I also think that “paleocon” totally misrepresents Chris’s views. No one in their right mind believes that the free market is 100% perfect. Nothing is in this fallen world, but those who look for a “third way” would be better off heeding the advise of Vaclav Havel when he was president of the Czech Republic and a victim of non-free-market ideas: “The Third Way leads to The Third World.”
Have we become selfish in our wealth? Yes. So do something about: tithe to your church. You’d be surprised how much more resourceful you will be with the other 90%. You will be a much better steward of the resources God has entrusted to you.
]]>I listened to the podcast again and find no promotion of “libertarianism” by Chris, and certainly not the sort of radical “smash the state” libertarianism (anarcho-capitalism) that reflexively looks at any government role in economic life as objectionable. Just the opposite. He advocates a free market built on justice, and pointedly calls for a government role in rooting out corruption. But the primary condition for a just and moral economy, as Chris is careful to point out, is a just and moral people. The same requirement is necessary for democratic government, as our Founders were well aware of.
As for Ayn Rand, I’m not sure how you drag her into this (if there’s something on Chris’s site about her, then take that up with Chris over there). As for AOI, I can tell you that the Randian philosophy of radical selfishness intermixed with atheism will not be countenanced here. I can’t think of anything more un-Christian.
]]>And I’m mainly interested in poo-pooing your libertarianism. May God protect His Church from being conditioned by it the way so many Evangelicals have been through their political involvement.
]]>While I’m quite interested in an intelligent discussion of the compatibility (and let’s be honest, friction) between Capitalism and Orthodoxy, neither this program nor the linked essay provide it. The totally unobjectionable “Capitalism” that is presented for apologia–i.e. the free exchange of goods, services, and labor–are a far cry from the socio/political/economic system called “Capitalism” that the young people of Mr. Allen’s parish whom he sought to answer through the program almost certainly had in mind.
Also, Mr. Banescu’s unnamed but obvious libertarianism (He praises the thought of Ayn Rand on his blog?! Lord, have mercy.) bled through the entire program. Capitalism may well be unobjectionable to Orthodoxy, but the individualistic, passion-affirming, obligation-denying philosophical presuppositions of libertarianism certainly are. Defending Capitalism through such a philosophy only makes Capitalism suspect.
]]>That being said, the real question that should be asked is whether Orthodoxy and democracy are compatible. I for one don’t believe they are and the effects of democracy on Christianity are far worse than the effects of “capitalism”.
We should not confuse political systems with economic systems. One could have a capitalist monarchy, a capitalist autocracy, a capitalist empire, etc. In other parts of the world, there are societies experimenting with other political arrangements while maintaining a basically capitalistic society. More power to them.
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