In this essay, Robert A. Sirico draws upon theology, philosophy, and history to outline the contours of what he calls the entrepreneurial vocation, and its relationship with the deeper Christian message concerning the incomparable dignity of man and the sanctification of the world through human work.

The Entrepreneurial Vocation

Religion & Spirituality

Robert A. Sirico

Christian Books & Bibles

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty

A Prescription for Health Care Reform (Christian Social Thought)

Condit, Donald P

Fair trade is an enormously popular idea in Christian and secular circles alike. Who, after all, could be against fairness? Victor V. Claar, however, raises significant economic and moral questions about both the logic and economic reasoning underlying the fair trade movement. In this monograph, Claar suggests that, for all its good intentions, fair trade may not be of particular service to the poor, especially in the developing world.

Fair Trade?: Its Prospects as a Poverty Solution

Claar, Victor

Religious Studies

An outline of the moral foundation of the free market economy, built upon respect for private property and voluntary activity.

A Moral Basis for Liberty

Sirico, Robert

Why has the modern Baptist movement flourished while older denominations have declined? Liberal theology and slow-grinding state-church machinery are two reasons, but an even greater reason is ecclesiastical entrepreneurship! For more than two hundred years the Free Church with its “baptist” ecclesiology and evangelical ministry practice in spreading the gospel and starting new churches has mirrored the free-market spirit that has made America great. As the nation flourished, so did the Baptists. Yet most pastors, professors, and parishioners simply don’t connect work, economics, and God’s plan for making us into mature disciples. Evangelicals need a big-picture perspective on the fact that God made us, in part, to work. Plus, all legitimate work glorifies God and through its fruitfulness blesses countless others. So how do politics, economics, and citizenship responsibilities fit into a broader discipleship model of life stewardship? In Flourishing Faith, Dr. Chad Brand shows how by examining key issues of the history and theology of political economy: work, wealth, government, and taxation with its various implications. Brand then explores the philosophy of how government relates to political economy and highlights how Baptists have contributed. Insightful, provocative, and generous.

Flourishing Faith: A Baptist Primer on Work, Economics, and Civic Stewardship

Brand, Chad

Worship & Devotion

Property (Christian Social Thought Series)

Grassl, Wolfgang

Care for the poor has been a hallmark of Christianity since its beginning. Yet the economic world that provides the context for both Christianity and poverty has changed dramatically since the time of Christ. Professor William Luckey helps us to understand that context by tracing the history of Christian thought on poverty and wealth, as well as the history of wealth creation. The creation of wealth requires not only technical expertise and innovation but also social and cultural support. By fostering the attitudes and institutions that provide the context for wealth creation, the Church can make a special contribution to care for the poor. Luckey offers an informed reflection on how Catholics and other Christians might more effectively promote this wealth-creative culture, one that will in turn more effectively lift our brothers and sisters in need out of poverty and desperation. “If Catholics are serious about improving the lives of the poor,” he insists, “we must be serious about understanding the sources of wealth creation.”

Wealth Creation: The Solution to Poverty

Luckey, William R

Rooted in the Tradition of the Orthodox Church and its teaching on the relationship between God, humanity, and all creation, Fr. Michael Butler and Prof. Andrew Morriss offer a new contribution to Orthodox environmental theology. Too often policy recommendations from theologians and Church authorities have taken the form of pontifications, obscuring many important economic and public policy realities. The authors establish a framework for responsible engagement with environmental issues undergirded not only by Church teaching but also by sound economic analysis. Creation and the Heart of Man uniquely takes the discussion of Orthodox environmental ethics from abstract principles to thoughtful interaction with the concrete, sensitive to the inviolability of human dignity, the plight of the poor, and our common destiny of communion with God.

Creation and the Heart of Man: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Environmentalism (ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SOCIAL THOUGHT)

Butler, Fr. Michael

Morriss, Andrew P.

MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS AGO Abraham Kuyper and his followers recognized that knowledge (curriculum) and behavior (pedagogy) are embedded in everyone’s core beliefs about the nature of God, humanity, and the world. Kuyper delivered the two convocation addresses included in this volume to the students of the Vrije Universiteit (Free University) in Amsterdam in 1889 and 1900. A long and hard fight against modern secularizing forces in education and government had in the end provided serious Christians a place at the table of public conversation and gave historic Christianity a voice in the hallowed halls of the university and the public square. Such was the vision for the Vrije Universiteit, a place of religious liberty and rigorous scientific study where the original ideals of the university could flourish again. Here Kuyper offers his views with incisive analysis, good humor, and common sense that still ring true today.

Scholarship: Two Convocation Addresses on University Life

Kuyper, Abraham

Despite the rapid increase in human flourishing since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, critics of the market economy insist that it leads inevitably to consumerism and other excesses of materialism. Those who make this indictment—including sociologists, political pundits, and religious leaders—also ignore how economic liberty has brought about one of the most remarkable achievements in human history: an 80 percent reduction in world poverty since 1970. The Cure for Consumerism examines popular prescriptions for addressing consumerism that range from simply consuming less to completely overhauling our economic system. In this lively and accessible book, Rev. Gregory Jensen synthesizes insights from the spiritual tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church with modern social science to craft a clear understanding of consumerism, to offer real solutions to the problems, and to put faith and economic freedom to work for both the common good and the kingdom of God.

The Cure for Consumerism (ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN SOCIAL THOUGHT)

Jensen, Fr. Gregory

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