Tag: common good
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Voting for the Common Good
My blogger friend, Allan Bevere, asked me to write a post for his blog regarding what motivates voters. Specifically, do voters vote for self-interest or the common good? I'm posting it here a day later. ************ Nearly a century ago, a young boy named Ezekiel Bulver overheard his parents arguing. It seems Mr. Bulver was…
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Theologians and Economists: Knowing the “Common Good”
[Series Index] Each Sunday, Christians around the world gather and pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." It is both a request for an outcome and a statement of commitment to that outcome … to give witness to the coming shalom of the new creation. The previous…
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Self-Interest and Benevolence: Partners, not Antonyms (Part 12: Conclusion)
(Link to Part 11) Concluding Thoughts As we wrap up this series of reflections, what can we say about the relationship between self-interest and benevolence? The Goal of Abundance The biblical image of a just society is one of widespread abundance where humanity participates with God in co-creative stewardship over creation. Individual and Communal Stewardship…
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Self-Interest and Benevolence: Partners, not Antonyms (Part 4)
[Link to Part 3] Imperfect Markets: Too little freedom or too much? I ended my last post with this observation: “Market economies are creating unprecedented abundance, and that can be celebrated. But tremendous evil and mischief are also done by people having the freedom to act on their perceived self-interest. The dilemma is that economies…
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MEC: Solutions
Chapter 30 in Everything Must Change is titled "Organized Religions or Religion Organizing the Common Good?" He identifies seven categories of development economics. Summarizing: Trade First, we have to live within environmental limits. Second, integrate free trade with fair trade. Third, we need to make it easier for people to grow small businesses. This will…
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MEC: The Law of Good Deeds for the Common Good
Brian McLaren identifies four laws of theocapitalism in Chapter 23 of Everything Must Change. We reviewed these in an earlier post. In chapters 25 and 26, he offers what he believes is Jesus' challenge to each of theocapitalism's four laws. We will take this one at a time. Theocapitalism Law #1: The Law of Progress…