Acton University: Day 2

Here is a summary of the events I attended today.

Session 1: Economic Thought before the Enlightenment

This session was taught by Michael Miller, Director of Programs for the Acton Institute. Miller began his presentation by noting that most people think economics began with Adam Smith. Not so. Miller demonstrated that Smith largely restated past ideas and popularized them for an Enlightenment audience. Many of Smith's ideas went back to scholars as far back as Thomas Aquinas and Augustine.

It is popular in theological circles to characterize economics and capitalism as products of the Enlightenment (a notion carefully cultivated by many Enlightenment protagonists and some anti-Catholic elements, I might add.) During the Enlightenment, economics became decoupled from moral philosophy and dominated by positivist frameworks. Many in the academy today are antagonistic toward capitalism and market economies precisely because they see them as inventions of the Enlightenment. Ironically, these same people (often without awareness) turn to Marxist inspired collectivist analyses, which are a product of the Enlightenment.

We need a return to both a rational and a moral analysis of economic questions. The scholastics, coming up to the period of the Enlightenment, were the ones who laid the groundwork for capitalism, and it is deeply rooted in Christian anthropology and theology.

Session 2: Technology, Culture, and the Market

This session was taught by Jay Richards, Director of Acton Media and Research Fellow at Action Institute. Richards opened with a great quote by Etienne Gilson, "Piety is no substitute for technique."

Richards highlighted that we have both special and natural revelation; two books, if you will. Technology is about how we interact with the "book" of nature. He suggests that two extremes present themselves. One is the Luddite view, which tends to view technology and change as threats. The other is the techno-utopian view that virtually inserts technology in place of God inside an eschatological narrative where we are ultimately saved and transformed by technological advancement.

Instead, we must ensure we have developed an appropriate Christian anthropology. Richards said, "Technology is a prosthesis of our creativity." It is an extension of human action. Therefore, technology is largely a neutral factor directed by its users for ill or good. Technology does not so much create alienation (that goes back to the fall) as it rearranges how we encounter it. A balanced Christian perspective embraces the good of technology while standing against techno-utopianism.

Session 3: Wealth in Scripture

Peter Laird, Vice Rector and Professor of Moral Theology, St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN taught this session. Laird began with opening comments about exegesis, eisegesis, and hermeneutics. Today's two most destructive distortions of interpreting passages relating to wealth are the prosperity gospel and liberation theology. Laird notes that both begin with "this world" concerns and end up there. They offer visions of creating a personal or collective utopia. We must have an appropriate anthropological and eschatological view before making sense of wealth as it is dealt with in Scripture. Wealth itself is not condemned. On the contrary, wealth is a very real good, and it is precisely for that reason that we are tempted to convert it into an idol through which we can gain self-actualization.

During this class, one of the students also made what I thought was an astute observation about the emerging church. He said the emerging church has made a tremendous contribution to missiology but has done a horrible job with Christian anthropology. Many in the emerging church setting are coming out of mega-church environments where elements of the prosperity gospel have been significant, but unfortunately, their response has been to embrace an equally flawed collectivist neo-liberationist theology that isn't sound either. Too little attention has been given to Christian anthropology.

Late Afternoon

We saw a screening of the hour-long Acton-produced film Call of the Entrepreneur. (Caution to some of my readers. People like Michael Novak and George Gilder appear in this clip. Have your cross and garlic in your hand to protect yourself. *grin*) Jay Richards, Farther Sirico, and Samuel Gregg acted as a panel for questions about the film.

Evening

We heard the personal testimony of entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer and founder of the Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship. He is a very interesting man with a program I intend to learn more about.

On tap for tomorrow:

Session 4: Economics and Human Action

Session 5: Theology and the History of Globalization

Session 6: Economic Myths about the Market

Discussion Groups

Evening Event: “Wealth and Poverty Redux” by George Gilder