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Jumpstarter 8 of 10

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The Myth of Christian America  /  MCA (5 of 14): The English Come to America  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
Bercot says Jamestown was “saved…by tobacco,” then ties that to Matthew 6:24 (“You cannot serve God and mammon”); how does his description of tobacco dominating Virginia (currency, taxes, laws, export duties) confront modern Christian assumptions about prosperity, business success, and “God’s blessing”?
Another way to ask: If tobacco “saved” Jamestown but then ruled Virginia’s economy, how does that challenge the idea that prosperity and business success are always signs of God’s blessing (Matthew 6:24)?

Direct Answer Bercot argues Jamestown’s “success” was not God’s blessing but a sign of serving mammon: tobacco brought profit yet drove harmful, conscience-violating choices and shaped the whole society. That confronts the assumption that economic prosperity proves God’s approval.

Support from Transcript:

  • He quotes Jesus: “You cannot serve God and mammon,” and says when profit becomes our master, “we’re rejecting Jesus Christ as our Lord.”
  • Jamestown was “about to collapse” and was “saved… by tobacco,” not “by God.”
  • Tobacco became dominant: “currency in Virginia and Maryland,” used to pay “taxes,” and courts imposed “fines” in tobacco.
  • “The vast majority of laws… concerned tobacco,” and the first House of Burgesses law set “a minimum price” for tobacco.
  • Export duties on tobacco became a “principal source of revenue,” and exports skyrocketed (10 tons in 1617 to 1,500 tons by 1639, over 10,000 tons by 1699).
Discussion Follow-ups How do we evaluate “success” if it can come from greed or harm to others? What signs would show that a church or family has started to measure God’s favor mainly by profit and growth?

Jumpstarter 8 of 10
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