Christian Pragmatism

The other thing that frustrates me about books on Christian Economics is the blind acceptance of the role of government. The writers just assume that government is the solution to any problem they discover.

Here is an example of the way that they argue.

People are created in the image of God so work is good.
Some people do not have work.
Government should provide work for them.

Here is another example

Every person has a right to share in God's provision their basic needs.
Some people do not have enough.
The government should assist the poor.

Whenever there is a problem, these writers just assume that more government is the solution.

I call this approach Christan Pragmatism. A problem exists, so government action is justified.

These authors never step back and ask what the Bible says about the role of government. They never identify what the scriptures allow governments to do. They never inquire to see if the Bible supports economic intervention.

This Christian pragmatism is theologically and intellectually irresponsible. It is also dangerous, because any government action can be justified. All that is needed is to find a problem to solve.

We are living in an age when government power is the ultimate idolatry. The next idol that God will smash is big government power. Christians should not be providing justification for this idol.

We cannot go far with Christian Economics, until we develop a theology of government.