DJ Says...

With the economy tanking, Obama leading us into socialism (if not straight up Communism - no that isn't a joke - see the definition) and people's fear levels rising, there has been a renewed interest by some in Milton Friedman's work on economics. Specifically, many "conservatives" are passing around a YouTube video in which Mr. Friedman declares that "greed is good".

Although I think that the majority of these people are misinterpreting his rhetorical answer to a rhetorical question, the bigger issue for me is that many of these "conservatives" fly a "Christian" banner on their sleeves. Accepting for a moment that Mr. Friedman is actually endorsing greed and truly believes it to be a "good" thing for society, it troubles me deeply that anyone claiming to be a follower of Christ would accept such a notion and worse, promote it.

As in all things, we, as Christians, are to look not to pop culture for guidance, but to the Bible. So what does the Bible say about greed? A lot, actually. First, we need to understand what greed is. Webster's defines it as:

a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed

Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003

Selfish and excessive. That should give us a clue right off the bat because that is the anti-thesis of the teaching of the whole of the Bible. What does the Bible say about greed? An awful lot, far more than I could put here. David Jeremiah has a book entitled Powerful Principles from Proverbs which is a very good resource on this subject. He does a nice job of detailing that, for Christians, prosperity comes from God, not greed.

The book of Proverbs makes numerous references to wealth and riches and poverty. In fact, there are two proverbs that speak pointedly to the issue of greed and the lust for money—Proverbs 15:27 and 27:20. The core problem with the wealth game is that you never get enough. Many people get caught in the cycle of trying to get just a little bit more, contrary to the advice of Proverbs 23:4: “Do not overwork to be rich.”

Jeremiah, David: Powerful Principles from Proverbs : Study Guide. Nashville, Tenn. : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002, S. 102

And he is correct. Greed knows no bounds. It is rather bizarre that a Christian would promote greed as a good thing. A quick outline from his book:

• Prosperity Comes from the Hand of God - Proverbs 10:22 could not be more clear: “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich.”
• Prosperity Comes from Honesty and Integrity - Cheating someone in business in order to gain wealth is an abomination in God’s sight - people should read Isaiah to see what happens to those who aren't honest.
• Prosperity Comes from Hard Work and Diligence - “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase” (Proverbs 13:11).

It is very sad that, instead of following, applying and promoting these principles, some of these people claiming to be followers of Christ instead promote this:

“Greed is good, greed is right, greed works. Greed cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all its forms, greed for life, greed for money, greed for love, greed for knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my word, will save the USA.”

That comes from a speech given by Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street. It was based upon the philosophy of Ivan Boesky, a man that eventually served prison time for his misdeeds. A more current example would be Bernard Madoff, who recently plead guilty to massive fraud.

In What Does the Bible Say About, we get this for greed:

Do-It-Yourself Religion

In a world where the motto often seems to be “do your own thing,” people frequently develop self-styled religious beliefs and practices. For some this means taking a pick-and-choose, take-it-or-leave-it approach to established Christianity. For others it means coming up with outlandish ideas about God and eccentric ways of living. Either way, the ultimate authority seems to be the individual, who assumes the prerogative of ignoring any demand or discipline that feels too limiting or imposing.

Thomas Nelson Publishers: What Does the Bible Say About-- : The Ultimate A to Z Resource Fully Illustrated. Nashville, Tenn. : Thomas Nelson, 2001 (Nelson's A to Z Series), S. 188

This is certainly a "do your own thing" world. And finally, what does Christ have to say about greed?

Luke 12:15 Then ³⁶  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ³⁷  all types of greed, ³⁸  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

So the next time one of these fake followers of Christ tries to tell you that greed is good, just tell them the truth: nonsense. And then run from them as fast as you can.