Upcoming debate tackles questions about Christians and capitalism

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Can you be a Christian and a capitalist? I believe you certainly can.There's nothing in the Christian faith that prohibits a person from making money. The Parable of the Ten Talents comes to mind.

Dallas Libertarian Examiner Garry Reed said the topic will be tackled by two experts in a debate Feb. 2. Reed said Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute and Jennifer Morse of the Acton Institute will meet at Stanford University to debate the question: 'Is Christianity Compatible With Capitalism? Egoism Vs. Altruism.'

Reed is always fast on the trigger with all matters related to Libertarians, and we’ve learned quite a bit by reading his columns. One thing you can count on—he’s always about the free market.

The Objectivism/Christianity debate is one we’d love to hear if travel plans permitted. Unfortunately they don’t. But I believe Rand’s principles are not incompatible with the Christian faith. For her, the contract or promise was sacred, a covenant. Rand’s philosophy, though she had no love for any religion, belonged to the marketplace and the free exchange of goods. She saw corporate cronyism as theft. Despite her declining the idea of organized religion, she set forth high standards in her philosophy, and I would call them moral standards.

What Rand seemed most against, to me, is the concept of the welfare state currently endorsed by those in charge of our government. Robin Hood sounds good on paper until the gang comes for your own money.

At the moment many world leaders elevate the state to the level of a deity. Rand and the Christians would take a dim eye to that. There are leftwing religious groups however who believe it is the state's job to redistribute wealth.

The Brook-Morse debate on Christianity and Capitalism should be interesting. Leftwingers and conservatives debate it often on message boards and comment threads related to articles about Rand.