What does the Bible say about universal basic income?

Our modern use of the word “utopia” came from Thomas More’s work Utopia, published in 1516. Utopia is Greek for “no-place,” so some scholars interpret More’s novel as satire. Utopia and the concept of dystopia (“bad-place”) remind us of how unattainable a society without ails seems. Some believe universal basic income would be a step toward a genuinely equal, prosperous society, a “eutopia’ (good-place). What is universal basic income? Would it lead to a dystopia or move us toward an equal society?

What is universal basic income?

In recent years, the idea of universal basic income (UBI) has received mainstream attention. Despite many references to the idea, little research has been conducted on it in practice. However, one group backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently completed a three-year-long study on how an extra $1,000 a month changed the lives of the participants.

To understand the study, we need some context. The core of UBI is that everyone regularly receives a set amount of money with no strings attached. But before we explore that idea further, it’s important to note the two most common arguments against its adoption. From there, we will examine the degree to which those concerns are valid.

First, UBI seems unfeasible. Radical UBI would mean a society with no wages for work at all, with every job providing the same income. Very few advocate for this position. Nevertheless, even a modest UBI would significantly raise taxes and potentially throw the economy into disarray, mitigating much of the good done by simply resetting the poverty line through inflation.

Second, UBI faces ethical challenges. Some consider paying an individual, regardless of how they intend to use it, unethical. From this perspective, money is a reward for productivity, effort, competency, and value generated for the greater good. This promotes a kind of fairness based on an individual’s merit. UBI for everyone would provide to people whether they need it or not, whether it’s fair or not. Of course, higher taxes on the wealthy and middle class would neutralize at least some of the benefits to them.

With these objections in mind, let’s take a closer look at what proponents of UBI actually hope to accomplish.

Kinds of universal basic income

The notion of UBI has existed for some time in different forms. For example, “Guaranteed income” isn’t for everyone but aims to help those in poverty. Dr. Martin Luther King considered guaranteed income a plausible way to mitigate poverty. Most people advocating for UBI mean something like guaranteed income. They want a modest but significant amount—around a few hundred to a thousand dollars a month to help people living below the poverty line get on their feet.

On the more extreme end, many leaders in the tech and AI industry believe UBI would help counterbalance jobs lost to its AI competitors. The sect of new transhumanists, or technology optimists like Sam Altman and Elon Musk, believe we will advance through technology. AI will progress our society, according to them, to a eutopia. However, without jobs, humans will need UBI to sustain an economy. This future of an AI-dominated workforce is by no means certain, but it’s one many tech leaders hope for.

This leads us to the results of the study.

Findings of OpenResearch’s UBI study

This study, backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, still focuses on a modest form of UBI. They call it “unconditional cash.” It gave one thousand people below the poverty line $1,000 a month for three years and a control group of two thousand people $50 a month. (It should be noted that these findings are still preliminary, and they are working on academic papers for publication.)

Here are some of their findings.

• “Recipients worked an average of 1.3 fewer hours per week compared to control participants.”
• By the end, recipients brought in less income than the control group, but their overall income, including the payments, was still significantly higher than that of the control group.
• Recipients more frequently used healthcare services that they would have otherwise not afforded. For example, the cash resulted in a “26% increase in the number of hospitalizations in the last year.”
• The cash seemed to reduce alcohol and drug abuse but slightly increased alcohol consumption (although the effects don’t seem statistically significant after adjustment).
• Entrepreneurship motivation and ideation increased slightly.
• Ultimately, people spent most of their money on basic needs, “food, rent, and transportation.” Many also used much of the money on others. One of the lowest expenditures was on “alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.”

OpenResearch highlights the way the extra cash helped struggling families. For example, single parents “worked an average of 2.8 hours less per week than single parent control participants.” This freedom allowed them to spend more time with their children.

The extra cash did not solve the participant’s problems. However, it did give them access to better healthcare, basic needs like food and rent, and freedom for more leisure, social time, and even religious activities. The study didn’t reveal people’s “laziness,” as some might suspect. Nor does it clearly support modest UBI—many of the effects weren’t particularly impactful. As usual, the study’s conclusions are nuanced.

What does the Bible say about money, utopia, and UBI?

Ultimately, money is a shorthand for value. Whether Capitalism or Marxism, Socialism or Liberalism, first-century Rome or the modern United States, money represents power and value. For Christians, this means three things.

First, the World’s use of money will reflect their value judgments—no matter your ideology. If the World values sex, money will go to sex. If the World values more money, the World will spend money to get money. In other words, money won’t ultimately solve any of society’s ills so long as the World remains the World.

Second, when Christians accumulate money and power, they are tempted to spend money and purchase things in the way of the World. When money and power become ends unto themselves, they often lead to self-sufficiency, greater odds of greed, and, ultimately, “is a root of all kinds of evils,” corrupting with ulterior motives (1 Timothy 6:10).

Finally, Christians can utilize earthly money and power to advance God’s kingdom. This doesn’t contradict the first point. Nor does this mean we must all do as the rich young ruler does and “sell what you possess and give to the poor.” (Matthew 19:21) Rather, it means we view money, like honor and shame, as corruptible and finite.

Regardless of whether you think UBI or guaranteed income is a good political idea, the study at least showed that people in poverty tend to use no-strings-attached money for their most basic needs. Raising people out of poverty is one of the strongest, most repeated, and best examples of how Christians can display God’s kingdom of abundance on earth (Deuteronomy 15:11, James 1:27, Luke 12:33, Matthew 5:42, and more).

In short, it’s one of the best uses of money in this life.

How will you use your money to advance God’s kingdom?