Corey:
“Do you believe there are no capitalists in heaven?”
Caleb:
“I think all political systems have their merit and their flaws.
In my opinion, there are ways to maintain any political system while also honoring God and his will.
For example, capitalism breeds greed and a hunger for power, but only because we are flawed as humans.
Keep in mind, Jesus said it is hard for a RICH man, not a man who makes a lot of money. There is a key difference here.
Jesus told us to give freely and to “not let the right hand know what the left is doing” which an eloquent way of saying give as freely as you can and do it for no reason aside to do it. Don’t look for glory or recognition. Be as charitable as you can simply because it is what God wants you to do.
The key words here are “as you can.” To give freely, we need o have assets to give, whether they are money, food, shelter, etc.
So think of this.
Who acts more in God’s will?
Someone making $75k per year who gives nothing to those less fortunate than them?
Or someone making $500k per year who gives $10k a year to those less fortunate?
Both of these people COULD do more. But the key point I’m trying to make here is it isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about how much you keep and how much you give freely as God wants us to do.
There have been plenty of capitalists who do good with their money.
So in closing, I would say this:
I wouldn’t say there are no capitalists in heaven. However, I would say that there is no one who loves money more than God or their fellow human in heaven. And those types can be part of any economic system.”
Corey:
“I struggle with capitalism because 50% of the workforce are living paycheck to paycheck and we have a serious homelessness problem here in the United States.
And citizens, some of whom are emotionally uneducated, seem to not care — making $300,000 per year, donating nothing, along with not caring about other people’s suffering.
Sometimes, they’re the leaders in the church.
I struggle with hypocrisy. Others and myself (less myself anymore, but still some).
I sense the devil’s advocate in many people, and there is a part of me that wants that to be gone.”
Caleb:
“You make a valid point, there are plenty who have much but give very little. And in America this can appear even worse than other places because we have such abundance here yet so many are struggling.
However, I think the direction to aim this drive is at those who SAY they are helping, but are not. Giving examples may help:
Look at Bill Gates. He gives away a lot of money. We all know he could give more, but he does much more than many people with his kind of wealth.
On the flip side, look at Joel Olsteen.
He poses as a man of God, but does not ACT on it in any other way than his words.
In my heart, and what I believe is in God’s willl, is that the second man is much worse than the first.
We cannot hold those who are not part of the church to the standards of being a Christian… but we can hold our Christian leaders accountable.
Joel Olsteen, Kenneth Copeland, and many others have said for decades that they are men of God but have amassed a sickening amount of wealth.
When Jesus returned, his #1 issue was with the Pharisees. Why? Not because of their greed, but because of the greed in spite of their faith.”
Corey:
“Once again, you’ve enlightened me. Thank you so much, Caleb.”
Why Fire Burns 