Will the Rich Be in Heaven?
I decided to start this blog with a little research around this concept of Protestant Ethic and the author who coined the term in 1904. Max Weber was a German sociologist who was born the eldest son to parents Max and Helen in Erfurt, Germany on April 21, 1864 and died June 14, 1920 in Munich, Germany. His father was an aspiring liberal politician, and his mother was raised in Calvinist orthodoxy. In 1893 he started teaching jurisprudence at the University of Berlin and met and married his wife, Marianne Schnitger, who were actually “kissing cousins” since she was in fact his second cousin. It is no surprise that Weber was a workaholic and had a huge capacity to create intellectual works and quickly rose in ranks to become a full professor in political economy at Freiburg and later Heidelberg. Interestingly, after his father’s death in 1897 he had his first nervous breakdown and became intermittently institutionalized for the next five years and was forced to resign his professorship at Heidelberg. In 1903 he finally recovered and resumed his scholarly work and produced his most famous work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.[1]
His concept of the Protestant ethic was later referred to as the Protestant work ethic, the Calvinist work ethic or the Puritan work ethic. “It is a concept that spans theology, sociology, economics and history and emphasizes that hard work, discipline and frugality are a result of a person’s subscription to the values espoused by the Protestant faith, particularly Calvinism.”[2] It was interesting to learn about the connection between these Protestant ethics and capitalism, and the influence his Calvinist roots had on his theory. At the foundation of his concept was his Calvinist belief that the elect were predestined by God, and since God was behind this determination, man tried to figure out who was actually in this special group. “Since it was impossible to know who was predestined, the notion developed that it might be possible to discern that a person was elect (predestined) by observing their way of life. Hard work and frugality were thought to be two important consequences of being one of the elect. Protestants were thus attracted to these qualities and supposed to strive for reaching them.”[3] In fact, Weber “held that the Protestant ethic was an important factor in the economic success of Protestant groups in the early stages of European capitalism; because worldly success could be interpreted as a sign of eternal salvation, it was vigorously pursued.”[4]
In applying this concept of the Protestant work ethic and its connection to capitalism to the church today, I would say we have lost any connection to the church being the catalyst. As Weber states, “Any relationship between religious beliefs and conduct is generally absent, and where any exists, at least in Germany, it tends to be of the negative sort. The people filled with the spirit of capitalism today tend to be indifferent, if not hostile, to the Church.”[5] I’m hoping my Calvinist brothers/sisters in the cohort can shed light on whether this belief is still present among people seeking to discover who those predestined individuals might be. This idea of worldly success being a sign of eternal salvation reminds me of those “name it and claim it”, “prosperity gospel” ministries that popped up in the 1950s and became more prevalent in the 1980s with the televangelism movement. It was taught that if you are a true Christian you should be blessed by God in every area of your life, finances, possessions, health, etc. When I was younger, I remember having discussions with people who were concerned about unconfessed sin or lack of spiritual discipline as to why they were not experiencing this level of success in their life. It some ways it seems that these leaders believed what Weber said, “In practice, this means that God helps those who help themselves. Thus the Calvinist, as it is sometimes put, himself creates his own salvation, or, as would be more correct, the conviction of it.”[6]
I found the following summary rather helpful in understanding the results of this Protestant ethic on society:
“Weber’s conclusion is a unique one. Weber found that under the influence of Protestant religions, especially Puritanism, individuals were religiously compelled to follow a secular vocation with as much enthusiasm as possible. A person living according to this worldview was therefore more likely to accumulate money. Further, the new religions, such as Calvinism and Protestantism, forbade wastefully using hard-earned money and labeled the purchase of luxuries as a sin. These religions also frowned upon donating money to the poor or to charity because it was seen as promoting beggary. Thus, a conservative, even stingy lifestyle, combined with a work ethic that encouraged people to earn money, resulted in large amounts of available money. The way these issues were resolved, Weber argued, was to invest the money—a move that gave a large boost to capitalism. In other words, capitalism evolved when the Protestant ethic influenced large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world, developing their own enterprises and engaging in trade and the accumulation of wealth for investment.”[7]
The other famous concept from Weber, the “iron cage”, was interestingly not from him directly. Since his original book was written in German in 1904, it was translated into English in 1930 by American sociologist Talcott Parsons, who took what Weber referred to in German as a stahlhartes Gehäuse, which literally translated means “housing hard as steel” and translated it to say “iron cage” in English.[8] This concept and the English name for it has been widely accepted among sociologists today. The fact that capitalism has become its own animal apart from, what Weber would argue as its Calvinist roots, is proof that we all live in this “iron cage” called capitalism. “In Weber’s view, the Protestant ethic was the driving force behind the mass action that led to the development of capitalism. And it was Weber who famously articulated the concept of the “iron cage”—the theory that an economic system can become a restrictive force that can prevent change and perpetuate its own failings.”[9] It is my prayer that we are not restricted in our efforts to change the world with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
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[1] Arthur Mitzman, Max Weber, Encyclopedia Britannica (January 5, 2018) Accessed March 6, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Max-Weber-German-sociologist
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic
[4] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Protestant-ethic
[5] Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, (Skyros Publishing) Kindle Edition, p. 26.
[7] Ashley Crossman, “A Book Overview: “The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism”.” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-protestant-ethic-and-the-spirit-of-capitalism-3026763 (accessed March 6, 2018).
[8] Nicki Lisa Cole, Understanding Max Weber’s “Iron Cage”, January 26, 2018, https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-max-webers-iron-cage-3026373
[9] Ashley Crossman, “A Book Overview: “The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism”.” ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-protestant-ethic-and-the-spirit-of-capitalism-3026763 (accessed March 6, 2018).
About the Author
Jake Dean-Hill
Currently a Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice. Ordained minister with 10 years of prior full-time church ministry experience and currently volunteering with a local church plant. Also working with companies as a Corporate Leadership Coach.7 responses to “Will the Rich Be in Heaven?”
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Hey Jake, I also was curious about Weber’s family background, but I did not look into it as much as you did. I had the sense, when reading Weber, that he had an intimate understanding of Calvinism, but not the sense that he himself was a believer. It didn’t seem like he was discussing the Protestant ethic from a “we” position as much as from a “they” position. Thay may have been because he was making observations about the Protestant ethic in the US, and he was German.
The idea of the “iron cage”, or at Wells and Baehr translated it, “the shell as hard as steel” was an unintended consequence of the Protestant ethic. This has made me start to wonder if my current efforts might have some unintended consequences. How does this idea relate to your project? Can you think of any ways that gender equality might unwittingly create an “iron cage”?
Actually my hope is that more gender equality will get rid of the iron cage for most women and provide more freedom for us all to lead together. Thanks for your thoughts Jenn.
Hi Jake,
Thanks so much for your background research on Weber. It was thorough and helpful. I also very much appreciate your closing, “It is my prayer that we are not restricted in our efforts to change the world with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.” To me, that is the key! I appreciate your efforts and time spent this week, it has paid off!
Thanks Jay for your encouraging words.
Jake,
I am not so sure that your estimation regarding those enamored with capitalism today are hostile to the Church. While it’s true that many do not know or comprehend the calvinist foundation for the ideology it seems to me that most would regard themselves as fairly conservative proponents of the entirety of the ‘system’ which would include the Church. Like it or not the Church has helped to propagate consumerism and capitalism through its interpretation of what constitutes blessing and maintaining social order. Thus Marx saw the Church as the opiate. Though he was referring to what he saw as oppression of the underclasses, one could make a strong argument that the Church continues in this role today.
Thanks for your research on Weber. That helped put his work in context.
Hey Jake, Great job discussing the real challenges of Calvinism. I also agree that it seems we lost the Christian underpinning of capitalism today, though I wonder if it still lies back in the imagination somewhere, or at least in the system. I don’t know. You were spot on with this quote: “Any relationship between religious beliefs and conduct is generally absent, and where any exists, at least in Germany, it tends to be of the negative sort. The people filled with the spirit of capitalism today tend to be indifferent, if not hostile, to the Church.”
Jake, great perspective! The history of Weber is helpful in understanding his paradigm as he wrote this text. I loved the connection to the term “iron cage” – what a symbol for where we are in America today. I see our fundamental belief systems as iron clad, even at the mercy of the vulnerable and oppressed. Thank you for such great insight! WWCCB