Economic Justice

Christianity has had a long-standing interest in economic justice, rooted in its Scriptures, especially Old Testament prophets and the New Testament Gospels. It was taken up by the Church Fathers and the Scholastics, in their concern for the poor, just prices, and usury. Taking this concern to modern market economies is complicated but important. After all, globalization has resulted in rampant problems of materialism, consumerism, and individualism. It has led to the commodification of the human person who is viewed only as a consumer or as a factor of production. Collective-action problems have become even more severe, as in the cases of global warming and the depletion of fish stocks. Christian thought and practice have unique contributions to offer on these challenges. In particular, its linkage of justice and charity as an inseparable pair, its notion of the common good, and its theological anthropology are well suited to addressing these issues in a rational fashion.

Commodification · Consumerism · Economic Justice · Economics · Economy · Environmental ethics · Global justice · Globalization · Individualism · Law and economics · Materialism · New Testament · Political science · Sociology · Theology · Usury · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development