Consider what the Bible says on this matter. “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” (Pr.13:4). “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Pr.10:4). “If a man is lazy, his rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks” (Eccl.10:18). “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen.2:15). These verses, and many more, train one who reads the Bible to think positively about work, to enjoy it and embrace it.

This summer a man came into the store I was in wearing a T-shirt that said, “Theology Matters”. It made me think just how true that declaration was.

What a person thinks about God determines how that person approaches everything in life, right down to an unconscious level. Whether a beggar on the street is helped or not, is determined by one’s view of God (Is he my responsibility or not? = theological philosophy). This is true for all of us, even the Atheist. Our Theology is our situational-interpretive core which determines what truly Matters to us. Philosophy is informed and regulated by core Theology.

Consider this: Throughout history the different approaches to Labor have determined the general success or failure of nations, and investigation shows that this is always consistent with their predominant national theological position.

What we think about Labor is rooted in our core theology. The evidence for this is everywhere to be seen. Some rich people still work and labor really hard for the satisfaction of it, and others like to avoid labor, to bask in luxury and indulgence. The keen observer will note that this variety of attitude toward labor exists at all economic classes, down to the poor. Why the difference?

Consider what the Bible says on this matter. “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied” (Pr.13:4). “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Pr.10:4). “If a man is lazy, his rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks” (Eccl.10:18). “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen.2:15). These verses, and many more, train one who reads the Bible to think positively about work, to enjoy it and embrace it.

What this demonstrates is that if one’s philosophy toward work is informed by the Bible, which includes those living in a society which has this as predominant view—though they may not know where it comes from, as is the case in Canada—they will operate consistent with it. Often, they operate this way without giving it much thought, or investigation.

They set up societies which, given that it is fair and just, accepts as a principle that those who pursue diligence in labor should be allowed to be “satisfied” with the fruits of it, and those who don’t should feel the weight of this too. Diligence is to be encouraged and allowed reap its reward, and the inherent troubles of the opposite, meant to discourage, embraced as well. A grumbling stomach can be a good teacher.

It from this which Capitalism as a philosophical view of the concept of Labor arises. Meaning that, inherent in this is how government and employers should view those who work. Diligent workers should be rewarded, not paid as little as one can finagle them into accepting or be left to accept because they have no alternative. Governments should have tax systems that do the same: those who labor must not be discouraged or hindered from prospering, enjoying and inheriting the fruit they earned.

Such a society is a compassionate society in two ways. First, it separates those who “will not work” from those who “cannot work” (as the Bible says, 2 Thess.3:8-10). Secondly, it refuses to discourage those who labor by enforcing them to carry the burden of those who will not, thus, inevitably, creating a society where there is work available for all if they want it.

How is this compassionate? First, by creating a society which has the drive to advance via the enjoyment of the reward of one’s labor, the whole society benefits from this. Second, it provides the opportunity for prosperity, resulting in the resources to aid of those who cannot work. My wife and I give about 8% to charity. We could not do that in a poor society. The poor are always poorest in a society which burdens success. Third, labor has a redeeming quality to it, which those who do not are without.

Years ago, a man came to our church asking for some money: $20.00 for paint supplies. I told him that I had a job for him sweeping the basement of the church, for which I would gladly give him $40.00. The next day, it seemed his easel needed repair. It was a new church building, so I was in need of the sidewalks swept off: $40.00. This happy relationship went on for sometime, with some of the businesses downtown employing him this way, too (fellow Rotary Club members). Then he did not show up anymore. We wondered what happened. Months later I found out. He had become such a good worker that the John Deere dealership hired him fulltime! “Not Fair!” some businesses mused. But we were all glad for him.

Clearly, work, labor, has a redeeming element to it. That’s how Capitalism works. It gives hope, dignity, and the possibility of a future through diligence. This is precisely why the USSR failed as an economic system. It incorrectly read the human predicament due to faulty theology. It thought that Theology didn’t Matter. Or, that all theologies produce the same result. They don’t. What the USSR adopted turned out to be neither successful nor compassionate (40 million of its own citizens murdered). Its fruit was the opposite of the Bible’s.

God knows that we need Capitalism to inspire success, and to have the ability to be compassionate. “Theology,” you see, really does “Matter”, a lot.

Charles D’Espeville is a Minister in the Reformed Church in America.