Tag: Economic Parables
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“Economic Parables” Book Review
Jesus had much to say about wealth and possessions. His parables make a variety of implicit and explicit statements about the economic aspects of our lives. Unfortunately, much of the teaching we receive from the pulpit and in popular Christian literature on the economic issues raised by these parables is simplistic moralization. I suspect this…
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Benevolence vs. Free Market
The following is an interesting passage from David Cowan's book Economic Parables: The Monetary Teachings of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a gift given to us – something that is precious but yet costs us no money – which leads us to ask whether it thus subverts the human economy. At the risk of deconstructing…
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Consumption vs. Consumerism (Final Part)
The following quote comes from David Cowan in Economic Parables: The Monetary Teaching of Jesus Christ. I almost jumped from my chair and shouted "YES!" when I came to this passage; it expresses my sentiments so well. Economic life, in part, is about aspirations. How are we to balance our economic goals with our aspiration…
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Consumption vs. Consumerism (Part 1)
Activism against consumerism is all the rage these days. But what is meant by consumerism? I've been reading Economic Parables by David Cowan. He makes these observations: "… Critics of the free market system believe that materialism is an essential element of the system. They argue that the drive toward materialism is a necessary, and…