Economic concepts and applications

Economic

The right to private property and inheritance without taxation are essential to a Christian worldview. This assertion may seem counterintuitive at first, given that Christianity is often viewed as an otherworldly religion. However, the faith structure of Christianity contains not simply a core of teachings designed to prepare the individual for the life to come, but life lessons to enable the individual Christian to live a more fulfilling life upon the earth.

The meek shall inherit the earth," Jesus notes in his Sermon on the Mount from the Book of Matthew. This is the most famous quotation directly on the subject of inheritance from the New Testament. However, rather than a counsel to meekness and an admonition to Christians to act in a retiring fashion, this quotation also suggests that it is necessary to pass on from generation to generation, a common Christian value system. The earth is important as the life to come, for those who are alive and dwelling upon the earth. The concept of honoring one's father and mother, derived from the Old Testament, is also inclusive of honoring the previous generation's commitment to the world, to the economic sustenance of the property one's parents have tended and built upon over their lifetime. Just as Christianity built upon the foundations of Judaism, so must all Christians build upon the work of their own family members as it is passed down to them. Like Paul suggests in his Letter to the Galatians, as the covenant of Abraham and Moses with God through Leviticus and the Law has been superseded by the commitment of Jesus through his sacrifice through faith, the nature of bond and covenant through is integral to Christianity. One must honor the bonds of personal property and honor one's commitment to the past to fully honor the tradition of the faith, its continuing structure, and the tradition of family that sustains the Christian worldview. Covenants and bonds of contract through property and law are important to religion, although the nature of those contracts may change in their moral emphasis over time.