the GOVERNMENT; they seized wealth forcibly from productive citizens. The New Testament nowhere permits Christians to promote government theft from people in order to take care of the poor. We're called to take care of the poor ourselves, not coercively force others to do so.