Christian Economic Ethics: History and Implications

414 Pages·2013·4.282 MB·English

by  Daniel K. Finn

Exploring the history of economic thought for today—
What does the history of Christian views of economic life mean for economic life in the twenty-
first century? Daniel K. Finn reviews the insights provided by a large number of texts, from the F
i
Bible and the early church, to the Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation, to treatments n
n
of the subject in the last century. Relying on both social science and theology, Finn then turns
to the implications of this history for economic life today. Throughout, the book invites the
reader to engage the sources and to develop an answer to the volume’s basic question.
Praise for Christian Economic Ethics
“I can only think of one concise and apt adjective to describe Daniel Finn’s Christian Economic
Ethics: History and Implications: magisterial! No other single volume so deftly recounts the
entire history of Christian economic ethics, Protestant and Catholic, and its development
while so brilliantly engaging in a two-way dialogue between economics and Christian eco-
C
nomic ethics. Specialists will want their own copy and beginners will find this work as an h
indispensable introduction to the topic.” r
John A. Coleman, s.j. | Loyola Marymount University i
s
“Daniel Finn treats the relationship of Christian social ethics and economic life with the sub- t
i
tlety, insight, and balance that it deserves but rarely gets. The study is deepened by opening up a
the history of Christian social teaching, brightened by everyday examples, and sweetened by n
a kind and generous tone. Finn is gracious toward those who disagree with his positions, but
E
always clear and firm about where he stands.”
C
John Tiemstra | Calvin College o
n
“Finn accomplishes two important tasks in this book. First, he surveys the historical develop-
o
ment of the principles of Christian social thought. Second, he presents the Christian tradition
m
as a credible and challenging alternative to the entire spectrum of political ideology, not sim-
ply as a another tool for those ideologies to employ in the political fray.” i
C
Andrew Yuengert | Pepperdine University
E
t
Daniel K. Finn is the William and Virginia Clemens Professor
h
of Economics and the Liberal Arts and professor of theology
i
at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, C
Collegeville, Minnesota. He is a past president of the Society s
of Christian Ethics, the Association for Social Economics,
and the Catholic Theological Society of America. He is the
author or editor of a number of books, including The Moral
Ecology of Markets (2006), The True Wealth of Nations (2010),
and The Moral Dynamics of Economic Life (2012).
Religion / History / Ethics
CHRISTIAN ECONOMIC ETHICS

CHRISTIAN
ECONOMIC ETHICS
HISTORY AND IMPLICATIONS
DANIEL K. FINN
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
CHRISTIAN ECONOMIC ETHICS
History and Implications
Copyright © 2013 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in
critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner
without prior written permission from the publisher. Visit
http://www.augsburgfortress.org/copyrights/ or write to Permissions, Augsburg
Fortress, Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
ScriptureistakenfromtheHolyBible,NewInternationalVersion®,copyright©1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
Cover image © iStockphoto.com / tomograf
Cover design: Justin Korhonen
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Print ISBN: 978-0-8006-9961-1
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4514-5228-0
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
NationalStandardforInformationSciences—PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials, ANSI Z329.48-1984.
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
This book was produced using PressBooks.com, and PDF rendering was done by
PrinceXML.
To Paul Caron,
Polymath and Friend

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
PPaarrtt II..IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn
1. Introduction: Well Water Deep Down 3
2. How a Living Tradition Means 19
PPaarrtt IIII..FFrroomm tthhee BBiibbllee ttoo tthhee RReeffoorrmmaattiioonn
3. The Hebrew Scriptures 33
4. The New Testament 51
5. The Early Church
Christian Faith and Concern for the Poor 71
6. The Early Church
Patristic Teaching on Ownership and Wealth 87
7. The Beginnings of Monastic Life 107
8. The Medieval Period
Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law Ethics 123
9. The Medieval Period
Thomas Aquinas on Four Economic Issues 139
10. The Protestant Reformation 159
PPaarrtt IIIIII..RReessoouurrcceess ffoorr IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn
11. The Development of Moral Teaching 181
12. Engaging Controversies Today 199
13. What We Should and Should Not Learn from Economics 217
PPaarrtt IIVV..MMooddeerrnn CChhuurrcchh TTeeaacchhiinngg oonn EEccoonnoommiicc LLiiffee
14. Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI 237
15. Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI 257
vii
16. Contemporary Protestant Thought on Economic Life 275
17. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI 301
PPaarrtt VV..CCoommiinngg ttoo CCoonncclluussiioonnss
18. Principles for an Economic Ethic Today 329
19. Implications for an Economic Ethic Today 349
20. Society, Government, and Market: Getting the Relationships Right 369
21. Conclusion 383
Bibliography 391
Index 405
Additional Praise forChristian Economic Ethics 411
viii
Acknowledgments
Inwritingthisbook,Ihaveincurredsignificantdebtstomanypeoplewhohave
helped me improve both the substance and presentation of the ideas included
here. Colleagues who have attended exceptionally carefully to the manuscript
and have provided extensive critical advice include Sylvester Theisen, Patrick
Henry, David Cloutier, Albino Barrera, O.P., Mary Hirschfeld, Thomas
Massaro, S.J., and Andrew Yuengert. I am indebted to many who took time
from their days to provide careful advice on particular parts of the book,
including Brian Matz, Jon Gunnemann, Joseph Friedrich, John Erb, Christine
Firer Hinze, James Childs, Karen Bloomquist, and Bronwen McShea.
MycolleaguesintheeconomicsdepartmentattheCollegeofSt.Benedict
and St. John’s University provided helpful feedback on Chapter 13. The
theologians at New Wine, New Wineskins provided really helpful input on
several chapters. And numerous colleagues at the Society of Christian Ethics,
the Catholic Theological Society of America, and the Association for Social
Economics have improved my thinking about the issues underlying this book
over the past three and a half decades. I have likewise been assisted over the
yearsbyanumberofableandgenerousstudentresearchassistantsatSt.John’s,
includingJamesFoley,TylorKlein,NatalieLandwehr,RichardDeVine,Shafak
Samsheer, and Adam Liske.
IamparticularlygratefulforthegeneroushelpofeditorsatFortressPress,
particularly Will Bergkamp, Esther Diley, Lisa Gruenisen, and Marissa Wold.
I am deeply grateful to St. John’s University, where, since 1977, I have
beenamemberoftheDepartmentofEconomics,theDepartmentofTheology,
and the School of Theology, and where since 1984 I have held the William E.
and Virginia Clemens Chair in Economics and the Liberal Arts. Many people
at St. John’s and St. Ben’s have helped me in a myriad of ways over the years.
Of all those who contributed directly or indirectly to this book, I owe the
greatestdebtofgratitudetoJudyShank,whohaspainstakinglytypedandmade
amultitudeofchanges—andchangesofthechanges—ineachpageofthisbook.
Her patience and care have made this final version possible.
ix