Marvin Olasky on How Calvin Challenged Conventional Thinking on Government and Business | DG 2009
Interesting to hear a former communist party member speak on Calvin’s view of government and business.
Marvin Olasky, now editor of World Magazine, came to Christ after reading the New Testament in Russian.
As student of Russian, the New Testament was the only book he could find in 1974 to study the language with.
Here’s what he had to say:
5 points on Christians in Government:
1. Life in a monastery is not the best and only way to follow the will of God.
2. Christians can go to court to defend the truth.
Calvin: “As for those who strictly condemn all legal contentions, let them thereby realize they repudiate one of God’s gifts.”
3. Revenues are not for the king’s private chest, but treasuries of the entire people.
4. Christians should be able to vote for their rulers.
In Deuteronomy 1, Calvin saw that those in judgment were not only appointed by the will of Moses, but elected by the people. According to Calvin, “This is the most desirable form of liberty.”
5. Refusing to oppose monarchs when they oppress the common people is betrayal.
God has appointed the rulers to be protectors of the people’s freedom. To oppress the people is betrayal.
Calvin supported rebellion in order to preserve life in the times of a murderous monarch. Example: Calvin defended the midwives in Egypt who opposed the Pharaoh’s degree to kill all the babies.
5 points on Christians in Business
1. All honest labor, not just in churches and monasteries, glorifies God.
There is no second-class existence. We should take dominion over all creation, not just the ecclesiastical acreage. Everyone, not just priests, have a vocation that is profitable for the common good. No work done to God is secular.
2. The way to get closer to God is not through some added-on discipline.
God does not require such celebrations of disciplines. Calvin knew that requiring hard-practice beyond the hardness of life could lead to harmful pride and the wasting of talents. Why substitute unproductive and unnecessary hard practice for productive hard practice? Why stand in a freezing cold stream, when you have a child to care for?
3. There are 5 different views of the fruit of business.
a. Grudgingly work, because it gets us our daily bread, but nothing more.
b. Grudgingly work, because work gets you cash for bread and cash to support ministries and missions
c. Semi-grudging, because work also lets you witness to workers, on top of getting the cash.
d. Work, because stewardship improves on what we are given, and brings multi-generational wealth.
e. Work is more than a means to an end. Work is where individuals gain more dignity, grasp freedom, and employ creativity.
“Men were created to employ themselves to some work, ” wrote Calvin. “Any removal of work throws human life into ruin.” On that note, why retire when you are still in good health?
4. Building business and work opportunities require the proper use of credit.
In Calvin’s eyes, the priest’s use of loans at interest – usuries – were wrong. However, God is not opposed to all loans, only those taking advantage of the poor, starving man. You can not ban interest in business, because it helps the economy grow (though I am sure Calvin would have a bone to pick about our current credit policy).
5. Build businesses to employ the unemployed, instead of giving out more aid.
Best way to help the poor is not to give them spare food and clothes.
Open a business to employ those who would otherwise be unemployed. Build trade, not aid (which will be featured on the cover of the new issue of World Magazine). Everyone is created in God’s image and worthy of respect. “We cannot but behold our own face, as if in a glass, when we see the poorest stranger in the world…we see that he is our brother and our neighbor.”
Poverty is not a road to holiness. Money and material things by themselves are not evil. The love of them is evil. Pursuing a life as a beggar is not the way to holiness. Voluntary poverty arises from the wrong-headed approach of salvation by works. Poverty does not make people godly. “When men are pressed by famine, they would sooner sell their lives a hundred times that they may save themselves from hunger, no matter what the price.” Poverty and hunger can actually give Devil an opportunity.
Social Calvinism has been a strength in America.
Guest writer Daniel C. Wilson is covering the Desiring God National Conference.
Related posts:
3 Comments to Marvin Olasky on How Calvin Challenged Conventional Thinking on Government and Business | DG 2009
You’re doing an outstanding job, Daniel. Thoughtful, thorough notes. Thank you again, good sir.
Thanks for this overview! Very insightful.
September 30, 2009
[...] 4. Marvin Olasky: How Calvin challenged conventional thinking in government and business [...]
Leave a comment
Search
Recent Posts
Get Updates | Subscribe
Somewhat Essential
Categories
Archives
September 26, 2009