The Rise of China’s Economy (according to Home and Away)

There is an interesting Home and Away phenomenon where the very same people who mock and despise fans of the series suddenly develop a craving to hear the latest news from Summer Bay when they start living overseas. And then they come back home and either become secret fans and/or continue the derision. Why, you may even know some of these people yourself!

It is a fact that when we are surrounded by something good, we can take it for granted. Take good old fashioned hard work for example. Most of us living here, a country with a strong Christian heritage, know (or suspect) that it is a good thing to work hard for a living. But why? Max Weber suggested in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904) that there might be a link between faith and wealth. He wrote that the rise of capitalism in the West could possibly have been influenced by the Protestant work ethic.

This is an interesting thought which the country of China may be taking to heart. In a 2008 Wall Street Journal article, a Communist Party member and advisor to the Chinese Central Committee is reported believing that, ‘…Christianity and the ethical system based upon its teachings are the reason that Western countries dominate the global economy’ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121815556386722667.html). This idea is also expanded on in God is Back by John Micklethwait, current editor in chief of The Economist (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/5443032/God-is-Back-by-John-Micklethwait-and-Adrian-Wooldridge-review.html).

How funny is it then that: 1. Australia’s economy is driven by China. 2. China’s economy could be actually driven (or at least strongly influenced) by Christianity. 3. Christianity is seen as been less and less relevant in Australia (which is dependent on China’s continual economic growth). What?

While many would be happy to admit that Christianity is no longer relevant in life today, we can forget that many of our values and much of our ethical content (which contribute to our standard of living and security we enjoy) is derived from the truths in the Bible. Sadly, just like Home and Away, we can take it for granted until we go overseas.