Here’s a fellow that says Christians are being persecuted by capitalism, though I’m afraid I miss the argument. It has something to do with the idea that being well off makes it hard to believe in sin, righteousness, and judgement. Or, the prospect of providing for your family makes it impossible to proclaim the gospel. As I said, I don’t quite follow.
I like the idea of soft persecution, and I think that’s certainly in existence. As the author of Hebrews says, “You have not resisted… to the point of shedding your blood.” But soft persecution in a wealthy industrialized society is not the same as being persecuted by the free market. Surely the free market, to such extent as there is one, is a protection from persecution. If a guy won’t hire you because you’re a christian, there’s likely to be another one around the corner who will. In a free market, a Christian might even start his own business, and run it according to his religious convictions.
You might even say that a country that won’t allow a fellow to run his business according to his religious convictions isn’t participating in a free market at all.
(Hat Tip: The Schooley Files. I almost forgot!)
neumatikos 