The first and basic idea
and description of the Christian economy were given by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on
the Mount. The Savior said that for the full spiritual liberation of people they
must saved first from financial problems and concerns that are on their way to
God, preventing them from finding the Kingdom of Heaven and spiritual
enlightenment and perfection:
" No man can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and
mammon. Therefore I
say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye
shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than
meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add
one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And
yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one
of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is,
and tomorrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye
of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What
shall we
drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For
after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek
ye first the kingdom
of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you"(Matthew, {6:25-33}).
The same is said in the Gospel of Luke {6:25-31}.
Thus, God showed His people one more way to achieve happiness - economic
activity.
In addition, the need to turn to the subject of Christianity and economic
ties is caused by the rapidly increasing weakness and profound crisis of all
Christian countries. The fact is that the Christian world in the last five
hundred years or more remained the leader of the world civilization and
progress of the world in all sectors and areas of life and human activity, and
the scientific, intellectual, cultural and industrial heyday came in the first
place in Christian countries. However, As of the early 21st century the Christian
world is obviously losing it’s civilization and economic leadership.
Today, at the beginning of the third millennium of Christian history, the world
stepped into a new reality: economic activity has become the dominant in
comparison with other types of human activity. This caused a massive change in
the economic, political, historical and social situation, but the Christian
world is not ready for all these changes.
Today the negative and destructive processes are rapidly and widely distributed
in the economic and cultural spheres. Economic crises and stagnation become
chronic and change each other. The economic crisis has initiated degradation of
public life in Christian countries and flourishing of absurd and pernicious
ideas that are bringing the Christians to rejection of Christian values and
therefore - to further degradation of the human person. Rising prosperity became
illusory. Obvious is a reduction in real living standards relative to the
opportunities that gives people the Lord God. A redistribution of economic potential of the world is taking place in favor of a small part of the population ("golden billion"), which is contrary to Christianty. It is clear for Christians economists
that
existing events will inevitably lead the Christian world to a massive economic
collapse, massive disaster and war on a global scale and a lethal threat to the
existence of all mankind.
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