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If Christians have never held common views on the market or the creation of wealth, they have sometimes been guilty of stating their views without doing the necessary empirical analysis or showing their theological working. The point of this book is to help us think through economic issues in an informed way and wrestle with theological principles in the process.
It is certainly a timely book, for, as its editors remind us, we are in a very different world from that which existed even ten years ago, and if our faith is to have any relevance it must keep pace with changing times. Tradition is not to be ignored, and debts are paid here to Tawney, Temple, Preston and even Maurice, but this is a book which engages with the present reality and recognises that new thinking is needed. Its stated intent is to see faith ‘occupy a more central position in the reformulation of religion in the West including in its conversation with economics.’
The book is in two uneven halves, the first comprising twelve essays from contributors representing a broad range of economic and theological perspectives, the second just one essay serving as a summary and agenda for future action. The spectrum on which the authors sit is very wide, yet as Peter Brain says in his Foreword, this is a genuine ecumenical exercise, an honest sharing of contrasting views not a ‘muddling through’ in search of a ‘false consensus’. While the perspective is predominantly Christian, the inclusion of an essay by a Muslim social entrepreneur on Islamic political economy adds a welcome dimension and points to developing interfaith dialogue around shared concerns.
As with Prosperity with a Purpose, the Churches Together report to which it serves as a sequel, the starting point of this book is an acknowledgement that we now live in a period of unprecedented prosperity. This is not something we should feel guilty about, however, rather we should see how ‘economic growth’ can serve God’s purposes by promoting human flourishing and reducing poverty. Hence the scene is set for a consideration of issues such as the role of business in promoting justice and protecting the environment, wealth creation and ‘happiness’, the relative merits of competition and co-operation, and the ethics of trade.
This is a stimulating and challenging book which will reward careful study. Although I read it last, I would recommend starting with the conclusion to get a sense of the ‘whole’ before delving into individual chapters to which one feels drawn. While the scope of the book is large, I would like to have seen more reflection on the social consequences of the ever-widening gap between rich and poor we see occurring in developed countries like the UK and USA: as churches we need urgently to engage with the seminal work of Richard Wilkinson showing the healthiest societies are those with the narrowest divide between rich and poor. I also wonder whether the conversation here might have been even livelier had not eleven of the thirteen contributors been white, male and professional. What response to its explicit assumptions about our growing prosperity, or claim that ‘we are all powerful now’ as consumers, might have been offered by someone for whom even the price of this book constituted a week’s disposable income?
Andrew Bradstock |
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