In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi ISSN: (Online) 2305-0853, (Print) 1018-6441 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Pastoral Banking Practice – A Christian-ethical and pastoral perspective on financing, credit and moneylending Authors: Financing of human activity through borrowing from third parties is widespread in the 1 Morten Bøsterud Western world. Such financing may give rise to several questions of moral and ethical character. Jakobus M. Vorster1 The ethical underpinnings of such banking activity are somewhat unclear and not uniform Affiliations: among the involved actors. Christian thinkers have been divided as to what moral norms 1The Unit for Reformational should apply and, traditionally, the matter has been discussed mostly in connection with the Theology and the level of interest charged by the lender to the borrower. In this article, banking is illuminated Development of the South African Society, Faculty of from different angles, including questions regarding the moral defensibility of lending and Theology, North-West borrowing, the taking and posting of collateral, third party guarantees and the level of interest University, Potchefstroom, that may be charged. A new banking system is proposed, whereby banking is given a South Africa constructive and participatory societal place in concert with sound Christian-ethical and Corresponding author: pastoral principles. This new banking paradigm is named Pastoral Banking Practice (PBP) to Morten Bøsterud, emphasise its Christian-ethical and pastoral foundations.
[email protected] Dates: Received: 18 Sept. 2018 Introduction Accepted: 31 Jan. 2019 Within the economic sphere of individuals and societies, activities need be financed, whether Published: 14 Mar. 2019 they be commercial enterprises or expenditures of a private nature such as, for example, How to cite this article: purchasing dwellings or paying for education, or to consume for self-subsistence.