Download or read book Economics in Christian Perspective written by Victor V. Claar and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2015-04-21 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Victor Claar and Robin Klay introduce students to the basic principles of economics and then evaluate the principles and issues as seen from a Christian perspective. This textbook places the economic life in the context of Christian discipleship and stewardship. This text is for use in any course needing a survey of the principles of economics.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Religion written by Rachel M. McCleary and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-27 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a one-of-kind volume bringing together leading scholars in the economics of religion for the first time. The treatment of topics is interdisciplinary, comparative, as well as global in nature. Scholars apply the economics of religion approach to contemporary issues such as immigrants in the United States and ask historical questions such as why did Judaism as a religion promote investment in education? The economics of religion applies economic concepts (for example, supply and demand) and models of the market to the study of religion. Advocates of the economics of religion approach look at ways in which the religion market influences individual choices as well as institutional development. For example, economists would argue that when a large denomination declines, the religion is not supplying the right kind of religious good that appeals to the faithful. Like firms, religions compete and supply goods. The economics of religion approach using rational choice theory, assumes that all human beings, regardless of their cultural context, their socio-economic situation, act rationally to further his/her ends. The wide-ranging topics show the depth and breadth of the approach to the study of religion.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics written by Paul Oslington and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The new interdisciplinary field of Christianity and economics deals with the important and difficult questions that cluster at the boundary of these disciplines, drawing on contemporary theory and empirical findings in both fields, with roots in older discourses. This landmark volume surveys the field and advances the discussion. It deploys historical, economic, and theological analysis to search for answers.

Download or read book Marketplace of the Gods written by Larry Witham and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-05 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two centuries after Adam Smith illuminated the workings of the marketplace, a new movement among economists and social scientists is expanding his insights into a groundbreaking "economics of religion." Using cutting edge ideas from the behavioral sciences, and a deep knowledge of religious history, this new approach is making sense not only of past beliefs, but of religion today. In Marketplace of the Gods, award-winning journalist Larry Witham tells the inside story of this expanding "economic approach" to religion, the puzzles it tries to solve, the controversies it has stirred, and the people who are making it happen. He shows that the economic approach, while evoking images of stock markets or accounting ledgers, actually begins with a simple idea about human beings as rational actors, judging costs and benefits in life. Every life has limits, so human experience is a series of trade-offs, balancing resources to make choices for the best possible benefits. As the economics of religion shows, this model can be applied to the rich story of the human race and its gods. Beginning with the individual, the choices in religion shape households, groups, movements, and entire "religious economies" of nations. On the one hand, this mixing of the profane and the sacred, the economic and the religious, is an exciting exchange of ideas between economics, sociology, psychology, history, and theology. On the other, it has spurred a lively protest. Indeed, for some, the economic approach seems to transform our good angels into grubby consumers. As Witham shows, however, the economic approach to religion has insights for everyone, believers and skeptics alike. He illuminates this approach in a volume rich with ideas, history, contemporary events, and the insights of some of our sharpest modern-day thinkers.

Download or read book Economic Theory and Christian Belief written by Andrew J. Britton and published by Peter Lang Limited, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 2003 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Any attempt to use the Bible as a basis for addressing contemporary economic issues needs to recognise the fundamental differences in underlying philosophy between economic theory and Christian belief. Neo-classical economic theory embodies a view of the world and of human nature, derived from the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, which has become immensely influential in recent times. 'Economic man' is a rational, independent being, set in an environment of scarcity, but able to improve his welfare by transactions in a market economy. This 'anthropology' is explained and examined systematically in this book, following broadly the pattern of an economics textbook, and drawing on some recent work in methodology. In each chapter, a second part presents a contrasting view of the same subject matter drawn from the Bible as interpreted by contemporary scholars. This gives a radically different account of human life and well-being, centred on the community and its relationship with God, in which prosperity, abundance and hope for the future are divine blessings and gifts. Despite the wide gaps between economic theory and Christian belief some points of contact can be made, and there are suggestions as to how a dialogue between them might be conducted.

Download or read book Advances in the Economics of Religion written by Jean-Paul Carvalho and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-06-29 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection brings together expertise from around the globe to overview and debate key concepts and concerns in the economics of religion. While the economics of religion is a relatively new field of research in economics, economists have made and continue to make important contributions to the understanding of religion. There is much scope for economists to continue to make a significant contribution to debates about religion, including its implications for conflict, political economy, public goods, demography, education, finance, trade and economic growth.

Download or read book Theology and Economics written by Jeremy Kidwell and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-27 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together a prominent group of Christian economists and theologians to provide an interdisciplinary look at how we might use the tools of economic and theological reasoning to cultivate more just and moral economies for the 21st century.

Download or read book The Marketplace of Christianity written by Robert B. Ekelund, Jr. and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2008-09-26 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economics can help us understand the evolution and development of religion, from the market penetration of the Reformation to an exploration of today's hot-button issues including evolution and gay marriage. This startlingly original (and sure to be controversial) account of the evolution of Christianity shows that the economics of religion has little to do with counting the money in the collection basket and much to do with understanding the background of today's religious and political divisions. Since religion is a set of organized beliefs, and a church is an organized body of worshippers, it's natural to use a science that seeks to explain the behavior of organizations—economics—to understand the development of organized religion. The Marketplace of Christianity applies the tools of economic theory to illuminate the emergence of Protestantism in the sixteenth century and to examine contemporary religion-influenced issues, including evolution and gay marriage. The Protestant Reformation, the authors argue, can be seen as a successful penetration of a religious market dominated by a monopoly firm—the Catholic Church. The Ninety-five Theses nailed to the church door in Wittenberg by Martin Luther raised the level of competition within Christianity to a breaking point. The Counter-Reformation, the Catholic reaction, continued the competitive process, which came to include "product differentiation" in the form of doctrinal and organizational innovation. Economic theory shows us how Christianity evolved to satisfy the changing demands of consumers—worshippers. The authors of The Marketplace of Christianity avoid value judgments about religion. They take preferences for religion as given and analyze its observable effects on society and the individual. They provide the reader with clear and nontechnical background information on economics and the economics of religion before focusing on the Reformation and its aftermath. Their analysis of contemporary hot-button issues—science vs. religion, liberal vs. conservative, clerical celibacy, women and gay clergy, gay marriage—offers a vivid illustration of the potential of economic analysis to contribute to our understanding of religion.

Download or read book Rulers Religion and Riches written by Jared Rubin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-02-16 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book seeks to explain the political and religious factors leading to the economic reversal of fortunes between Europe and the Middle East.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics written by Paul Oslington and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-01-31 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many important contemporary debates cross economics and religion, in turn raising questions about the relationship between the two fields. This book, edited by a leader in the new interdisciplinary field of economics and religion and with contributions by experts on different aspects of the relationship between economics and Christianity, maps the current state of scholarship and points to new directions for the field. It covers the history of the relationship between economics and Christianity, economic thinking in the main Christian traditions, and the role of religion in economic development, as well as new work on the economics of religious behavior and religious markets and topics of debate between economists and theologians. It is essential reading for economists concerned with the foundations of their discipline, historians, moral philosophers, theologians seeking to engage with economics, and public policy researchers and practitioners.

Download or read book Faith Finance and Economy written by Tanweer Akram and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book seeks to foster a multidisciplinary understanding of the ties between faith, financial intermediation, and economic progress by drawing on research across economics, finance, history, philosophy, ethics, theology, public policy, law, and other disciplines. Chapters in this edited volume examine themes as consequential as economic opportunities, real world outcomes and faith; values and consumerism; faith, financial intermediation and economic development in Western and Islamic societies; and the impact of faith issues on US workers, on the workplace and religion, and on the characteristics of good wealth. Though engaging with difficult questions, this book is written in an accessible style to be enjoyed by laypeople and scholars alike.

Download or read book Economics as Religion written by Robert H. Nelson and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-06-13 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robert Nelson’s Reaching for Heaven on Earth, Economics as Religion, and The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion Versus Environmental Religion in Contemporary America read almost like a trilogy, exploring and charting the boundaries of theology and economics from the Western foundations of ancient Greece through the traditions that Nelson identifies as “Protestant” and “Roman,” and on into modern economic forms such as Marxism and capitalism, as well as environmentalism. Nelson argues that economics can be a genuine form of religion and that it should inform our understanding of the religious developments of our times. This edition of Economics as Religion situates the influence of his work in the scholarly economic and theological conversations of today and reflects on the state of the economics profession and the potential implications for theology, economics, and other social sciences.

Download or read book Economics Today written by Donald A. Hay and published by Regent College Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economics has assumed a dominant role in shaping our modern world. In this book, Donald Hay develops a critique of economics today in the light of a Christian understanding of truth. The author's purpose is to equip the reader with arguments and principles with which to confront new economic problems, as well as to analyse our present situation. Case studies take the arguments and apply them to particular areas of economic analysis. Amongst influential cases illuminated by Donald Hay's study are the free market of capitalism and the planned economy of socialism. He analyses macro-economic policy in the advanced industrial economies, the vexed question of relations between rich and poor nations, and the consequences of economic growth. This book gives an exposition of economics as it is practised in the West. It also provides an insight into the underlying beliefs of economists when they pronounce on public policy issues which affect all of our lives. Donald Hay is a Fellow and Tutor in Economics at Jesus College, Oxford, and a Reader in the Church of England.

Download or read book Economics Ethics and Religion written by R. Wilson and published by Springer. This book was released on 1997-02-24 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a revival of interest by economists in ethical issues and beliefs, and by moral philosophers and theologians in economics. This book is intended to make a contribution to this cross-fertilisation of ideas. Rodney Wilson has undertaken an extensive survey of Jewish, Christian and Muslim views on economics, and reviewed the rapidly expanding business ethics literature from a religious perspective. The juxtaposition of the work of theologians and moral philosophers with that of economists results in some interesting comparisons.

Download or read book Christian Origins and the Ancient Economy written by David A. Fiensy and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2014-07-22 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does economics have to do with Christian origins? Why study such a connection? First of all, the New Testament makes many direct references to economic issues. But, second, the economy affects every other aspect of life (family, religion, community, work, health, and politics). To understand what it was like to live in a society, one must understand what the economy was doing. The study of the economy includes not only the goods and services of a society but also human labor and its control. For one, it entails the size of the pie of goods. (How prosperous was first-century Galilee?) But the study of economy also takes account of the slice of the pie that each family obtained. (How fair was the economy to each family?) Those involved in the quest for the historical Jesus have discovered that the ancient economy is a major point of dispute among various interpreters. Was the early Jesus movement a socioeconomic protest? Or was it primarily a religious reform? These two approaches understand Jesus in remarkably different ways. This volume seeks to guide readers through some of the most controversial issues raised in the last twenty years on this important topic.

Download or read book CHRISTIANITY AND WORLD ECONOMY written by Dr.LI JIN WEI and published by LI JIN WEI. This book was released on 2022-06-14 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the relationship between politics, economic development, and religion while outlining the prevalence of international standards of religious interaction with institutions of development and thought. It describes the disagreement and the severing of the connection between the realms of development and faith and its integration. It shows how the political view of religious politics and development is changing in different parts of the world by quoting what is happening in several countries such as Morocco, Guatemala, the Philippines, Kenya, and Cambodia. Emphasis on the religious side of the Global Economy and the broader politics of development. The two most significant and most influential religious actors are the Catholic Church and Islam. Both world capitalism and Christianity are devout systems. Based on the facts, In the past, Christianity was essential to the formation of capitalism and continued to have strong ties with it. However, some of the most vigorous opposition to international capitalism began amid Christianity. In harmony with religious convictions, both developed steadily, even though Christianity promoted the idea of ​​a poignant and impending end, connected with the concept of ​​human nature. The main goal is to reveal more about the Christian perspective, as it resists the proper accumulation of wealth and power and the damage associated with social relations. It also opposes unlimited debt collection, a feature of modern capitalism linked to its nihilism. Christianity is the deity of man in the economy when it promotes free competition and the protection of property rights and encourages people to share good behaviour. Religious economics is a new field of economic research. This book has two purposes. It looks back because it traces the historical and social background of the industry, and it looks forward because it examines the data and research themes provided to economists to investigate religion around the world today. Plenty of aspects have contributed to the economic impact of religion: (1) new developments in theoretical models that include examples of religious market places and evolutionary models of religious elements; (2) an experimental activity addressing the economic identification of a new way of assessing the underlying causes of religious behaviour; (3) a new study in the history of religious economics that considers religion to be independent rather than dependent evolution; and (4) further research on religion outside of Western countries. Based on these developments, this book discusses four themes - first, religious discrimination, plurality, control, and economic growth; secondly, religious markets, club goods, various brands, and networks; third, identification that includes national competition and generosity; fourth, conflict and cooperation in the development of religion and economy. In reviewing this ancient but paradoxical field of study, the book poses unanswered questions for religious economists to consider for years to come.

Download or read book The Wealth of Religions written by Rachel M. McCleary and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How religious beliefs and practices can influence the wealth of nations Which countries grow faster economically—those with strong beliefs in heaven and hell or those with weak beliefs in them? Does religious participation matter? Why do some countries experience secularization while others are religiously vibrant? In The Wealth of Religions, Rachel McCleary and Robert Barro draw on their long record of pioneering research to examine these and many other aspects of the economics of religion. Places with firm beliefs in heaven and hell measured relative to the time spent in religious activities tend to be more productive and experience faster growth. Going further, there are two directions of causation: religiosity influences economic performance and economic development affects religiosity. Dimensions of economic development—such as urbanization, education, health, and fertility—matter too, interacting differently with religiosity. State regulation and subsidization of religion also play a role. The Wealth of Religions addresses the effects of religious beliefs on character traits such as work ethic, thrift, and honesty; the Protestant Reformation and its long-term effects on education and religious competition; Communism’s suppression of and competition with religion; the effects of Islamic laws and regulations on the functioning of markets and, hence, on the long-term development of Muslim countries; why some countries have state religions; analogies between religious groups and terrorist organizations; the violent origins of the Dalai Lama’s brand of Tibetan Buddhism; and the use by the Catholic Church of saint-making as a way to compete against the rise of Protestant Evangelicals. Timely and incisive, The Wealth of Religions provides fresh insights into the vital interplay between religion, markets, and economic development.