Parakalein

Last Sunday we began a discussion group on this book and the topic of Economics and the Christian message.  As I sat listening to the presentations and discussions I mused about the four characteristics of the Puritans ideas on the relationship of economics and spirituality.

Adam Smith views on economic theory was discussed as the proponent of competition as the means of driving a developing economy forward.  The idea is that competition, good and healthy competition causes some to excel because of hard work, industry and initiatives.  However the result of Smith's drivers is to polarize society.   The rich and successful get richer and the losers get poorer and feel more a failure.  Competitions reward for the successful is wealth the punishment for the unsuccessful is mediocrity at best poverty at worse.  I wondered why there was not discussion of John Nash who years later introduced a more cooperative form of economic theory.  It suggested that when people work together for a common good or interest the "working together" drives the economy of everyone for everyone upward.  I sat there wondering why John Nash whose theory is more consistent with my idea of Christianity.  Namely, that which teaches us in  Philippians 2:4, "to look out for the interests of others without neglecting our won self-interests.  Cooperative interest sharing that pays mutually sustainable and sustaining growth in both the economic and social.  Cooperatively and collaboratively working together so together everyone profits is more Christian than a competition based model.  However the very idea that has produced fragmentations and fracturing of churches is that we all compete trying to say and maintain that while God loves everyone, "we are his favorite".  Competition is inherent in cultural Christianity but not in true Christianity.  there cooperation, collaboration and communion over rule the competitive model.  Working together we can make things better.

Perhaps that is the Puritans Gift. Working together pays higher dividends because it nurtures widespread interest.  The ethics of working hard and the ethics of working for everyones betterment are the ethics of the puritans.  Can it be that ethics of Christians in our day.

Cooperation, collaboration, and compassion create the web of and for community.