Re: [asa] The ASA and the Soft Sciences (ASA focus for the future- Christian economics)

Bernie -- I certainly could identify something as Catholic social teaching.
I could also identify a neo-Calvinist perspective. These are comprehensive
worldviews. The modern "science" of economics generally is associated with
neo-classical economics. This is one fairly narrow view, based strictly on
utilitarianism and a somewhat positivist view of the ability to quantify and
measure things like human preferences. One can simply have a "Christian
perspective" on neo-classical economics, but one can also have a broader,
comprehensive, Christian view of commerce, trade, and justice.

David W. Opderbeck
Associate Professor of Law
Seton Hall University Law School
Gibbons Institute of Law, Science & Technology

On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 11:19 PM, Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com>wrote:

>
>
> David- you are suggesting that I could give you an economic worldview and
> you could identify it as Catholic, Mormon, Muslim, Baptist, etc.? Sure,
> Catholics and others can apply Christian principles to economics, but I
> don't think it is based on creeds- more like general attributes of sharing,
> love, justice, etc., which cuts across all religions.
>
>
>
> About my comment that no one cares unless there's a crisis. Look at all
> the current talk of excessive CEO salaries and private jets they use, etc.
> During the good times, people say "Yeah- that's the American dream! How
> much is too much? The sky's the limit! They deserve every penny!" In bad
> times, they say "All this greed got us into this mess!"
>
>
>
> …Bernie
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* David Opderbeck [mailto:dopderbeck@gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Thursday, January 01, 2009 1:27 PM
> *To:* Dehler, Bernie
> *Cc:* asa
> *Subject:* Re: [asa] The ASA and the Soft Sciences (ASA focus for the
> future)
>
>
>
> 1 -- yes, there are a variety of religious / Christian distinctives on
> economics. There is an enormous body of Catholic social teaching on
> economic justice; there's another strand of vigorous social critique running
> from the early anabaptists to Bonheoffer to MLK to Yoder to Hauerwas; there
> is the neo-Calvinist tradition which largely undergirds many current
> evangelical approaches; and so on. If you don't care about this from a
> theological / spiritual perspective before it hits your 401K directly, then
> your theology and spirituality probably need some work.
>
> 2 -- I'm so tired of hearing that the Church is in crisis because of
> evolution. The Church of Jesus Christ in many ways has never been more
> robust in all the history of Christianity. The gospel is exploding in Asia,
> Africa and South America; the average Christian has never been more educated
> and literate (at least in North America); there is wealth, aid, and support
> being transferred to needy people in the name of Jesus in greater volume
> than ever; and so on. Crisis-talk is myopic and is usually mediated by our
> own personal sense of crisis.
>
> The science of evolution is presenting a painful challenge to one small
> segment of the Church at present -- educated Western evangelicals. This is
> an important segment of the Church, arguably, because it is so wealthy and
> influential. And it is important to those of us who live and minister in
> well-educated Western contexts. But it's hardly a "crisis" in the Church
> universal.
>
> David W. Opderbeck
> Associate Professor of Law
> Seton Hall University Law School
> Gibbons Institute of Law, Science & Technology
>
> On Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 2:09 PM, Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com>
> wrote:
>
> One of the problems with economics is that no one cares about it until
> there is a crisis or meltdown. I also don't see how religion plays a part
> in the economy- does an atheist, Mormon, Baptist, or Catholic have any
> faith-based issues or distinctives?
>
>
>
> In addition, Christianity is in a *crisis* right now, over the issue of
> evolution and how to deal with it (is it atheist and ungodly, or God's way
> of design?). I'd suggest that the ASA put more effort into resolving this
> conflict for the churches and scientists. It is easy and tempting to avoid
> the conflict, but I think this conflict is what gives the ASA its prime
> directive. Some people are on the forefront of this evolution battle, like
> Denis Lamoureux and Francis Collins… and they are persecuted by the church
> for it. Will the ASA help and offer discernment? I know the ASA has done a
> lot- just saying it should be a prime focus and even more focused. I'd *
> love* to see some ASA sponsored debates over YEC, OEC, TE, etc. Has the
> ASA done this yet? If not, that's my suggestion.
>
>
>
> …Bernie
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] *On
> Behalf Of *Rich Blinne
> *Sent:* Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:03 AM
> *To:* asa
> *Cc:* Randy Isaac
> *Subject:* [asa] The ASA and the Soft Sciences
>
>
>
> The Washington Post just did a massive three-part series on what happened
> with AIG. I found it very fascinating. Since this is off topic please direct
> all comments off list. The issue of economics does bring to mind a comment
> Randy made in the Jan/Feb newsletter:
>
>
>
> We have few economists in the ASA, and we have no particular expertise or
> mission to critique economic policy.
>
>
>
> What are we doing to attract people in the so-called "soft sciences" into
> the ASA? Many areas of interest of the ASA does intersect economics and
> sociology and in my opinion we should do better here.
>
>
>
> Rich Blinne
>
> Member ASA
>
>
>

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Received on Sat Jan 3 09:58:18 2009