RS/EB-150SS-1: Theology and Economics of Wealth and Poverty

Westmont CollegeSpring 2013

TTh 1:15 – 3:05 p.m.

Professor Edd Noell, Ph.D. Office: Deane Hall 111

Office Hours: 2:00-4:00 MW and by appointmentEmail: noell@westmont.edu

Phone 565-6782

Professor Helen Rhee, Ph.D.Office: Porter Center 14

Office Hours: MW 12:45 – 1:45 p.m., 3:20 – 4:50 p.m. Email: rhee@westmont.edu

Phone: 565-6834

COURSE DESCRIPTION:How are Christians directed to handle wealth? What is their responsibility to the poor? These fundamental questions, named as pressing concerns for his disciples by Jesus in the Gospels, have been responded to by Christians in various ways for 2000 years. This course addresses the continuing relevance of these questions for modern Christians in our current age of affluence in the light of the historic teachings of the Christian faith.

The issue of wealth, poverty and Christian faith is as ancient as the New Testament and reaches farther back to the Old Testament. As frequently noted, Jesus’ teachings in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) demanded a kind of discipleship that barred any competing commitment to peoples or things other than himself, including money, property, and possessions. From the very beginnings of the Christian movement, how to deal with riches formed an important aspect of Christian discipleship and was thought to express “an essential articulation of our faith in God and of our love for our fellow humans.”1 Christians claimed that the Christian attitude toward and use of wealth was a critical identity marker that distinguished Christians from non-Christians. Regardless of how one theologized riches and poverty, Christians had to grapple with and respond to the “clear” call of the social (material) responsibilities of the gospel.

A. AN UPPER-DIVISION ELECTIVE IN BOTH RS AND EB

This course draws on the disciplines of both theology and economics, and serves as both an RS and EB upper-division elective. It examines throughout history the ways in which Christians interpreted, applied, communicated, and struggled with

1 L. T. Johnson, Sharing Possessions: Mandate and Symbol of Faith (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981), 16.

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what they understood as the Christian theological principle and mandate regarding wealth and poverty. The course also develops and applies foundational economics concepts related to the workings of a market economy, with special reference to the significant economic institutions in ancient Israel, the Roman Empire, the Medieval era, early modern Europe, and in the modern global economy. The course draws on key principles and methodologies found within the disciplines of theology and economics, Through engaging with primary and secondary source readings, lectures, discussions, panels, journal reflections, and services, students will encounter Christian ambivalence toward and appropriation of wealth, and understanding of poverty in the context of Christian responsibility and discipleship and in conjunction with economic developments. In examining these topics, this course will introduce and guide students to not only inter-disciplinary thinking and methodologies within the RS major (biblical studies, theology, and history) but also those in the EB major (history of economic thought, globalization, world poverty and economic development). The issues involving wealth and poverty have presented Christians both a challenge and an opportunity of “being in the world but not of the world.” The course will first proceed with Jewish teachings (OT), Greco-Roman contexts of early Christian teachings on wealth and poverty, and to the New Testament teachings; it will then treat the subsequent interpretations and applications of those teachings in a broad historical development.

B. A COURSE SATISFYING THE SERVING SOCIETY GE REQUIREMENT

This course meets the Serving Society; Enacting Justice in Competent and Compassionate Action GE requirement. Students are required to spend 12-15 hours throughout the semester working for a local non-profit organization helping the poor and the under-privileged in town. The aim of this services project is to raise students’ awareness of the economic and theological dimensions of justice questions related to social class. Students will be oriented in class to the context of non-profit work and the specific journal requirements, which include their observations and reflections on how their own assumptions regarding wealth and poverty have been challenged and refined in light of their internship. and how their course and reading material to their work experiences. Students submit their journals for evaluation twice during the semester and the service component weighs in at 20% of the grade for the course.

RELEVANT DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM OUTCOMES

A. ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS DEPARTMENT PROGRAM GOALS

1. Students will employ and analyze complex economics and business processes and policies.

2. Students will conduct qualitative and quantitative research appropriate to economics and business.

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3. Students will exhibit effective writing skills in economics and business documents.

4. Students will practice effective verbal communication skills in economics and business presentations.

B. RELIGIOUS STUDIES DEPARTMENT PROGRAM OUTCOMES

1.Hermeneutical competence: Our graduates will be able to apply a range of skills in the interpretation of biblical and other religious literature.

They will employ close reading skills with regard to primary sources: observation; inquiry; attention to genre, context, intertextuality, and literary influence; awareness of their own assumptions and cultural biases; awareness of audience(s) and effect on readers.

They will display judicious use of scholarly resources (e.g., language tools, commentaries, monographs, journals, dictionaries, encyclopedias, electronic databases, library holdings, inter-library loan, web-based tools). They will acknowledge dependence and influence through appropriate notes and bibliography.

They will appropriate a range of critical methodologies (e.g., historical, literary, textual, rhetorical, socio-cultural), draw on insights across the range of relevant disciplines (e.g., linguistics; anthropology; sociology; philosophy; archaeology), and recognize the insights and pitfalls of various ideological approaches (e.g., post-colonial, feminist, Marxist).

2.Theological judgment: Our graduates will understand the fundamental claims and logic of the Christian faith, appreciate the development of Christian theological traditions over time, and be able to think theologically.

They will faithfully interpret texts including the Bible and other primary sources in the worldwide Christian tradition.

They will fairly evaluate the theological claims of secondary sources and current voices within and outside the Christian tradition.

They will thoughtfully address intellectual and practical issues involving both narrowly theological matters and concerns in other disciplines.

They will be acquainted with, and increasingly formed in, the practices that Christian theology serves including worship, fellowship, mission, study (especially of the Bible), and ethical conduct.

3.Ecclesial engagement: Our graduates will be marked by a passionate commitment to the Christian church and its mission.

They will increasingly recognize connections between personal faith, scholarly inquiry, and the shared life of God’s people in the world past and present.

They will sense no conflict between rigorous intellectual inquiry, faithful service, and passionate worship.

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They will establish lifelong disciplines marked by theological reflection, Christ-like compassion, and robust engagement in the public square.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:

In light of the institutional learning outcomes and the RS and EB departmental goals, completion of this course will enable students to:

Student Learning Outcome Instructional Activity

Assessment

Demonstrate the ability to articulate their learning in speech and group research with creativity and effectiveness (Competence in Oral Communication; Information Literacy; EB- Written and Oral Communication; Research and Technology)

Discussion Group Research Project

Articulate a fundamental thematic knowledge of the development of Christian understandings of and dealings with the issues involving wealth and poverty in written works, including its relation to the theology and practice of the contemporary church (Christian Understanding; Competence in Written Communication; RS—Hermeneutical Competence)

LectureDiscussion

ExamGroup Research ProjectCritical Reading Notes Analysis PaperJournal

Utilize the critical methods of biblical and historical interpretation and contextual thinking and the analytical tools of economics with respect to the central economic institutional practices of resource allocation and distribution (Critical Thinking; Diversity; EB- Analyzing Complex Economics and Business Processes and Policies; RS—Hermeneutical Competence; Theological Judgment)

LectureDiscussion

ExamAnalysis PaperJournal

Apply a nuanced understanding of the complex economic processes underlying the creation of wealth and long-term poverty, both domestically and in the global economy, and the policy challenges associated with poverty reduction in addressing global income inequality (Critical Thinking; Global Awareness; EB -Analyzing Complex Economics and Business Processes and Policies)

LectureDiscussion

ExamGroup ResearchProjectCritical Reading Notes

Evaluate the intricate and complex relationships among theological constructions of wealth and poverty, their social constructions and manifestations, and their moral discourses and

Lecture Discussion

ExamCritical Reading Notes

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implications (Critical Thinking; Christian Understanding; RS—Theological Judgment)Explore the ways in which we can articulate an economically and theologically informed reflection on Christian social justice, engage in the responsible stewardship of wealth, empower the poor to act on economic opportunity, and move toward personal and systemic action in pursuing Christian social justice in a global context (Christian Practices/Affections; Active Societal and Intellectual Engagement; Diversity; Global Awareness; RS—Christian Orientation; Ecclesial Engagement)

LectureDiscussion

Critical Reading NotesJournal

We consider this class as a “community of learning.” We will treat each student as a responsible learner who pursues critical thinking, open dialogues and interpretive analysis supported by credible evidences. While we will respect independent thinking as an academic discipline, however, we will encourage interdependence and mutual care for one another as a community. We are in this academic endeavor together as a team. This basic attitude of learning and interdependence is critical and expected in the class. Any classroom behavior that discourages, belittles or disrupts this attitude will not be tolerated (see also Academic Integrity). REQUIRED TEXTS:Blomberg, Craig L. Neither Poverty Nor Riches: A Biblical Theology of Possessions.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.Halteman, James, and Edd S. Noell. Reckoning with Markets: The Role of Moral

Reflection in Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.Milanovic, Blanko. The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of

Global Inequality. Basic Books. 2010.Noell, Edd, Smith, Stephen, and Webb, Bruce. Human Flourishing: The Economic and Moral Case for Economic Growth. American Enterprise Institute. forthcoming, 2013.Rhee, Helen. Loving the Poor, Saving the Rich: Wealth, Poverty, and Early Christian

Formation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012.Schneider, John R. The Good of Affluence: Seeking God in a Culture of Wealth. Grand

Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to

Generosity. Fourth Edition. Dallas: Word, 1997, 2005.Stackhouse, Max L. et. al., ed. On Moral Business: Classical and Contemporary

Resources for Ethics in Economic Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.Other supplementary readings will be uploaded on Eureka or distributed in class.

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:Claar, Victor V. and Robin J. Klay. Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory, Policy and Life Choices. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007.

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Collins, Chuck and Mary Wright. The Moral Measure of the Economy. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2007. Fikkert, Brian, and Steve Corbett. When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty without

Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009.Finn, Daniel, Ed., The Moral Dynamics of Economic Life: An Extension and Critique of

Caritas in Veritate. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.Holman, Susan, ed. Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society. Grand Rapids;

Baker Academic, 2008.Keller, Timothy. Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just. London: Hodder

& Stoughton Ltd., 2010.Lindberg, Carter. Beyond Charity: Reformation Initiatives for the Poor. Minneapolis:

Fortress, 1993.Longenecker, Bruce W. & Kelly D. Liebengood, ed. Engaging Economics: New

Testament Scenarios and Early Christian Reception. Grand Rapids; Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2009.

Lupton, Robert D. Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help (and How to Reverse It). New York: HarperOne, 2011.

Richards, Jay W. Greed, Money, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution Not the Problem. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2009.

Sider, Ronald J. Fixing the Moral Deficit: A Balanced Way to Balance the Budget. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2012.

_____. Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America. Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007.

Witherington III, Ben. Jesus and Money: A Guide for Financial Crisis. Grand Rapids; Baker, 2010.

Wheeler, S. E. Wealth as Peril and Obligation: The New Testament on Possessions. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.

REFERENCE TEXTS:Atkins, Margaret and Robin Osborne, ed. Poverty in the Roman World. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 2006. Baker, David. Tight Fists or Open Hands?: Wealth and Poverty in the Old Testaments

Law. Eerdmans, 2009.Barrera, Albino. Economic Compulsion and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian

Ethics 24. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007._____. Market Complicity and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian Ethics 31.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.Brown, Peter. Poverty and Leadership in the Later Roman Empire. Menahem Stern

Jerusalem Lectures. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2002. Cavanaugh, William T. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. Grand

Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can

Be Done About It. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Delgado, Sharon. Shaking the Gates of Hell: Faith-Based Resistance to Corporate

Globalization. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007.

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DeSoto, Hernando. The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. Basic Books, 2003.

Dinsmore, Julia K. My Names is Child of God. . . Not “Those People”: A First-Person Look at Poverty. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books, 2007.

Easterly, William. The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Press, 2006.

Finn, Richard. Almsgiving in the Later Roman Empire: Christian Promotion and Practice 313-450. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Franks, Christopher A. He Became Poor: The Poverty of Christ and Aquinas's Economic Teachings. Grand Rapids; Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2009.

González, Justo L. Faith and Wealth: A History of Early Christian Ideas on the Origin, Significance, and Use of Money. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990.

Hicks, Douglas A. Inequality and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian Ethics 16. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Hollenback, David. The Common Good and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian Ethics 22. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Holman, Susan R. God Knows There’s Need: Christian Responses to Poverty. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Hoppe, Leslie J. There Shall Be No Poor Among You: Poverty in the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 2004.

Johnson, Kelly S. The Fear of Beggars: Stewardship and Poverty in Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. Sharing Possessions: What Faith Demands. Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.

Jung, L. Shannon. Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004.

_____. Hunger for Happiness: Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing Our Souls. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books, 2009.

Landes, D. S. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor. W. W. Norton & Company, 1999.

McCarthy, David Matzko. The Heart of Catholic Social Teaching: Its Origins and Contemporary Significance. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008.

McDaniel, Charles. God & Money: The Moral Challenge of Capitalism. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007

Mullin, R. The Wealth of Christians. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1984.Nardoni, Enrique. Rise Up, O Judge: A Study of Justice in the Biblical World. Peabody:

MA: Hendrickson, 2004. Newhauser, R. G. The Early History of Greed: The Sin of Avarice in Early Medieval

Thought and Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.Novak, Michael. The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism. Revised Ed. Madison Books,

1990._____. Will It Liberate?: Questions about Liberation Theology. Madison Books, 1991.Owensby, Walter L. Economics for Prophets: A Primer on Concepts, Realities, And

Values in Our Economic System. Grad Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.Pattison, Bonnie L. Poverty in the Theology of John Calvin. Eugene, OR: Pickwick

Publications, 2006.

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Peters, Rebecca Todd & Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty, eds. To Do Justice: A Guide for Progressive Christians. Louisville; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.

Phan, Peter C. Social Thought. Message of the Fathers of the Church 20. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1984.

Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: Penguin Press, 2005.

Sedgwick, Peter H. The Market Economy and Christian Ethics. New Studies in Christian Ethics 14. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

St. John Chrysostom, St. John Chrysostom on Wealth and Poverty. Tr. and Intro. by C. P. Roth. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary, 1984.

Skidelsky, Robert and Edward Skidelsky, How Much is Enough? Money and the Good Life. Other Press, 2012.

Sobrino, Jon. No Salvation outside the Poor: Prophetic-Utopian Essays. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2007.

Torvend, Samuel. Luther and the Hungry Poor: Gathered Fragments. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2008.

Van Til, Kent A. Less Than Two Dollars A Day: A Christian View of World Poverty and the Free Market. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Valeri, Mark. Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.

Wandel, Lee Palmer. Always among Us: Images of the Poor in Zwingli’s Zurich. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

ATTENDANCE, ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING:2 1.Attendance: Attendance at all class sessions is required. Two unexcused absences are allowed without penalty (Student Handbook, p. 30). Excused absence will be allowed in case of illness, official college activities (e.g., athletic activities and field trips) or other extenuating circumstances, evaluated by the professors. Students are also expected to arrive on time for each class session. Excessive absences and habitual tardiness will result in the lower course grade at the end of the term. 2. Class Participations and Critical Reading Notes (20%): The course format will be a combination of lecture and seminar. Due to its format, it is crucial that students not only attend the class but also actively participate in class discussions and contribute to each other’s learning. For a class discussion, each student is responsible for having completed the assigned readings, raising one or two key discussion issues and questions per reading, and participating in a thoughtful interaction and dialogue on the given readings. We will do various reading and discussion exercises in class which require each student’s full participation, employing close reading skills; so come prepared! For reading notes, students may use one or two combination of the following examples:

Descriptive and Observational (Hermeneutical Competence): what does the text “say?”

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? Proviso: The professors reserve the right to change this syllabus when deemed appropriate; changes to the syllabus will be announced in class.

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Interpretive and hermeneutical (Hermeneutical Competence; Theological Judgment): what do you take the text to “mean” then and now? What is a basis of your interpretation? Does the author’s thesis/argument make sense?

Analytical and integrative (Theological Judgment; Ecclesial Engagement) How do you connect the dot between the text(s), your understanding, and its implication for our context? How do various texts relate to one another?

3. Service Practicum and Reflection Journal (20%): Students are required to spend 12-15 hours throughout the semester working for a local organization helping the poor and the under-privileged in town. The professors will provide a list of organizations/agencies with contact information. Students are to choose one from the list and contact the agent directly. While conducting a practicum, students are to keep a reflection journal, connecting the course and reading material, and their experiences. The journal entries should include specific tasks/responsibilities, key events or moments of learning, questions/issues/concerns raised, and thoughts processed and progressed in light of lectures, class discussions and readings. The journal is due on the eighth and the sixteenth week (see the course schedule).

4. Analysis Paper (15%): Students will write a short analysis paper on Clement of Alexandria’s Rich Man’s Salvation (in the Course Reader). While students are responsible for writing one analysis paper, they are still required to submit substantial reading notes on the other reading on which they do not choose to write (see Class Discussions and Notes). Late papers will be accepted subject to a grade penalty: one grade reduction for each day the paper is late.

The purpose of these papers is for the students to develop critical, analytical and historical abilities in engaging with a primary text. Each paper should be about 5-6 pages in length (1700-1850 words), double-spaced with one inch margin and 12 font type. In writing the analysis papers, students are required to adhere to the following instructions: 1) Provide an analytical and integrated summary of the basic and overall content of the text; that is, identify author’s thesis (or theses) or the main issues/points the text is addressing, including a conclusion (if applicable); basically, what is the point of the author/text? This part should take up a major portion (about four-fifths) of your paper. 2) Assess the economic context in which the author writes. Identify the central mode of economic organization and how it allocates and distributes resources, relevant economic institutional features, and as well the dominant attitudes towards wealth and poverty in that particular society. This portion should constitute about one-fourth of the paper. 3) In at least two paragraphs, interact with the document. Assess the argumentation (the way the author argues for his/her thesis/points/arguments) of the author/text and the significance of the text in its historical, economic and theological contexts and then respond to and/or reflect upon them. In terms of presentation, please include page numbers and staple the pages. The paper should have a title page with your name, course name, due date and a title for

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the paper. Your paper must be proof-read before your final submission. Chapter, paragraph and verse citations are required for paraphrases and quotes. Grading for the review will be based on the demonstration of: 1) thorough, succinct and accurate summary; 2) thoughtful, insightful and creative analysis and assessment; 3) quality of the presentation, such as grammar, style and spelling.

5. Group Research and Action Project (20%): Towards the end of the course, students will be divided into groups to work on major research and action project for four to five weeks. While the professors will distribute a specific topic list, each group may propose a topic of choice upon initial discussion. Students are to incorporate and interact with the findings from the assigned books, articles, and practica, and also to use further resources from the disciplines of economics and theology for their research and action project (see recommended and reference lists of sources). Where relevant, students may incorporate research from other disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, and/or political science. Each group is to submit a preliminary research annotated bibliography/questionnaire by Thursday, April 1th and a preliminary outline by Thursday, April 8th and to provide the rest of the class with a final bibliography and presentation outline on the day of presentation. Each group will be allotted thirty minutes (including Q& A) to present their research work and are encouraged to be creative in their presentations (PowerPoint, Poster, Panel, Film, etc.). This project will be peer-evaluated and accompanied by individual self-analysis of the group work (this form will be distributed later).

6. Comprehensive Final Exam (25%): Students will take a take-home final examination on the comprehensive materials covered and discussed in the class. These include the teaching on wealth and poverty (and its economic institutional context) of the Scriptures, Patristics, Scholastics, Reformers, and both Protestant and Catholic theologians of the past several centuries. Students should also be prepared to engage in critical analysis of modern theological reflection on the causes of global poverty and income inequality and recommended policy measures by use of relevant economic tools and case examples. It is due by 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 3rd. The professor will provide the students with a study guide in advance.

7. Inclusive Language: Students are required and expected to use inclusive language for all assignments whenever appropriate; for example, when referring to a human being in generic sense, use “human being, humanity, or humankind” instead of “man, men, or mankind”; other cases (possessive, objective, or predicate) should follow the practice accordingly. Repeated insensitivity will be noted though without penalty.

8. Laptop Policy: Students who use laptops to take notes in class are expected to abide by fundamental classroom etiquette (i.e., no multi-tasking in class, such as checking email, browsing the web, playing games, tweeting friends, or updating Facebook, working on assignments for other classes, etc.) and to keep their academic integrity.

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** Please note that students need to submit all assignments in order to pass the course and that all assignments must be submitted in hard copy.

OFFICE HOURS: Please visit us during our office hours. We would love to get to know you outside the classroom and discuss with you course material or anything else.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:Students are advised and expected to take academic integrity seriously as stated in the Student Handbook (p. 30). Any act of cheating (including giving or receiving unauthorized aid in completing any of the class assignments), plagiarism (i.e., using ideas and/or words from (un)published sources as one’s own without proper citations) or falsification will not be tolerated under any circumstance and will automatically result in a failing grade in the work and may result in a failing grade in the course and a report to the Academic Dean.

DISABILITY SERVICES:Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical or psychological) are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Services office as early as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations for this course. Formal accommodations will only be granted for students whose disabilities have been verified by the Disability Services office. These accommodations may be necessary to ensure your full participation and the successful completion of this course. Please contact Sheri Noble, Director of Disability Services (x6186, snoble@westmont.edu), as soon as possible.

COURSE TOPICS INCLUDE:Biblical concepts of wealth and poverty; origins of the economic problem of scarcity and Judeo-Christian thinking on stewardshipBiblical concepts of the rich and the poor in social, cultural and historical contextsEconomic institutions of ancient Israel: Law of Jubilee, gleanings for the poor, sabbatical year debt relief, indentured servitude, wage payments, loans and reciprocity, and shalomEconomic oppression of the poor in ancient Israel; wealth as a ‘lump sum’ or ‘zero sum game’Ancient Greek thinking on the social division of labor, chresmatistics, eudemonia and the telos of economic activityEconomic institutions of first-century Roman Palestine: migrant labor, village and farm production, taxation, banking, trading patterns, and servitude for indebtedness Social and theological contexts of early Christianity: Jewish and Greco-RomanRoman law regarding debt, charity, wage payments, guilds, and private property and economic persecution of the early churchSalvation of the rich in early ChristianityDevelopment of redemptive almsgiving and charityMonasticism (asceticism) and povertyScholastic teaching on economic compulsion and the economically disadvantaged worker, borrower, and merchant

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The role of the church as a borrower, employer, and social welfare organization; its economic relationship to Italian city-states and banking familiesDevelopment of medieval theology of povertyThe Reformation initiatives for the poor - welfare measures in European city-statesLuther and Calvin’s teaching on the social responsibility of the wealthy, debt and usuryThe Weber Thesis and the debate over the contribution of Protestantism to the rise of capitalism; Puritan entrepreneurship in England and the ‘New World’The Scottish and German Enlightenment: Smith and Marx on profits, exploitation, and the creation of wealth Nineteenth-century Christian responses to the Industrial Revolution and its social consequences; the Robber Barons and American individualismTheologies of capitalism and socialism (“Christian” capitalism, “Christian” socialism,“Christian” communism?); various responses to Marxism from economists, theologians Individual and systemic poverty: racial/gender discrimination and human capital Globalization and economic development; debt relief for developing economies and the Law of JubileeMicro-finance and “bottom up” activities of Christian development initiativesComparative evaluations of the Social Gospel, Liberation Theology, and theProsperity Gospel (“Gospel of Health and Wealth”)Statements of the Catholic Bishops, and evangelical and mainline denominational statements on modern global povertySubprime mortgage crisis and ‘PayDay’ lending to lower-income householdsModern income inequality under capitalism, corporate and bank bailouts and the “Occupy Movement”Thinking about the role of government and the private sector in addressing poverty in light of Biblical valuesWhat would Christian stewardship of wealth look like? Constructing Christian accountability of the rich: “the good of affluence,” simple life orsocial activism? What else?Constructing Christian responsibility for the poor Sources of global income inequality and international politics and policies; the role of global institutions (IMF, WTO, World Bank) in addressing global poverty

COURSE SCHEDULE:Date Lecture/Discussion Topic Readings/AssignmentsWeek One1/8 (Tue)

Introduction to the courseEconomics of Wealth and Poverty: Origins of the Economic Problem in Genesis; Scarcity and Stewardship

Blomberg, 17-32; Schneider, 1-12; Sider, “Preface” Blomberg, 33-56

1/10 (Thur)  Wealth and Poverty in OT Law: Ancient Israel’s Economic Institutions for Labor, Loans, and WelfareWealth and Poverty in OT Wisdom Literature and OT Prophets: Economic Oppression and the Ancient Economy

 Schneider, 65-89; Sider, 41-44, 65-75; Blomberg, 57-85

Schneider, 90-115; Sider, 44-46, 53-55, 107-114

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Week Two1/15 (Tue)

Jewish view of wealth and poverty: the Second Temple literature

Blomberg, 87-103; Schneider, 116-38; Sider, 46-52; Rhee(handout), “Social, Economic, and Theological World of Early Christianity,” 19-21

1/17 (Thur) Greco-Roman view of wealth and poverty I: economy and patronage

Rhee, ch. 1

Week Three1/22 (Tue)

MLK Holiday: No Class

1/24 (Thur) Greco-Roman view of wealth and poverty II: Plato on socio-economic stratification; Aristotle on wealth acquisition and the telos of economic activity

Halteman and Noell, 15-28

Week Four1/29 (Tue)

Greco-Roman view of wealth and poverty III: moral teachings

Reader: Plutarch’s “On Love of Wealth” and Seneca’s “Epistle LXXXVII”

1/31 (Thur) NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and poverty (Part I): Economic Institutions of first-century Roman Palestine – taxation, migrant labor, trade and the agrarian economy of the Roman colony(the Parables of Jesus set in social and economic context)

Halteman and Noell, 28-36; Schneider, 139-66; Sider, 56-63;

Week Five2/5 (Tue)

NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and poverty (Part II)

Blomberg, 105-109, 111-46

2/7 (Thur) NT: James and ActsEarly Christian community and the sharing of goods in common; Roman law and wage payments

Blomberg, 216-27, 147-72; Schneider, 167-92; Sider, 75-80, 114-117;

Week Six2/12 (Tue) NT: Excurses on Wealth and Poverty

Schneider, 193-210; Sider, 89-105Journal Due

2/14 (Thur) NT: Paul on responsible stewardship for life in koinonia; Roman charitable mechanisms and Poverty Relief in the Early Church

NT: General Letters and the Revelation: the Economic Persecution of Christians in Rome (guilds, trade, slavery and subsistence in the Roman Empire)

Blomberg, 172-212; Schneider, 207-10 or Sider, 81-87;

Blomberg, 228-40

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Week Seven 2/19 (Tue) Presidents’ Holiday: No Class2/21 (Thur) NT: Early Christianity: The Apostolic

Fathers and the Apologists Rhee, ch. 2Reader: Morality and Ethics, “The Shepherd of Hermas” and “The Apologists”

Week Eight2/26 (Tue)

Salvation of the Rich by Clement of Alexandria

Early Christianity: The Rich and the Poor in the Third and Fourth Century Developments

** Group Formation for Research and Presentation

Rhee, ch. 3Reader: Clement of Alexandria, The Rich Man’s Salvation Analysis Paper/Notes Due

Rhee, ch. 4Reader: Morality and Ethics, “Cyprian of Carthage”; Handout—Constantine’s support for the church

2/28 (Thur) Early Christianity: Role of the Bishop and Church as a Social Welfare Organization

Rhee, ch. 5Reader: Poverty and Leadership, “Governor of the Poor”

Week Nine3/5 (Tue)

Early Christianity: Monasticism, Wealth, and Poverty in the Fourth Century

Rhee, ch. 6Reader: Rich and Poor in Christian Tradition, “St. Ambrose”; Social Thought, “The Cappadocian Fathers”: Basil the Great

3/7 (Thur) Early Christianity: Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom on Wealth, Poverty and the Just Wage

The 4th and 5th century Roman Economic Institutions governing Wages, Poor Relief, and Property Rights and Responsibilities

Reader: Social Thought, “St. Augustine of Hippo,” “St. John Chrysostom”

Week Ten3/12 (Tue)

Spring Recess: No Class

3/14 (Thur) Spring Recess: No ClassWeek Eleven3/23 (Tue)

The Scholastic Tradition on Wealth, and Poverty (Aquinas and the Italian Scholastics)Technological Innovation, Widening of Markets, and the Rise of Finance: Scholastic Response and Reflection on Usury, Avarice, Profits and the Just Price

Reader: Aquinas, “On the Just Price and Usury”

Halteman and Noell, ch.3

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3/25 (Thur) Medieval Christianity: Theology of the Poor and Medieval Charities

Poverty and Charity in the Middle Ages

Reader: Rich and Poor, “St. Gregory the Great”; “St. Bernard of Clairvaux”; “St Thomas Aquinas” Handout: Lindberg, 43-67, 91-94

Week Twelve3/30 (Tue) Reformation Christianity: Theology of

the Reformers and the “Calling”, Usury and Poor Relief

Economic Migration and Welfare Relief in European City-States

Handout: Bieler, 269-301

Reader: On Moral Business, “Martin Luther,” “John Calvin,” “Radical Reformers,” and “On Usury”

4/1 (Thur) The Weber Thesis, Puritan Economic Enterprise, and Early Modern European Technological Change and Entrepreneurship

The Rise of Modern Capitalism and the Scottish Enlightenment

Reader: On Moral Business, “John Cotton,” “John Locke,” “Adam Smith” Halteman and Noell, ch.4Noell, Smith and Webb, ch.1-2Group Research Annotated Bibliography/QuestionnaireDue

Week Thirteen4/6 (Tue)

Modern Christianity: “The Protestant Work Ethic” and 18th Century Christian Reflections on Wealth, Labor and Savings

Classical Economics and the Christian Response to the Industrial Revolution

Reader: On Moral Business, “John Wesley”; Handout—Max Weber, “Asceticism and the Spirit of Capitalism”Handout: Shewring, 205-218“John Stuart Mill”;Halteman and Noell, ch.5

4/8 (Thur) Karl Marx and the German Enlightenment: Wealth, Exploitation, the Proletariat and the Robber Barons

Modern World: Christianity and Marxism, Economic Responses to Marxism (Austrian Economics)

Reader: On Moral Business, “Marxism and Christianity”;Handout—Karl Marx, “The Manifesto of the Communist Party”Reader: On Moral Business,“Andrew Carnegie” and “James Skillen”Halteman and Noell, ch.6Group Research Outline Due

Week Fourteen4/13 (Tue)

Catholic Response to Modern Capitalism: Papal Encyclicals

Reader: On Moral Business,“A Papal Encyclical”: Centesimus annusHandout: Rerum Novarum

4/15 (Thur) Protestant Response: The Social GospelContemporary World: Capitalism and Oppression—Liberation Theology

Handout—RauschenbuschReader: On Moral Business,“Gustavo Gutierrez”

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Week Fifteen4/20 (Tue)

Contemporary Perspectives on Capitalism and Income Inequality – the “Occupy Movement”, Corporate and Bank Bailouts and the Widening Skills Gap

Contemporary Perspectives on the Factors Underlying Poverty-Human Capital, Racial and Gender Discrimination; ‘Payday Loans’ and Lower-Income Households

Schneider, 13-40; Sider, 1-37; Halteman and Noell, ch.9Group Research Presentation

4/22 (Thur) Contemporary World: Global Economy and Capitalism – Globalization and the IMF, WTO, and World Bank; the Role of Geography and Extractive vs. Inclusive Institutions; Debt Relief for Developing Economies and the Modern Jubilee

Noell, Smith and Webb, Ch.3Reader: Economics in Christian Perspective—“International Economic Relations”; Schneider, 211-20;Group Research Presentation

Week Sixteen4/27 (Tue) Contemporary World: Toward Christian

Stewardship and Responsibility I

Contemporary World: Toward Christian Stewardship and Responsibility II

Reader: On Moral Business, “Conservative and Evangelical Statements” Rhee, ch. 7Sider, 181-217

Group Research Presentation4/29 (Thur) Contemporary World: Toward Christian

Stewardship and Responsibility III – the role of Government and Private Sector in aiding the Poor; Microfinance and other Current Economic Strategies for Economic Development

Conclusion of the Course

Sider, 219-67; Noell, Smith and Webb, Ch.5, 7, 8

Group Research Presentation

Journal Due

Week Seventeen5/3 (Mon)

FINAL EXAMINATION8:00 – 10:00 a.m.

No In-Class Final: Take-Home Exam due by 1:00 pm

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