In my previous post I gave a brief overview of the doctrine of predestination, especially as developed by the great 16^th century Protestant Reformer John Calvin and his followers.  I ended the post by indicating – surely this is a surprise for many people – that one of the most interesting and formative understandings of modern capitalism is that its has it can be traced back in its origins to Protestant views of predestination.  How does that work exactly?

The key text is Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, tr. Talcott Parsons (NY: Scribner, 1958; German original, 1920).  Weber (= VEY-ber) was an important German intellectual often credited as being the founder of modern Sociology as an academic discipline.

He begins his book with an intriguing question about modern economic systems that, till then, had never posed: why [in his time, the early 20^th century] are there more capitalist ventures, capitalists, and trained capitalist laborers in Protestant countries than in Catholic ones?  And in countries of mixed populations, why are there more Protestant capitalists than Catholic?

Unlock 4,000+ Articles Like This!

Get access to Dr. Ehrman's library of 4,000+ articles plus five new articles per week about the New Testament and early Christianity. It costs as little as $2.99/mth and every cent goes to charity!

Learn More!