Ownership

The first chapter is all about ownership. By discussing this topic, the author starts with the doctrine of creation. For him, this doctrine separates his approach from all other approaches by other economists. By insisting on the importance of the doctrine of creation to economics, he argues that the universe, man, economic laws, and economic growth are not autonomous.

The doctrine of creation establishes the idea of original ownership, which belongs to God alone as explicitly stated in Psalm 24:1–2 and many other biblical passages. And since it is God who created the world, He is therefore the original and absolute Owner of everything. The idea therefore of ownership is basically theocentric. This tells us that the economic concept of ownership is ultimately a theological idea. The concept of ownership cannot be properly understood apart from God as the ultimate Owner of all things.

Providence is another corollary doctrine that cannot be separated from the doctrine of creation. This doctrine teaches us that God cares and governs His creation in a personal way. As applied to economics, God’s ownership of everything must be understood in relation to His attributes. He sees and knows all things; He has total control of everything; and He is everywhere.

The Creator and Owner of everything revealed Himself in the Bible as the Triune God. Therefore, the system of ownership He requires of man must reflect the doctrine of the Trinity where both unity and diversity are affirmed. For the author, this is the reason “why God sets forth rules of ownership that are at the same time collective (unity) and individualistic (diversity).” He further explains this unity and diversity in ownership of property: “Some pieces of property are owned by individuals. Some are owned by families. Other pieces of property are owned by associations and corporations. Some are owned by churches, and some are owned by the civil government, meaning the state.”

Furthermore, he adds that the Bible teaches “a system of overlapping ownership.” By this, he means that “Certain pieces of property are owned primarily by individuals but only secondarily by the state. In other cases, property is owned by individuals, but families also have rightful claims.” He elaborates this by saying that “property must never be defined as exclusively and absolutely owned by any single human being or any single human institution.” He derives this conclusion from the very idea of God’s absolute ownership of everything. All human ownership are subordinate.

However, this concept of human ownership must be respected for it is God who gave such ownership to man. Ownership is a gift from God. Subordinate ownership is given to man by virtue of God’s delegation making man responsible to take care of the entire creation. Man therefore is a steward of God under His supervision. “This means,” says the author “that man is responsible to God for the proper administration of everything that has been entrusted to him.”

If man fails to fulfill his duties and responsibilities in taking care of creation, there will be negative consequences. In economics, they describe these consequences as losses. Ethics therefore is an inescapable reality in man’s fulfillment of responsibilities entrusted to him by God.

Ethics is another thing that separate a Christian economists from all other economists. Economists “do not believe in an institutional order created by God, governed by His laws, and restrained by economic sanctions.” For them, market’s sanctions are autonomous. But for Christian economists, economic sanctions are still governed by biblical law, not by market law or state law.

Finally, applying such ethical responsibility to a specific generation, the author asserts that each generation has an obligation to increase its capital base to serve as an inheritance for the next generation (Proverbs 13:22a).

Reference: North, Gary. 2017. Christian Economics Volume 1: Student’s Edition. Dallas, Georgia: Point Five Press. Pp. 9-19.