The Christian Capitalist
The Christian Capitalist
By: Rich Sanders
The Christian Capitalist explores various scriptural references that support twin pillars of Christian belief: 1) working hard to make a productive benefit from talents and materials that God has provided all people; and 2) giving generously to share those benefits with our neighbors in the name of Jesus Christ. Through a discussion of Holy Scripture, it analyzes various passages that relate to these concepts of productivity and generosity, along with two thousand years of history discussing the good works of Christians as examples. Ultimately, this book develops a philosophy that is uniquely Christian and capitalist: the Gospel of Hard Work and Generous Giving!
Title information
Christianity in capitalist nations today finds itself at a theological crossroads. While some theologians claim that capitalism and Christianity are in stark opposition and always will be, some contend that Christianity is a path to wealth and that people should convert to a life following Christ so that they can prosper. Detractors of the Prosperity Gospel look more to socialist theory and find support in some of the verses from the Holy Scripture that are discussed
in this book. Likewise, the philosophy of Karl Marx, in which everything is shared in common and distributed to people according to their needs, has a significant foothold around the world due to the continuing disparity between rich and poor. The ESG (ethical, social, governance) movement in capital markets is an indicator of this continuing trend to add moral principles to business conducted in capitalist economies.
The Christian Capitalist reviews thousands of years of human history and hundreds of verses from the Holy Scripture that refer to work, wealth, and giving. Christians can work without giving, but they inherently know this is not God’s will and that such purposeless work takes them off the path with Jesus. Likewise, capitalists can be productive and make great fortunes, but without the purpose of generosity and love of neighbor, they can find themselves empty and drifting. Their work and the fortunes they amass are hollow if their only purpose is self-benefit.
The Christian Capitalist, therefore, embraces both the role of Christian and capitalist by working hard for the purpose of generating wealth and then giving to those in need in the name of Jesus Christ, thus bringing the Good News to all nations. The Christian Capitalist Ethic is a set of principles upon which a person can attempt to follow the path to a closer relationship with God, as set out by Jesus Christ, through hard work and giving generously to the poor and needy.
The core principles of the Christian Capitalist Ethic include general principles that can be adapted to all industries, all types of businesses, and all types of personal involvement in those businesses. In this way, the Ethic allows Christian Capitalists to articulate what compels us to follow the way of Jesus Christ by working hard to generate wealth and give more generously to people in our communities and around the world. This happens every day in every nation: the Christian Capitalist Ethic is simply a way to provide a theological basis for how and why people work so hard and give so generously in the hopes of supporting those who currently act in this manner and encouraging others to do so.
This book ultimately develops a set of principles that a Christian Capitalist can embrace to provide some understanding of how work and giving are intertwined in God’s plan for all humankind.
Rich Sanders
Rich Sanders is a pastor, small business owner, healthcare attorney, retired adjunct professor at Emory University, and former intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. He and his wife, Rebekah, met at church in 1996, have been blessed with three children (James, Will, and Caroline) and live in Destin, Florida with their large golden retriever, Cowboy.
The Christian Capitalist
Blurbs for Back Cover
I have always tried to work hard and earn as much as I possibly can to provide a comfortable living and secure future for my family. The Christian Capitalist encouraged me to keep doing that but recognize that every successful financial plan encourages us to earn all we can, save all we can, then give all we can!
- Mark Chloupek, Esq., Real Estate and Securities Attorney, Dallas, Texas
As a small business owner, my husband and I have experienced both success and challenges. The Christian Capitalist reminded me that going to church isn’t the only way to worship God. By working hard and giving to others, I share the blessings God has given to me and my family with others.
- Elizabeth Cranston, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Cana, LLC, Washington, DC.
As a campus pastor who serves students, I understand how young adults often feel pressured to find their worth in successful, well-paying careers. But The Christian Capitalist affirms instead that as people created in God's good image, our worth is rooted first in Jesus' free gift of grace for us rather than material possessions. Such abundant grace also empowers us to "act as Christ to our neighbors," as we give generously to others and put their needs before our own. I am eager to share this book with students who are discerning how their vocations in the world might best serve God and their neighbors.
- Rev. Amanda L. Highben, Duke Lutherans Campus Pastor and St. Paul's Lutheran Church (ELCA) Associate Pastor, Durham, North Carolina
The Christian Capitalist takes a fresh view of Holy Scripture and how it addresses work, wealth, and giving. It endeavors to set a new tone for Christian philanthropy in the 21st-Century, and it provides a helpful framework for those who are “spiritual but are not necessarily religious” but still may want to give generously to the church and/or poor and needy in their communities.
- The Rev. Lang Lowrey (Episcopal), Real Estate Developer, Atlanta, Georgia
BLURB BIOS
Mark Chloupek is an attorney living in Dallas, TX with his wife and two children. Mark and I graduated together from St. John’s College High School (SJC) in Washington DC. In those days, it was all male, Catholic and military. He has worked with a number of large companies in real estate and securities law, including serving as General Counsel for the LaQuinta and Windham hotel groups. Mark’s blurb focuses on the “more you make, the more you give” message to inspire those who are affluent but not giving (or not giving enough) to the poor and needy, and he inspired me to separate our message completely from the Prosperity Gospel (as opposed to making it a next step) and focus solely on the new Gospel of Hard Work and Generous Giving.
- Mark M. Chloupek, Esq., real estate and securities attorney, Dallas, Texas.
Liz Cranston is an entrepreneur and small business owner in Washington, D.C. She and her husband own a technology company that provides sophisticated logistical services to federal and state governments. She is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and an attorney. Liz serves on the board of SJC (her daughter recently graduated), and we are working together on a strategic plan update for the school. Her insight on the book is leading me to work with the printer to separating out the personal anecdotes to make them easier to identify and those stories more relatable to the Bible. Liz also suggested splitting out the Christian history chapters as a separate book. I love the idea but couldn’t get it to work, since the Christian Capitalist Ethic in Ch. 12 is built on Christian Capitalists throughout history. It is good food for thought for future books, though!
- Elizabeth Cranston, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Cana, LLC, Washington, DC.
Rev. Amanda Highben is the head pastor for the Lutheran campus ministry at Duke University, where I have been involved with the campus ministry since I graduated in 1992. Many pastors have passed through there in thirty years, but Amanda is by far my favorite! She is originally from Ohio, and now she and her husband, the head of music at Duke Chapel, live in Durham with their daughter. She’s brought much-needed stability and compassion to this ministry and has led to its growth in just a few years. She also contributed to the book by finding our Biblical editor, Martin, who is a sophomore member of the Duke Lutherans and confirmed the accuracy of nearly two hundred citations to Holy Scripture! Her blurb focuses on how we are stewards of God's creation and, as Luther put it, that "we should act as a Christ to our neighbor."
- Rev. Amanda L. Highben, Duke Lutherans Campus Pastor and St. Paul's Lutheran Church (ELCA) Associate Pastor
Rev. Lang Lowrey is a "bi-vocational” priest in the Diocese of Atlanta (like me), which means he is full-time in both business and ministry. He and his wife Julie live in Atlanta, GA and Highlands, NC and have grown children and a few grandchildren. Lang owns a real estate development firm, and he assists congregations that are struggling financially in re-purposing their facilities and/or land. Lang also has experience running large technology companies. Lang and I have worked with congregations that cannot afford a pastor. As such, we have seen firsthand the urgency for action that we as Christians face amid a declining population of Christians in the U.S. Lang's blurb focuses on glorifying God through work and loving neighbors through generous giving as an appeal to those that are “spiritual but not religious”.
- The Rev. Lang Lowrey (Episcopal), Real Estate Developer, Atlanta