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"[The landowner said:] Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or are you envious because I am generous?" (Matt. 20:15).

With these words, our Lord demonstrated that Christianity supports a free enterprise economic system. Our Lord here assumed the rights of private property as expounded in God's Law. It was Karl Marx who called this "Capitalism." That system guarantees the ownership and free control of property (i.e. "capital") by the private individual. "Socialism," he taught, is the opposite: the collective ownership and control of all property by the state. In Socialism, the state abolishes private property and, thus, owns or controls all land, houses, factories, and industries. Each individual, thus, is totally enslaved to a state which plays God. In Bible-based Capitalism, the individual can do what he wants with his property, within the constraints of God's good and kind Law, because it is given him by God!

No Compromise Possible Between Capitalism and Socialism
In Western countries, there is a pragmatic "mix" between these two systems. It won't work in the long run. Marx realized that any compromise between these two always leads to gradual enslavement to a state that replaces God, family and Church (1). Of course, he deceived us! He called slavery "freedom"! He didn't say that there are only two real alternatives: 1) the Creator is Owner and Ruler of all things. Man then finds freedom and blessing in obedience to His commandments; or 2) the state (i.e. the "people") rules by owning everything and making all laws (2).

That first alternative is private property oriented, free market Capitalism. There is no other basis for economic growth and political freedom (3). Any other system invites God's curse because it legalizes oppression, theft and covetousness contrary to the 8th and 10th Commandments. Karl Marx fought against free enterprise because he didn't want to acknowledge God's wisdom! Only God guarantees freedom and property rights against the invasion by "Big Government"! When the state begins taking or even controlling property contrary to the limits imposed by God's Law, it gains the financial resources to buy enough police and military power to oppress its citizens. Man is inherently evil and oppressive. God's Law protects the private property, free enterprise system to tie the hands of potential oppressors. God's Law limits the state's role to protection-justice alone (5). The state must not play God and attempt to "create" nor redistribute wealth:

"Otherwise, you may say in your heart, '...the strength of my hands made me this wealth.' Remember the LORD..., it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deut. 8:17f).

Capitalism and the RSA in the Eyes of Liberation Theologians
Many SACC Churchmen claim to be Socialists and to use "marxian insights."(6) They claim that the real cause of evil is the competitive "Capitalist System." They teach that private property is accumulated only because all profits are actually wages robbed from the workers. Competition, they say, is just a rivalry in how best to “rip off” more wages from the workers. These Socialist Churchmen call this out-dated description of how people make wealth, "social analysis." This "social analysis" is the same type of analysis which Marx used to justify Socialism! (7)

Socialist Theologians say that South Africa's economy is Capitalist. It's not! The RSA is a highly centralized, state controlled, "mixed" economy. With the best of intentions, the past decades have witnessed much socialist control and wealth redistribution. The result of this has been less economic growth than is possible, a large foreign debt, a devalued currency, inflation, too many bureaucrats and regulations, and high taxation. Without obedience to God's Law, collapse into poverty and tyranny is inevitable (8). Only private Christian compassion and free market economic growth are just. They uplift people much faster than does Socialism.

Are Capitalist "Privilege," Competition and Profits "Evil"?
Karl Marx and his ecumenical followers criticize private property, profits and competition as evil and "unchristian." Total equality, they say, is the ideal. Clearly, however, an "equal" people are always slaves, while a truly free people are unequal. There is no other alternative. When the state takes "from each according to his ability" and then "gives to each according to his need," that necessitates a permanent "war" on the productive. It necessitates a huge security force to put down revolt, and a huge bureaucracy to administer the stolen booty. Marx was a false prophet. The Bible says that private property is actually God's property loaned to the owner by God Himself (9). Christ says that God gives "to each according to his ability" not his need (10). Thus if the state or an ordinary thief confiscates what God gave, God's wrath will fall. The thief has stolen God's property from God's steward. Every man is accountable to God (11). Property is a God-granted privilege!

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that just profits are a reward for obedience, generosity, a servant heart, efficiency, careful planning, thrift and saving. In other words, "profits" are the reward for wisdom and doing what is right. In a truly free economy, no one is necessarily exploited as Socialist churchmen claim. Both the seller (the Capitalist), and the buyer benefit. The seller gets the best "reward" possible for his goods. A buyer, poor or rich, seeks and finds the best deal because the state allows many different shops to be open, all with different prices.

Only in a controlled socialist economy can the businessman "earn" an unjust profit. Only truly free enterprise keeps prices low and profits down. The reason is simple. Businessmen must lower prices when buyers have freedom of choice. Free consumers can avoid shops that have oppressive prices. The "oppressor" will then go bankrupt because he did not have the "servant attitude" Christ commanded. Consumer avoidance and the resulting bankruptcy is God's method of bringing judgment on the exploiter. In a non-free, controlled economy, customers have no choice but to 1) pay whatever price the businessman asks, and 2) take whatever quality he gets. God hates the powerful businessman or bureaucrat who develop socialist controls, monopolies, and cartels! (13) That is what oppresses the poor (and middle class)! Monopolies are inseparable from Socialism! They can form only when the state restricts competition in any way (14).

"Competition" is the ugly word Socialists use to describe "freedom of choice." Only competition gives an incentive for the "servant ethic." Competition, thus, is good. It protects against oppression. Obviously, competition must apply both to business and to unions. Employers have the right to fire lazy or negligent workers. The threat of replacement is not unjust. Hunger is a Biblical motivation for work! (15) Workers must be free to work wherever they wish without union coercion. "Scab labour" is the Socialist term for freedom for the unemployed to work for less than what the oppressive union dictates. Clearly, coercive labour unions oppress the poor by forcing many people to remain unemployed who could otherwise work. The result of coercive, closed shop unions is devastating. As wages rise without an increase in worker productivity, employers can hire fewer workers. Indeed they turn to increased mechanisation, leading often to layoffs. On the other hand, competition strongly motivates the employer to treat his workers fairly and to pay them a good and motivating wage. If not, the workers have the freedom to strike or quit. A truly free market economy-will boom, thus a worker who quits one job can find a more satisfying job elsewhere.

Anti-Christian Socialism Contrasted with Biblical Capitalism