Torch, Winter 1992

Anderson: I work with young people as I recruit for our program in high schools across Pennsylvania. Students generally take basic business classes like accounting and word processing. I don't think they are seeing the big picture of the economic principles that function in our society and they don ' t see the importance of learning about them. One day these students are going to walk into the work force and be an active part of the system. They don ' t realize that they can do a lot of things in the free enterprise system. They have a lot of freedom to move around and be entrepreneurs and be successful. The business people who work with the students in our program are firm believers in the free enterprise system. They want to help the next generation, to give them some tools to work with when they get out into the work force. Entingh: Part of the problem is that the media doesn ' t quite understand or portray the profit system properly. Business people are considered selfish and greedy with no responsibility to anyone but themselves. People think profits are much larger than they really are. People need to know that a large share of profits usually are reinvested, providing security for the business and creating new jobs. As a Christian businessman I am responsible first to God, then to my spouse and children, then of course to government, customers, employees, and all others affected by the business. Stevenson: I think we have also failed in our educational system by not teaching self-discipline. People incur debt that cannot be repaid. As Christian business people we need to be good consumers as well as good providers of products and services. Our good choices, such as deferring a purchase until we can afford it, can set the example. TORCH: So it seems the free enterprise system needs people to explain it and operate it properly. Why should Christians support free enterprise? Anderson: It 's a good system, it's working, and it's an exciting system to be part of. As Christians we need to be good stewards of it... to do whatever we can to keep the system running and pass it on. If we let it get tainted by misconceptions, it will deteriorate. West: I think there is plenty of scriptural support for a free enterprise system. Proverbs 31 gives an example of a virtuous woman who produces goods, goes into the marketplace, and buys and sells to meet her family 's needs. Many other Proverbs teach that hard work will be rewarded. "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich" (Proverbs 10:4). God commanded the people of Israel, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the com" (Deuteronomy 25:4). In other words, whoever does the work should share in the rewards. Paul applied this to pastors when he wrote "The laborer is worthy of his hire" (1 Timothy 5:18). He was teaching the importance of the work of the ministry. But we can apply the same principle to anyone who labors. The people of God in the Bible certainly understood about producing goods, buying and selling them, and making a profit. Christ told a parable about servants who were rewarded for investing their master's money wisely, and compared their service to our responsibility to God (Luke 19: 11-27). Baldwin: Free enterprise is probably the closest economic system to the ideal described in the Bible. Dale mentioned the parable of the pounds. The lord in that parable says, "Put this money to work until I come back." This says to me that not only are investments proper but that our Lord expects a return on His investment in us. Motivation is apparent here, too. When people are put in charge of resources, most wiJl try to improve their position.. .if they are working on their own and not for the group or the state. The eighth of the ten commandments, "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:5), implies ownership of property. In the New Testament, Christians gave to the church from their own wealth. This indicates they had wealth and could choose what to do with it. Christians in the Bible gave to the poor (Galatians 2:10; Romans 15:26). They couldn't give to the poor unless they had something to give and the freedom to give it. One of the aspects of free enterprise is competition, something you don ' t find in a planned economy. True competition is each participant doing his best to reach the goal; that is, performing with excellence. It brings out the highest potential. I think that 's what Paul had in mind when he said, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Corinthians 9:24). Entingh: Under the free enterprise system there are rewards and incentives which not only develop satisfaction in a person, but also develop community wealth, comforts, and good health. Under a planned economy such as communism there are no incentives to do quality work. My wife and I saw this in our recent trip to the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Soviet Union. The lack of quality was so obvious. Leadership was very poor and there was a sense of hopelessness. Under free enterprise there is just the opposite...incentives, rewards, satisfaction which you don't find under a planned economy. Stevenson: I think that free enterprise more than any other economy fosters a climate in which we are allowed to practice our Christianity and spread the gospel. We have academic and intellectual freedom to search the Scriptures. A value of free enterprise to higher education, especially schools like Cedarville College, is contributions from the private sector. People are rewarded for their work and are able to make charitable gifts and contributions-first to the church, then to other organizations. TORCH: All these reasons should motivate us, but what if someone doesn't know what he or she can do to help. How can the average business person promote free enterprise? Entingh: We need to support institutions such as Cedarville College that teach and support free enterprise. We should be part of business associations such as the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, and our own industry associations. We can address national business issues by writing, calling, or visiting our congressmen. Stevenson: We can vote for issues and legislators favorable to free enterprise. Obviously our good business practices and fair competition serve as a good example to others who look at us not only as business people but also as representatives of Christ. West: We need to communicate fairness. People feel management is greedy and doesn't pay employees any more than they have to. Fairness means paying people what they're worth. Beyond that, management can reward ingenuity, getting employees involved in trying to save the company money...which really is good for everyone. At the newspaper, we formed discussion groups of people from different departments. They learned that their ideas and demands affected other departments and came away understanding that things were more fair than they originally perceived.