Wealth And Poverty In Christian History

RS/EB-150SS-1: Theology and Economics of Wealth and Poverty Westmont College Spring 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 appointment Email: [email protected] 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: [email protected] 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. 2

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 process es and policies. 3

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

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

4. Students will practice effective verbal communication skills in economics a nd 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. 4

 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.  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 Assessment Activity Demonstrate the ability to articulate their learning Discussion Group Research in speech and group research with creativity and Project effectiveness (Competence in Oral Communication; Information Literacy; EB- Written and Oral Communication; Research and Technology) Articulate a fundamental thematic knowledge of Lecture Exam the development of Christian understandings of Discussion Group Research and dealings with the issues involving wealth and Project poverty in written works, including its relation to Critical Reading the theology and practice of the contemporary Notes church (Christian Understanding; Competence in Analysis Paper Written Communication; RS—Hermeneutical Journal Competence) Utilize the critical methods of biblical and Lecture Exam historical interpretation and contextual thinking Discussion Analysis Paper and the analytical tools of economics with respect Journal 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) Apply a nuanced understanding of the complex Lecture Exam economic processes underlying the creation of Discussion Group Research wealth and long-term poverty, both domestically Project and in the global economy, and the policy Critical Reading challenges associated with poverty reduction in Notes addressing global income inequality (Critical Thinking; Global Awareness; EB -Analyzing Complex Economics and Business Processes and Policies) 5

Evaluate the intricate and complex relationships Lecture Exam among theological constructions of wealth and Discussion Critical Reading poverty, their social constructions and Notes manifestations, and their moral discourses and implications (Critical Thinking; Christian Understanding; RS—Theological Judgment) Explore the ways in which we can articulate an Lecture Critical Reading economically and theologically informed reflection Discussion Notes on Christian social justice, engage in the Journal 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)

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. 6

RECOMMENDED TEXTS: Claar, Victor V. and Robin J. Klay. Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory, Policy and Life Choices. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. 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. 7

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. 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. 8

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. 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

2 Proviso: The professors reserve the right to change this syllabus when deemed appropriate; changes to the syllabus will be announced in class. 9 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?” 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 10

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 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. 11

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.

** 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, [email protected]), 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 stewardship Biblical concepts of the rich and the poor in social, cultural and historical contexts Economic institutions of ancient Israel: Law of Jubilee, gleanings for the poor, sabbatical year debt relief, indentured servitude, wage payments, loans and reciprocity, and shalom Economic 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 activity Economic 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-Roman Roman law regarding debt, charity, wage payments, guilds, and private property and economic persecution of the early church Salvation of the rich in early Christianity 12

Development of redemptive almsgiving and charity Monasticism (asceticism) and poverty Scholastic teaching on economic compulsion and the economically disadvantaged worker, borrower, and merchant The role of the church as a borrower, employer, and social welfare organization; its economic relationship to Italian city-states and banking families Development of medieval theology of poverty The Reformation initiatives for the poor - welfare measures in European city-states Luther and Calvin’s teaching on the social responsibility of the wealthy, debt and usury The 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 individualism Theologies 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 Jubilee Micro-finance and “bottom up” activities of Christian development initiatives Comparative evaluations of the Social Gospel, Liberation Theology, and the Prosperity Gospel (“Gospel of Health and Wealth”) Statements of the Catholic Bishops, and evangelical and mainline denominational statements on modern global poverty Subprime mortgage crisis and ‘PayDay’ lending to lower-income households Modern 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 values What would Christian stewardship of wealth look like? Constructing Christian accountability of the rich: “the good of affluence,” simple life or social 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/Assignments Week One Introduction to the course 1/8 (Tue) Economics of Wealth and Poverty: Blomberg, 17-32; Schneider, 1- Origins of the Economic Problem in 12; Sider, “Preface” Genesis; Scarcity and Stewardship Blomberg, 33-56 1/10 (Thur) Wealth and Poverty in OT Law: Schneider, 65-89; Sider, 41- Ancient Israel’s Economic Institutions 44, 65-75; Blomberg, 57-85 for Labor, Loans, and Welfare 13

Wealth and Poverty in OT Wisdom Literature and OT Prophets: Economic Oppression and the Ancient Economy Schneider, 90-115; Sider, 44- 46, 53-55, 107-114 Week Two Jewish view of wealth and poverty: the Blomberg, 87-103; Schneider, 1/15 (Tue) Second Temple literature 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 Rhee, ch. 1 poverty I: economy and patronage

Week Three MLK Holiday: No Class 1/22 (Tue) 1/24 (Thur) Greco-Roman view of wealth and Halteman and Noell, 15-28 poverty II: Plato on socio-economic stratification; Aristotle on wealth acquisition and the telos of economic activity

Week Four Greco-Roman view of wealth and Reader: Plutarch’s “On Love of 1/29 (Tue) poverty III: moral teachings Wealth” and Seneca’s “Epistle LXXXVII” 1/31 (Thur) NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and Halteman and Noell, 28-36; poverty (Part I): Economic Schneider, 139-66; Sider, 56- Institutions of first-century Roman 63; Palestine – taxation, migrant labor, trade and the agrarian economy of the Roman colony (the Parables of Jesus set in social and economic context) Week Five NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and Blomberg, 105-109, 111-46 2/5 (Tue) poverty (Part II) 2/7 (Thur) NT: James and Acts Blomberg, 216-27, 147-72; Early Christian community and the Schneider, 167-92; Sider, 75- sharing of goods in common; Roman 80, 114-117; law and wage payments

Week Six Schneider, 193-210; Sider, 89- 2/12 (Tue) NT: Excurses on Wealth and Poverty 105 Journal Due 2/14 (Thur) NT: Paul on responsible stewardship for Blomberg, 172-212; Schneider, life in koinonia; Roman charitable 207-10 or Sider, 81-87; mechanisms and Poverty Relief in the 14

Early Church Blomberg, 228-40

NT: General Letters and the Revelation: the Economic Persecution of Christians in Rome (guilds, trade, slavery and subsistence in the Roman Empire) Week Seven 2/19 (Tue) Presidents’ Holiday: No Class 2/21 (Thur) NT: Early Christianity: The Apostolic Rhee, ch. 2 Fathers and the Apologists Reader: Morality and Ethics, “The Shepherd of Hermas” and “The Apologists” Week Eight Salvation of the Rich by Clement of Rhee, ch. 3 2/26 (Tue) Alexandria Reader: Clement of Alexandria, The Rich Man’s Salvation Analysis Paper/Notes Due Early Christianity: The Rich and the Poor in the Third and Fourth Century Rhee, ch. 4 Developments Reader: Morality and Ethics, “Cyprian of Carthage”; ** Group Formation for Research Handout—Constantine’s and Presentation support for the church 2/28 (Thur) Early Christianity: Role of the Bishop Rhee, ch. 5 and Church as a Social Welfare Reader: Poverty and Organization Leadership, “Governor of the Poor” Week Nine Early Christianity: Monasticism, Rhee, ch. 6 3/5 (Tue) Wealth, and Poverty in the Fourth Reader: Rich and Poor in Century Christian Tradition, “St. Ambrose”; Social Thought, “The Cappadocian Fathers”: Basil the Great 3/7 (Thur) Early Christianity: Augustine of Hippo Reader: Social Thought, “St. and John Chrysostom on Wealth, Augustine of Hippo,” “St. John Poverty and the Just Wage Chrysostom”

The 4th and 5th century Roman Economic Institutions governing Wages, Poor Relief, and Property Rights and Responsibilities Week Ten Spring Recess: No Class 3/12 (Tue) 3/14 (Thur) Spring Recess: No Class Week Eleven The Scholastic Tradition on Wealth, and Reader: Aquinas, “On the Just 3/23 (Tue) Poverty (Aquinas and the Italian Price and Usury” 15

Scholastics) Technological Innovation, Widening of Markets, and the Rise of Finance: Halteman and Noell, ch.3 Scholastic Response and Reflection on Usury, Avarice, Profits and the Just Price 3/25 (Thur) Medieval Christianity: Theology of the Reader: Rich and Poor, “St. Poor and Medieval Charities Gregory the Great”; “St. Bernard of Clairvaux”; “St Thomas Aquinas” Poverty and Charity in the Middle Ages Handout: Lindberg, 43-67, 91- 94 Week Twelve 3/30 (Tue) Reformation Christianity: Theology of Handout: Bieler, 269-301 the Reformers and the “Calling”, Usury and Poor Relief Reader: On Moral Business, Economic Migration and Welfare Relief “Martin Luther,” “John in European City-States Calvin,” “Radical Reformers,” and “On Usury” 4/1 (Thur) The Weber Thesis, Puritan Economic Reader: On Moral Business, Enterprise, and Early Modern “John Cotton,” “John Locke,” European Technological Change “Adam Smith” and Entrepreneurship Halteman and Noell, ch.4 Noell, Smith and Webb, ch.1-2 The Rise of Modern Capitalism and the Group Research Annotated Scottish Enlightenment Bibliography/Questionnaire Due Week Thirteen Modern Christianity: “The Protestant Reader: On Moral Business, 4/6 (Tue) Work Ethic” and 18th Century Christian “John Wesley”; Handout— Reflections on Wealth, Labor and Max Weber, “Asceticism and Savings the Spirit of Capitalism” Handout: Shewring, 205-218 Classical Economics and the Christian “John Stuart Mill”; Response to the Industrial Revolution Halteman and Noell, ch.5 4/8 (Thur) Karl Marx and the German Reader: On Moral Business, Enlightenment: Wealth, “Marxism and Christianity”; Exploitation, the Proletariat and Handout—Karl Marx, “The the Robber Barons Manifesto of the Communist Party” Modern World: Christianity and Reader: On Moral Business, Marxism, Economic Responses “Andrew Carnegie” and to Marxism (Austrian “James Skillen” Economics) Halteman and Noell, ch.6 Group Research Outline Due 16

Week Fourteen Catholic Response to Modern Reader: On Moral Business, 4/13 (Tue) Capitalism: Papal Encyclicals “A Papal Encyclical”: Centesimus annus Handout: Rerum Novarum 4/15 (Thur) Protestant Response: The Social Gospel Handout—Rauschenbusch Contemporary World: Capitalism and Reader: On Moral Business, Oppression—Liberation Theology “Gustavo Gutierrez” Week Fifteen Contemporary Perspectives on Schneider, 13-40; Sider, 1-37; 4/20 (Tue) Capitalism and Income Inequality – the Halteman and Noell, ch.9 “Occupy Movement”, Corporate and Group Research Presentation 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 4/22 (Thur) Contemporary World: Global Economy Noell, Smith and Webb, Ch.3 and Capitalism – Globalization and the Reader: Economics in IMF, WTO, and World Bank; the Role Christian Perspective of Geography and Extractive vs. —“International Economic Inclusive Institutions; Debt Relief for Relations”; Schneider, 211-20; Developing Economies and the Modern Group Research Presentation Jubilee Week Sixteen 4/27 (Tue) Contemporary World: Toward Christian Reader: On Moral Business, Stewardship and Responsibility I “Conservative and Evangelical Statements” Contemporary World: Toward Christian Stewardship and Responsibility II Rhee, ch. 7 Sider, 181-217

Group Research Presentation 4/29 (Thur) Contemporary World: Toward Christian Sider, 219-67; Noell, Smith Stewardship and Responsibility III – the and Webb, Ch.5, 7, 8 role of Government and Private Sector in aiding the Poor; Microfinance and Group Research Presentation other Current Economic Strategies for Economic Development Journal Due

Conclusion of the Course

Week Seventeen FINAL EXAMINATION No In-Class Final: Take- 17

5/3 (Mon) 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Home Exam due by 1:00 pm