What does the history of Christian views of economic life mean for economic life in the twenty-first century? Here Daniel Finn reviews the insights provided by a large number of texts, from the Bible and the early church, to the Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation, to treatments 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.
Daniel K. Finn is the William and Virginia Clemens Professor of Economics and the Liberal Arts and professor of theology at Saint John's University and the College of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. He is a past president of the Society 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).
"This is a much-needed and welcome addition to the scholarship on Christian economic ethics. Daniel K. Finn not only surveys the literature, but he also analyzes and applies it well to contemporary problems. His down-to-earth explanation of the tradition and its development makes this work accessible to a wide audience and ideal for course adoption." Albino Barrera, O.P. professor of economics and theology Providence College "Daniel Finn treats the relationship of Christian social ethics and economic life with the subtlety, insight, and balance that it deserves but rarely gets. The study is deepened by opening up the history of Christian social teaching, brightened by everyday examples, and sweetened by a kind and generous tone. Finn is gracious toward those who disagree with his positions, but always clear and firm about where he stands." John Tiemstra professor emeritus of economics Calvin College "Finn accomplishes two important tasks in this book. First, he surveys the historical development of the principles of Christian social thought. Second, he presents the Christian tradition as a credible and challenging alternative to the entire spectrum of political ideology, not simply as a another tool for those ideologies to employ in the political fray." Andrew Yuengert professor of economics Pepperdine University "It is hard to imagine a more ambitious topic or a more satisfying treatment of it. With consistently reliable and insightful analysis, this volume tackles the central issues that arise when Christians in any era address matters of economic justice. Taking seriously both theological texts and social scientific data, Finn offers a lively and informative survey that connects traditions of the past with realities of the present as well as directions for the future." Thomas Massaro, S.J. professor of moral theology Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University "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 economic ethics. Specialists will want their own copy and beginners will find this work as an indispensable introduction to the topic." John A. Coleman, S. J. Casassa Professor of Social Values Emeritus Loyola Marymount University "In this valuable book, Catholic ethicist and economist Daniel K. Finn provides readers with a learned, comprehensive, and remarkably lucid survey of the terrain of Christian economic ethics, its sources, history, interdisciplinary dimensions, and implications for contemporary practice. Intellectually rich yet accessible to a broad audience, the text incisively charts fundamental questions and basepoints marking Christian ethics and contemporary economics, drawing them into mutually-illuminating, critical dialogue." Christine Firer Hinze professor of theology Fordham University "Christian Economic Ethics by Daniel Finn provides a much-needed compendium of Christian thought about economic life across the ages. In addition to gathering the relevant texts, Finn offers a lucid discussion of the difficulties of bridging theological thought and modern economic understandings. The result is an invaluable introduction to theological reflection on economics." Mary Hirschfeld assistant professor of economics and theology Villanova University
