Key Takeaways:
- The Bible gives clear directions on the type of economy that follows God’s truths regarding His creation.
- The concept of ownership is a key element of both Socialism and Capitalism
- In Socialism, the State owns everything; in Christianity, God owns everything – including us.
- Because we are created in God’s image, He delegates His ownership to us as His stewards – to manage, care for and improve what belongs to Him.
- God’s design for the economy recognizes the sinful nature of man; Socialism does not.
- A Biblical worldview of the economy has created the most prosperous nation in the world, lifting people out of poverty and providing incredible new innovations and discoveries which have improved life.
- In Biblical Capitalism, personal responsibility – not the State – determines personal outcomes.
- Biblical Capitalism allows competitive markets and provides economic freedom.
- Biblical Capitalism encourages respect for the dignity and property rights of others.
- In Biblical Capitalism, government has limited functions and roles.
- In Biblical Capitalism, welfare funding is voluntary, not compulsory.
- Biblical Capitalism encourages the free expression of religious faith.
The battle between Capitalism and Socialism is as old as mankind.
To understand today’s battle between these two opposing economic systems, it is critical to understand them from a Christian worldview.
The Bible gives clear teaching on the economic principles that are best for mankind as a whole – and for each person individually – considering that we all possess an inclination toward sin.
In Socialism, the State – theoretically acting in the interest of the people – owns everything.
In Christianity, God – the Creator of the universe and the Creator of all people – owns everything.
Big difference…
In Socialism, the State acts as god on earth – making the rules, supposedly providing everything we need.
There is no need for the God of the Bible.
In Christianity, God makes the rules for both mankind and the state.
God sustains us, but commands us to work and to be stewards of His world.
Two different religions… Two different Gods.
And two different economies… With two different social outcomes.
They are incompatible with each other.
One leads to the crushing of freedom and to economic poverty.
The other leads to individual freedom and to economic prosperity.
Biblical Christianity teaches the principles of a free market capitalistic economic system. Here are 8 of those principles:
- Private property rights are important.
The individual right to private property ownership derives from God’s ownership of the world, and his ownership of us – His created beings.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
God created us in His image – not so He could rule over us as a ruthless dictator, but so that we could participate with Him in ruling over His property and improving it.
He delegates property ownership to individuals – as stewards – to care for it and to improve it.
He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden “to cultivate and guard and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)
He also told Adam and Eve together, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
After the Flood, God repeated this same “dominion mandate” to Noah and his family when they left the Ark (Genesis 9:1-3).
Later, God promised to give Abraham and his descendants a specific plot of land between the “river of Egypt” and “the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18).
When the descendants of Abraham finally took possession of the territory God had given them, they divided it among the tribes and clans and families.
Each family became a landowner.
When Socialism advocates eliminating private property ownership and converting it to so-called “public property,” it is usurping God’s ownership of the world and those living in it…
And it is usurping God’s authority to delegate His ownership to individual stewards to care for and improve the property for which they are responsible.
- Personal responsibility determines personal outcome.
God’s “dominion mandate” to subdue the earth – to exercise dominion over the earth, the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and “every living thing that moves on the earth” – was reiterated three times:
- To Adam and Eve
- To Noah and his family
- To Joshua and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Exercising dominion over animals, land, trees, vegetation and other things we are given responsibility requires work.
God created us to work with our minds and with our bodies.
God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all of the animal species – a mentally demanding task requiring astute observation and descriptive genius.
After the Fall, when Adam and Eve were about to be expelled from the Garden, “…Cursed is the ground because of you… Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you… By the sweat of your face you will eat bread…” (Genesis 3:17-19)
How responsible we are and how hard we work as individuals determines the outcomes we experience.
This is the opposite of Socialism, which believes in equal outcomes for everyone.
The socialists use a nice-sounding word: equity.
But there is no equity in life in a fallen, broken sinful world.
Why?
Because people do not all take equal responsibility for their actions… and people do not all work equally hard or have the same amount of personal discipline.
This is illustrated by Jesus in two different parables regarding the use of money:
- The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)
- The parable of the minas (Luke 19:11-26)
In both of these parables, the stewards who acted responsibly and productively were commended and rewarded.
The steward who was lazy and did nothing was chastised and punished.
The punchline of these parables is this: “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” (Matthew 25:29)
It seems clear that Jesus isn’t talking about money here, although he used money in his illustration.
To those who have incentive, motivation, perseverance, determination, self-discipline – and who make good use of whatever they’ve been given – their outcomes will lead to prosperity and abundance.
But to those who are lazy and who lack these qualities, their outcomes will be unpleasant.
“A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.” (Proverbs 12:11, New Living Translation)
- Division of labor and economic freedom thrive.
Not everyone has the same skills or talents or gifts – or career aspirations.
And God – not the government or the State – calls each of us to a unique position and to a unique place within His economy.
The specific function and role that each of us fulfills within God’s overall economy is called Division of Labor.
The apostle Paul introduced and described the concept of Division of Labor in his description of the Body of Christ in Ephesians 4 and in 1 Corinthians 12.
According to Rod D. Martin – a technology entrepreneur, investment fund manager and author – “This key intellectual insight [the concept of Division of Labor] enabled not only the Industrial Revolution but the unprecedented hockey stick spike in global living standards since the 18th century.”[i]
Martin believes that if previous generations had taken Scripture more seriously, the technology of cell phones and space travel could have been developed much early in history.
(See my podcast with him: “Capitalism, Socialism and the Deep State Through a Biblical Lens with Rod Martin.” Click HERE.)
God created us with free will – and although He wants each of us to use our free will to choose to love Him and to fulfill the role He designed for us and wired us to fulfill – He wants us to have free will economically.
He gives us basic moral principles to govern our lives, but He doesn’t dictate to us how to steward or manage the property or the things He has given us.
This allows us enormous freedom of action.
Because of this freedom, nothing is static in God’s economy, either spiritually or materially.
Upward mobility in society is possible and is encouraged.
Entrepreneurship is possible and is encouraged.
Everyone is free to fail or to succeed.
Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the entrepreneurship and creativity of a gifted, godly wife who exercises her freedom and her initiative to provide for her household.
- Competitive markets reward innovation and service to society.
Free enterprise encourages entrepreneurs to seek out problems in society and to invest their own time and resources to creatively solve them.
The system motivates the strong to serve the weak – the innovator to serve the less creative.
The competitive nature of Capitalism rewards the entrepreneur that can solve people’s problems better and more cheaply than others.
It encourages business owners and entrepreneurs to follow the Golden Rule – which our sin nature resists.
Also, the wide variety of tastes and preferences within society allow multiple businesses to enter the same market, offering a wide variety of choices for consumers.
The automobile industry is a good example.
Different companies seek to meet the different tastes and preferences of consumers by manufacturing different models of cars and trucks.
Free-market Capitalism creates a wide variety of choices for consumers.
Under Socialism, competition is crushed by the philosophy of equal income and equality of outcomes.
Look at the depressing results:
- Lack of incentive
- Lack of innovation
- Lack of consumer choices
- Scarcity
- Higher prices
- Mediocrity
- God commands respect for others and for what they own.
God makes it very clear in Scripture that we are to respect others as created in God’s image.
Regarding our behavior toward others, and to what belongs to them – whether in business transactions or in personal relationships – God has given us three commands:
- Do not steal from them
- Do not lie to them or witness falsely against them
- Do not covet what belongs to them
We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18).
And Jesus defines our “neighbor” in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) as anyone – even someone of a different race and religion.
We are also commanded in all of our actions and interactions to show no partiality in judgment between rich or poor, small or great, strong or weak, male or female, foreigner or natural-born, religious or non-religious.
“Do justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.” (Psalm 82:2)
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Here are some other instructions for individual behavior toward others:
“You shall not defraud or oppress your neighbor or rob him…
“You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind…
“You shall do no injustice in judging a case; you shall not be partial to the poor or show preference for the mighty; but in righteousness and according to the merits of the case judge your neighbor…” (Leviticus 19:13-15)
In stark contrast, Socialism and socialistic programs steal from the “rich” to distribute to the “poor.”
And differences are exploited and manipulated to cause envy and division between:
- Racial and ethnic groups
- Men and women
- Straight and LGBTQ+
- Wealthy and “blue-collar working class”
Discrimination has been a problem for the human race ever since Cain killed his brother Abel – and it is the foundation of modern Socialism.
- Government has specific and limited roles.
God established civil government and the legitimacy of taxation.
But God’s tax rate is a flat 10% – the tithe.
It is NOT progressive for higher amounts of income.
Biblical responsibilities of civil government are limited to:
- Providing national defense
- Protecting the property and earnings of citizens (Luke 19)
- Restraining evil and executing justice (Romans 13)
In free-market Capitalism, government regulation is limited, and private wealth creation is unrestricted.
In Socialism, the opposite is true – government regulates and controls the economy, and wealth is confiscated and redistributed.
The socialist government is more important than the individual, individual freedom or personal rights.
The nationalization of a private business in Israel – the seizing of Naboth’s vineyard by Ahab and Jezebel – was portrayed as evil, not as “social justice.”[ii] (1Kings 21)
Government isn’t allowed to commit theft any more than a private individual is given the right to steal from others.
- Charity is voluntary via donation, not compulsory via taxation.
In the mostly agrarian economy of the Bible, landowners were commanded to leave the edges of their fields and vineyards unharvested to provide food for widows and orphans and the poor and the elderly.
Churches and charitable organizations – which rely on voluntary donations – also provide assistance to those unable to meet their own needs.
But ever since the income tax was instituted in the U.S. in 1913, the federal government has sought to usurp welfare from being the responsibility of individuals, families, churches and private charitable organizations.
And Christians have allowed it to happen.
The apostle Paul tells the church at Corinth – and us today – “Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8a, New Living Translation)
Socialism is anti-Christian and anti-Biblical because it takes charity away from the individual and puts it in the hands of the government.
It coerces “charitable” contributions via taxes – which the government, not the taxpayer, decides which organizations get to use your money.
- Free speech and free expression of religious faith are encouraged.
Because Capitalism is based on Biblical principles of economics, it encourages the free expression of religious faith.
It doesn’t force a particular religious doctrine or faith, nor does it prohibit any religious doctrine or faith – unless the doctrine calls for the annihilation or the subjugation of a race or people group.
Capitalism also encourages free speech and open debate about economic policies.
Socialism deplores dissent… It stifles and censors any opinions or speech it disagrees with.
Socialism – and any other statist regime – hates Christianity because Christianity attributes authority to a higher power that can’t be controlled by the State.
The State will not tolerate the worship of any other God other than the State.
Conclusion:
There is a concerted effort in the United States today to tear down and destroy the Constitutional Republic which the Founders created – and the free-market capitalist economic system that made this nation the most prosperous nation in the history of mankind – and replace it with Socialism.
Socialism’s economic policies, it’s view of mankind, it’s insistence on absolute authority, it’s aversion to freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression – all violate Biblical principles.
The history of Socialism is a history of failure.
It’s a history of social upheaval, mass persecution and execution of dissenters, and economic misery.
Here is a partial and brief summary of Socialism’s disregard for human life:
- The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) killed approximately 17 million civilians and POWs (1933-1945).[iii]
- The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) killed approximately 20 million civilians under Josef Stalin (1924-1953).[iv]
- In his attempts to create a new “socialist” China, the Mao Zedong regime killed an estimated 65 million Chinese (1949-1976).[v]
- In Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge – under the leadership of Pol Pot – killed more than 1.7 million people – about 22% of the country’s population of 7.8 million at the time.[vi]
More recently, Cuba and Venezuela have been modern-day socialistic economic disasters.
Venezuela was a wealthy, economically prosperous nation under free-market Capitalism when Hugo Chávez became the country’s president in 1999.
Chávez began converting the economy from Capitalism to Socialism.
By 2008, shortages and scarcities were replacing prosperity.
By 2021, Venezuela’s GDP had imploded by 75% and the economy had collapsed.
Despite the historical legacies of economic misery and mass murder, Socialism appeals more than Capitalism to a majority of Millennials and Gen Zers.
Why?
The reason is because they have been brainwashed by socialistic teachers and professors throughout their public school and public college/university education.
And social media has been dominated by socialists in their videos and posts… to an audience ignorant of history, economics and a Biblical worldview foundation.
See my article, “Deliberate Deception: Why Socialism Appeals to So Many Millennial and Gen Z Christians, and Why It Is Incompatible with Christianity – 7 Truths You Need to Know” for more information. Click HERE.
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
Note: All Scripture quotations in this article, except as noted, are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), 1995 Edition, or from the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition.
Action Items:
- Find out what your own local school district is teaching regarding Socialism and Capitalism. Support school choice in your district so kids can learn the truth about history and economics.
- Vote in the upcoming 2026 midterm election and support candidates who are pro-freedom, pro-free enterprise and anti-socialist.
- Get my book, The Great Deception: 10 Shocking Dangers and the Blueprint for Rescuing the American Dream. Read the Preface, “The Epic Battle: Statism and Collectivism vs. Freedom and Prosperity,” and Chapter 2, “The Road to Socialism: America’s Epic Battle Between Collectivism vs. The Individual.”Click HERE to order the book online.You can order the book on Amazon
Or get the audiobook version HERE and on Kindle HERE.
You can also get an autographed edition online HEREor by phone at 615-814-6633 (M-F 10 am to 3 pm).
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FAQs:
- Why do so many Millennial and Gen Z Christians favor Socialism over Capitalism?
A. They have been taught a distorted view of Socialism in school for the past 50 years or more. - How do Socialism and Capitalism differ with regard to property rights?
A. In Socialism the State owns everything; in Biblical Capitalism, God owns everything – including us. - Why is Capitalism compatible with Christianity?
A. Capitalism is based on principles of economics taught in Scripture. - What is it about Capitalism that aligns most closely with Biblical truth?
A. God’s design for the economy recognizes the sinful nature of mankind; Socialism does not.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and publisher of The Huey Alert and The Deep State: 15 Surprising Dangers You Should Know. He is also the author of The Christian Voter: 7 Non-Negotiables for Voting For, Not Against, Your Values, and The Great Deception: 10 Shocking Dangers and the Blueprint for Rescuing the American Dream, exposing the lies of socialism and defending America’s founding principles. Craig appears on national media such as FOX, FOX Business, Newsmax and more. He also co-hosts The Huey Alert Podcast with his wife Shelly and helps business leaders, Christians, conservatives, libertarians, young people and more understand the interse
[i] https://www.rodmartin.org/p/sunday-essay-christianity-commands
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2024 data)
[iv] Several historians plus Russian state commission (1990s, published by Memorial and others).
[v] Lee Edwards, https://www.heritage.org/china/commentary/the-legacy-mao-zedong-mass-murder
[vi] https://hmh.org/library/research/genocide-in-cambodia-guide/