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Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem [Hardcover]

Jay W. Richards
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)


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Book Description

May 5, 2009
Christianity generally sees capitalism as either bad because it causes much of the world's suffering, or good because God wants you to prosper and be rich. But there is a large, growing audience of evangelical and mainline Christians who are deeply uneasy about how to follow Jesus's mandate to care for the poor and the environment while living with the excesses of capitalism. Now, a noted Christian scholar argues that there is a middle view that reveals Christianity cannot only accommodate capitalism, but Christian theology can help explain why capitalism works. By highlighting the most common myths committed by Christians when thinking about economics, such as 'capitalism is based on greed and over consumption' or 'if someone becomes rich that automatically means someone else will become poor,' Money, Guilt, and God equips readers to take practical steps in their own lives to conduct business, worship God, and serve others without falling into the 'prosperity gospel' trap.


Editorial Reviews

Review

“In Money, Greed, and God, Jay Richards has written the definitive case for capitalism, a crisply written and incisive discourse on wealth and poverty, money and morality for the 21st Century.” (George Gilder, co-founder of the Discovery Institute and author of Wealth and Poverty)

“Jay Richards understands the objections to capitalism, and here explains why they do not convince him. The empirical findings revealed in Money, Greed, and God run against those objections.” (Michael Novak, Chair in Religion and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute)

In Money, Greed, and God, Jay Richards shows us . . . a capitalism grounded in the truth about human beings as free, morally responsible, co-creators charged with dominion and stewardship of the earth by the loving God to whom we are all ultimately accountable. (Rev. Robert A. Sirico, President of the Acton Institute)

“Money, Greed, and God is both thoughtful and important.” (Washington Times)

From the Back Cover

Does capitalism promote greed? Can a person follow Jesus's call to love others and also support capitalism? Was our recent economic crisis caused by flaws inherent to our free market system? Jay Richards presents a new approach to capitalism, revealing how it's fully consistent with Jesus's teachings and the Christian tradition, while also showing why this system is our best bet for renewed economic vigor.

The church is bombarded with two competing messages about money and capitalism:

  • wealth is bad and causes much of the world's suffering
  • wealth is good and God wants you to prosper and be rich

Richards exposes these myths, and other common misconceptions about capitalism, and reveals the surprising ways that capitalism is, in fact, the best system to respond to the biblical mandates of alleviating poverty and protecting the environment. Money, Greed, and God equips readers to take practical steps in their own lives to conduct business, worship God, and serve others without falling into the "prosperity gospel" trap.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: HarperOne (May 5, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061375616
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061375613
  • Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 6 x 8.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
92 of 108 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Money, Greed, and God June 21, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I will cut to the chase - this is going to be a very, very positive book review. This is an excellent book, and I will explain why I am so fond of it in just a moment. But since I write a lot of book reviews, and the one negative thing I have to say about this book is something I have never said before, I will just get it out of the way up front so I can move on to the real review: I wish I had written this book. Quite literally, Jay Richards took the need for me to do something I was very serious about doing (some day) right off of my "to-do" list. A book for laymen of faith that provides a Biblical defense of free market capitalism is in tremendous need. John Schneider's The Good of Affluence" is a fantastic contribution ([...] but its focus is exegetical and theological. Dinesh D'Souza's The Virtue of Prosperity is delightful, but it is specifically contextualized to an era that was practically gone by the time the book was published (the dot com techno-affluence world). A slew of treatises exist that provide an underlying defense of capitalism, but the sad reality is that most books defending the morality of a free market ideology were not written by people of faith, or at least not people publicly identifying their faith-based presuppositions. The book concept I have been so excited to see is one that was (a) Written for an audience of laymen, (b) Written for an audience of professing believers, (c) Written with an underlying theological credibility and understanding, and (d) Written with a very specific economic expertise. Perhaps I was fooling myself to think I was the person to tackle such an endeavor, but I am happy (and sad) to report that my vision has now been fulfilled.... Read more ›
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67 of 80 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Richards on Rand May 18, 2009
Format:Hardcover
Richards is not a Randian, but he notes several positive things about Rand, not surprising from an author who explains that he was positively influenced by Rand. To clarify his position on Rand, Richards does not argue in this book that Rand defends misers. Quite the contrary. He discusses the fact that she makes pioneering entrepreneurs the heroes of her novels. Richards' complaints are that:(1) She defends selfishness; (2)she attacks the sacrificial ideal (common to the Judeo-Christian and broadly Western tradition); and (3) she argues that Christianity and capitalism are incompatible.

Richards does say that readers might expect her to defend misers because of her praise of selfishness. He never says she did so. Here's what he says in the chapter on greed:

"Despite Rand's official praise of selfishness, however, John Galt doesn't look anything like Ebenezer Scrooge or that fat, cigar-smoking, tuxedo-clad guy in Monopoly. On the contrary, Galt is a pioneer, a brave creator of wealth who pursues his vision despite powerful obstacles, including a malevolent state bent on destroying him. In fact, although Rand despised Christian self-sacrifice, Galt is suspiciously Christ-like. He preaches a message of salvation, founds a community, challenges the status quo and official powers-that-be, who hunt him down, torture him, but ultimately fail to conquer him.

"To be sure, there are dissonant notes. His symbol is not a cross, but the dollar sign. The book ends with Galt and his lover tracing the sign of the dollar across a dry valley. But insofar as Galt's character works, it's because he contradicts the miserly stereotype that Rand's philosophy leads the reader to expect. In fact, none of Rand's best fictional characters fits her philosophy very well.
... Read more ›
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65 of 82 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Have we overlooked something? August 26, 2011
By Enigma
Format:Paperback
I read this book through several times with the intent of providing a fair review on such a thought provoking topic. I don't profess to come to my conclusions without the personal influence of deeply held convictions that may not agree with the convictions of others who have read this book. However, in order to add to the discussion with the hope of generating thoughtful reflection in the minds and hearts of Christian readers, I add my two cents.

To supply a little background, I hold a Theology degree, I am a CPA with a graduate degree in accounting, I have been active in the business world for several decades, have been a born-again, spirit-filled Christian since the early `70s, and consider myself a student of economics, entrepreneurship and business management. My review will reflect that background and borrow from my life's experiences that influence my findings.

It is my opinion that Jay Richards has spent a great deal of time considering his position. He clearly articulates his views and has addressed many of the concerns that Christians might have in attempting to synthesize an economic position that fits with their faith. However, in spite of the satisfaction derived by many of his Amazon book reviewers I believe some important influential arguments have not been thoroughly addressed. The case between communism/central control and capitalism/free markets would seem to be a "no-brainer". When compared with each other the benefits of capitalism certainly shine. My concern is that there is a tendency to stop one's thinking at this point. It may be that God has a system that transcends both communism and capitalism. They may not be the only two choices that Christians have.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This is the third time I have bought this book, keep giving it away. It is rare that someone can change my opinion on something, but Jay Richards did just that.
Published 2 months ago by Kathleen Dearing
5.0 out of 5 stars TERRIFIC
Passed it on to a high school teacher friend who also thought it was terrific. Very well researched and convincingly argued for freedom, Christianity and capitalism. Read more
Published 3 months ago by HERBERT BRUCE DIMMITT
2.0 out of 5 stars I appreciate the author's time and thoughts on addressing this topic...
I appreciate the author taking his time and I'm sure immense effort to address the topic of Christian Theology and capitalism. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for a Christian Capitalist
Great read for a Christian and a capitalist. Sets many misconceptions about seemingly inconsistency between Christianity and capitalism. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Donald M Alldredge
5.0 out of 5 stars Clear-headed, well presented
Jay Richards does an excellent job of bringing home the fact that in any real society, man's sin nature makes Utopian socialism impossible. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bijan Nemati
5.0 out of 5 stars Money, Greed and God
There are lots of foilks in my church who feel that capitalism is morally questionable and who believe that our having prosperity means someone else can't have it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Joe Book
4.0 out of 5 stars CAPITALISM MUST WORK WITHOUT GREED CORRUPTIO AND FRAUD
THE BOOK IS GOOD BUT I WANT A FINAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF GREED.ALSO THE ARROGANCE OF EVIL TELLS YOU AFTER 40 YEARS OF RECESSIONS HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Greg
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting
It was pleasant to read this book. It took the christian ethics to the economics and disentangled christianity from communism. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Filipe Guerra
5.0 out of 5 stars Free Market, Free World
Jay Richards, as always, tackles the ethics of a difficult topic using well researched data, logic and humor. Free market capitalism is an ideal subject for his approach. Read more
Published 6 months ago by hugh tobin
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those who love Freedom
This is an excellent book. Jay Richards presents cogent arguments for Capitalism that are an easy read. Read more
Published 6 months ago by alarebel
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