The Connection Between Christianity And Capitalism: Karl Marx, And Max Weber

Combining the spheres of religion and economics gets to the heart of the interaction of theology, philosophy, and economics. Moveover, it brings a more complete answer on how economics have shaped and impacted society. Thinkers like Karl Marx, Karl Polanyi, and Max Weber, have commented or discussed religion in their understanding of the economy—each one making a different case regarding how it fits together or uses religion differently in their arguments. A lot of these arguments have centered around two philosophies—that is, Christianity and capitalism. Christianity is one of the world’s major religions, shaping culture, ideas, and society, particularly in the Western world. Capitalism is defined as a system in which privatization of the
And for the purpose of this argument, as I will illustrate, Christianity and capitalism share a common bond of understanding how the individual is located in society. Some might say that there’s a moral principle to it as well as Christianity provides a moral structure for a free market to best succeed. This connection will bring context to how and why Christianity softens the negatives.
The origins of the connection between capitalism and Christianity can be famously traced back to German sociologist Max Weber— who linked the Christian faith to the spirit of Capitalism in his essay The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber argued on his theological grasp of the Christian doctrine, but also an observational account of the surrounding societies. He pointed to how Calvinism created a mindset within individuals to accumulate more wealth than what one needed. The accumulation of assets or wealth was important for some, meanwhile others disregarded it. Weber
14).” He continues to point out that Christian mystery is about a “personal union” between Christ, God, and the individual (p. 14). Furthermore, Jesus came to earth to save humanity. The action of accepting Jesus as savior is a personal matter (p. 14). Again, it is depended on individual decisions. In Christian Social Responsibility, Karl H. Hertz explains how part of individualism is rooted in religion, stemming from the New Testament and the Reformation, “as in Luther’s doctrines of the priesthood of all believers, the right of individual conscience, and the obligation of of universal education for religious and political citizenship (via Letts, p. 74).” It may have taken centuries for individualism to become key principles of human relations, whether that is politically, economically, or socially, but nonetheless, Hertz confirms that Western tradition is “firmly individualistic (via Letts, p. 74).” The Western individualism tradition comes from Christianity, or as Hertz as explains, the Reformation, because Christianity theology holds true to the value of individualism. There is Catholicism individualism, but it is not as strong. Moreover, this gets to the theological support of individualism over collectivism, particularly socialism. For Christianity, individualism is better because collectivism undermines the