Dr. Gordon H. Clark:
"It is sometimes said, particularly by people who wish to destroy capitalism, that Christianity is not tied to any one politico-economic system. There is one sense in which this is true; there is another in which it is false. True it is that the New Testament assigns the authority of capital punishment, waging war, and collecting taxes to the government. The New Testament also instructs us to obey whatever government is in power insofar as its laws do not conflict with our duties to God. But only thus far, and no further. So it was in the Old Testament too, as is seen in the disobedience to Pharaoh's order to drown the Jewish baby boys. But obedience to a Roman, Egyptian, or Communist government does not imply that Christians should be indifferent to politics. Christianity may indeed survive under hostile rule; but it is quite another matter to say that Christianity approves of hostile rule. The Bible definitely disapproves of some types of government and approves of others. Scripture approves of private property. Christ asserted the right of an employer to set wages he will pay; he advised investment for gain in the marketplace. There is nothing socialistic in New Testament political economy. Indeed, Christianity clearly supports a capitalistic, free enterprise system."
Dr. Gordon H. Clark. What Do Presbyterians Believe? The Westminster Confession Yesterday and Today. 1965. (Unicoi: Trinity Foundation, 2001). P. 229.
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