For too long, Christians have stressed individual salvation without emphasizing how the individual fits into the entire biblical metanarrative. Once Christians break out of their individualistic mindset regarding God’s redemptive plan and understand their roles in restoring creation, they can unleash their creativity as image-bearers of the Creator through their work.
What does flourishing look like and how can we achieve it? Flourishing, best described by the Hebrew word, shalom, means more than material well-being; it is rightness with God, peace, community, and contentedness. Economic freedom is a powerful means of bringing about flourishing.
Should government be large or small? Scripture sets out four principles that are foundational to the issue: government is established by God, its role in upholding the rule of law is emphasized, limited government suits a fallen people, and history contains many examples of governments that grew to become too large and oppressive.
Do Christians have a reason to support economic freedom? The Bible calls us to work, flourish, and help the poor. In addition, there is scriptural support for private property and limited government. How can these principles shape our understanding of economic matters?
Though we live in a fallen world full of bad news and pessimism, Christians have hope that one day, Christ will renew the earth. One of the ways in which they can show this hope to the rest of the world is to promote flourishing in society through their work and through market trade.
Even the most humanitarian plans can have negative side effects when they turn into laws. In this case, legislation caused Wal-Mart to abandon plans to expand into Washington D.C., costing the District 1,800 new jobs.
The pilgrims attempted to survive on a communal system and almost starved. When they adopted private property rights, they flourished. Read what the Bible and history have to tell us about private property rights.
By: Dr. Anne Bradley
It’s a common policy misconception that disasters are good for economic growth. Hurricane Sandy provides us with an ideal opportunity to reflect on a profound and important economic lesson.
By: Dr. Jay W. Richards
Every year, the federal government spends well over a trillion dollars more than it takes in. If our faith applies to every aspect of life, then it must have something to say about this moral outrage.
In a recent TED talk, Peter Singer suggested that people in wealthy countries should work hard so that they can donate large sums of money to those in need in less developed countries. As Christians, we’re skeptical of Singer’s hyper-utilitarian approach.
