“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19.18

America has been described as a nation of narcissists, a people whose primary concern, in the memorable phrase of Robert Ringer, is “looking out for number one.” This is not by accident, but by design. It is in part a consequence of the Darwinian worldview which defines the nature of relationships in our society.

But it is also the natural outworking of our commitment to material prosperity. From early on children are taught, albeit indirectly, for the most part, to seek their own interests and to do what they can in order to gain the advantage over their peers. Education – in home and school – reinforces the convictions that children should be happy and that material prosperity is the way to happiness. Other people, while they may be enjoyed as friends or intimates, should not be allowed to disrupt the quest for personal happiness and material wealth. Abortion is the classic example of how self-interest, which always includes material considerations, works to the disadvantage of the weak.

In an economy of justice, husbands and wives would resist the temptation to self-interest and would work together to fulfill their marriage vows, come what may. Divorce would be rare, but not prohibited, in such an economy, and abortion would be all but non-existent. In the worldview grounded in God’s Law, fathers and mothers take responsibility for raising their children in such a way as to inculcate neighbor-love above mere self-interest. The Ten Commandments are taught as a way to discipline the hearts and minds of children so that loving their neighbors, rather than always looking for some edge over them, becomes the default manner of living.

In such an economy neighbors look out for one another, and fairness and honesty prevail in the marketplace. Where justice takes precedence over material wealth, generosity, charity, compassion, and altruism are more likely to flourish. The fact that, year after year, the members of the Christian community prove to be the most generous in giving their time, strength, and wealth for the relief of the needy is typical of what we might expect to see characterizing relationships of every sort in an economy of justice.

Where a people values justice – a community based on and expressing love for God and neighbors – above wealth, every type of relationship will be transformed. In the Book of Acts Christians demonstrated the power of such an economy in astonishing ways, and they were able, by so doing, to convince even some of their most hardened opponents to believe the Gospel of the Kingdom (cf. Acts 6.1-7).

The place to begin working for such an economy is in the Christian home and church. From there, as believers model the relational power of an economy of justice, they may expect to be able to recommend public policies that allow the benefits of such an economy to redound to all members of the community.

T. M. Moore

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