Economics in Christian Perspective
$12.50 [ purchase ]

There is considerable debate in the public square these days about a number of issues that have significant economic components. Globalization, environmental protection, and aiding the poor are just a few. Decisions we make in our personal lives are influenced by our assumptions about economic realities as well. So how might mainstream economics connect with Christian values and principles? Reg price $16.00 on sale now for $12.50!

Business as a Calling
$10.50 [ purchase ]

In straightforward language, Novak (Belief and Unbelief) sets out to refute the popular conception that business leaders are materialistic and rapacious, asserting that "business not only creates social connections, lifts its participants out of poverty, and builds the foundation of democracy, but also can and must be morally uplifting."

Effective Stewardship Curriculum Study Guide
$12.00 [ purchase ]

This guide provides materials to support group discussion for each of the five lessons in the Effective Stewardship Curriculum. It also includes resources for sermon preparation, pulling together scriptures relevant to each lesson. Quantity purchases are as follows: $12 1-9 $10 10-20 $8 30-60 purchases needing 60 or more please contact dsatterlee@acton.org for pricing.

Effective Stewardship Curriculum and Study Guide
$39.99 [ purchase ]

If you are a pastor, teaching about money and stewardship can be awkward since some Christians view the subject as little more than a strategy for boosting contributions on Sunday morning. But as these five lessons make clear, Christian stewardship is about more than the money we drop into the collection plate. Stewardship extends to our talents, to the environment, to church and family, to our fellow man, and yes, to the money in our bank accounts. Stewardship, as the saying goes, is everything we do after we say we believe. Whats in the box? * DVD containing five 20-minute lessons 1. Stewardship of our Talents 2. Stewardship of the Environment 3. Stewardship of our Fellow Man 4. Stewardship of our Institutions 5. Stewardship of our Finances * A 2-minute trailer introducing the entire series * A 2-minute trailer for each of the five lessons * A printed Study Guide with lesson notes

Who Really Cares?
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We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers? Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give. Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In Who Really Cares, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.

Globalizacion, Pobreza y Desarrollo Internacional
$6.00 [ purchase ]

One subject that never fails to spark debate is globalization. The phrase is used in every possible context, and yet its origins, nature and implicationsâ€Â¹especially for developing countriesâ€Â¹are often misunderstood. In this monograph, Lord Brian Griffiths examines the theory and practice of globalization, and underlines its positive influences on wealth-creation and its success in raising millions out of poverty. Griffiths warns, however, that the benefits of globalization are predicated on the culture that it reflects, and urges Christians to work to ensure that globalization reflects the principles of Christian anthropology, especially as articulated in John Paul II's 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, rather than narrowly secularist alternatives.

Banca, justicia y bien comun
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The art of creating, managing, loaning, and investing money has always been fraught with moral hazards. Unfortunately, the widespread habit of viewing banking in a less-than positive light has contributed to misunderstanding of a human activity that not only contributes to human prosperity, but also creates a sphere of endeaver in which people can genuinely pursue virtue. Through considering commercial banking in light of the demands of justice and the common good, we recognize that the work of banking testifies to the sense of responsibility that each person ought to have for others' well being. Moreover, conscientiousness, honesty, trust, and exactitute are qualities of work implicit to prudent and profitable banking. To participate in these moral goods in a consistent and coherent way is to grow in virtue to transform ourselves from who we are into what we ought to be.

Sourcebook in Late-Scholastic Monetary Theory
$33.00 [ purchase ]

The Sourcebook in Late-Scholastic Monetary Theory is a thematically unified collection of seminal texts in the history of economics on the topic of money and exchange relations (cambium)—its nature, purpose, value, and relationship to justice and morality in financial transactions—within the tradition of late-scholastic commercial ethics. Cambium embraces the development of banking practices and institutions in early modern Europe and, therefore, is much broader in scope than the simple practice of exchanging currency. Here, for the first time, the unabridged texts of Martín de Azpilcueta's Commentary on the Resolution of Money (1556), Luis de Molina's A Treatise on Money (1597), and Juan de Mariana's Treatise on the Alteration of Money (1609) are available in English translation with scholarly annotations. The publication of these foundational texts under a single cover will stimulate exploration of the continuities and discontinuities, agreements and disagreements, innovations and ruptures within the Salamancan tradition of commercial ethics during the latter half of the sixteenth and the early seventeenth century. A close reading shows that the Salamancans were involved not only in an internal conversation within Spain concerning inflation, usury, rates of currency exchange, currency debasement, subjective value, just prices, and so on, but also that they were critical intermediaries in a wider conversation spanning centuries that includes prominent canonists, jurists, philosophers, and theologians. The Salamancans also serve as conduits of scholastic economic reflection to Adam Smith and the political economists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The texts (in conjunction with the introductions by leading authorities) demonstrate the sophistication with which the Spanish doctors examined the new process of using bills of exchange (cambium per litteras) to replace the cumbersome and dangerous transportation of metallic coins between commercial fairs, which led not only to new scholastic insights on interest, credit, and international trade, but also to a much more comprehensive analysis of monetary exchange and banking practices than had been undertaken before.

Myths Christians Believe about Wealth and Poverty
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For Christians, compassion for the poor is a non-negotiable. Compassion alone, however, doesn�t help the poor. In fact, many ideas that Christian leaders advocate really exacerbate the very problems they were intended to solve. So how do we insure that we not only mean well, but also do good? We have to learn to think economically about wealth and poverty. One way to do this is to learn to recognize eight simple myths that many well meaning Christians believe when they think about wealth and poverty.

Subsidiarity and the World of Private Charity
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"Subsidiarity and the World of Private Charity," a lecture from Acton University 2006.

A Theology and History of Globalization
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"A Theology and History of Globalization" from 2007 Acton University. Understanding globalization requires theological reflection and historical contextualization. This lecture identifies key theological principles through which to consider globalization, and contextualizes globalization as a historical phenomenon.

The Commercial Society
$20.00 [ purchase ]

Once relatively confined to parts of Europe and North America, commercial societies are now found in many other cultures and continents. Yet despite the international spread and growth of commercial order, the moral, economic, and legal foundations of commercial society remain poorly understood - especially in those countries where it first took root. Guided by the thoughts of Alexis de Tocqueville, Samuel Gregg's The Commercial Society identifies and explores the key foundational elements that must exist within a society for commercial order to take root and flourish. Gregg studies the challenges that have consistently impeded and occasionally undermined commercial order, including the persistence of "corporatist" values and political movements seeking to equalize social conditions. This book offers a historically grounded analysis for modern audiences interested in philosophy or the history of economics.

The Constitution Under Social Justice
$19.95 [ purchase ]

Antonio Rosmini-Serbati (1797—1855) was one of the first natural law scholars to bring natural law thinking into a conversation with the market economic order that was beginning to emerge in Europe in the 19th century. His reflections on matters such as the origin, nature, and limits of private property, the role of the state, and the nature of human reason show him to be a unique, innovative thinker who nonetheless was determined to work within the parameters of Catholic doctrine. Many of these ideas are concretized in his seminal work The Constitution Under Social Justice, a text that has profound insights to offer those today seeking to integrate theology, philosophy, and economics into their conceptions of a social order that aspires to be both free and just.

The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy
$18.50 [ purchase ]

In The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy, Thomas E. Woods Jr. makes a vigorous argument in favor of the market economy from a Catholic perspective. Filling a lapse in the debate on the role of religious thought in economic theory, Woods' uncompromising position, informed by the history of Catholic economic thought, shows that the long-seen contradiction between Catholic faith and support for the market economy does not exist. With attention to detail on almost all aspects of the free market, from the Federal Reserve System and inflation to antitrust legislation and labor issues, this book provides essential background for anyone interested in balancing issues of social conscience with modern economic principles.

Natural Law: The Foundation of an Orderly Economic System
$19.95 [ purchase ]

Author Alberto M. Piedra lucidly illustrates the notion of "natural law" through the examination of economic, social, political, and cultural issues. In this work Piedra draws on classical and Christian sources as well as his personal experience as an economist, diplomat, and lecturer on world politics to address philosophical views in a constructive and morally guided exegesis of natural law and economics. This innovative book shows the value of appeals to a governing, natural law and attendant principles such as the common good, subsidiarity, hierarchy, spiritual welfare, the reciprocity of freedom and authority, and the cultivation of personal moral and intellectual virtue. Natural Law will appeal to scholars, professionals, and others interested in the cultivation of personal moral and intellectual virtue. Alberto M. Piedra is the Donald E. Bently Professor of Political Economy at the Institute of World Politics.

Within the Market Strife: American Catholic Economic Thought from Rerum Novarum to Vatican II
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In a period often viewed by historians as one in which Catholics labored in an intellectual ghetto, shut off from mainstream American thought and culture, a number of Catholic intellectuals were thinking seriously about the relationship between Catholicism and its American context. "Within the Market Strife" examines these views on economic questions in the period 1891-1962, from populism and progressivism to the New Deal and post-World War II conservatism. The book uniquely contributes to the historical understanding of Catholicism - and of American intellectual history more generally - by examining the ways in which Catholic views variously mirrored and interacted with broader American (non-Catholic) views. "Within the Market Strife" combines Catholic and general American historiographies to discern the ways in which American Catholic economic thought was dependent on factors other than their adherence to the authoritative social teaching of their church, unique political loyalties, personal experience, and economic theories. This book is an essay in intellectual history that will prove itself invaluable to scholars interestred in Catholic history, economic history, American religious history, and American intellectual history. Dr. Schmiesing holds a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in history from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of Within the Market Strife (2004) and American Catholic Intellectuals, 1895â�"1955 (2002) and of a number of articles in the areas of Catholic social thought and the history of economics. He serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Markets & Morality.

The Boundaries of Technique: Ordering Positive and Normative Concerns in Economic Research
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Exploring recent controversies over the role of ethics in economics, The Boundaries of Technique encourages scholars and students to discover and debate the ways in which economics is insulated from ethics and the ways in which it is dependent upon it. Using the moral philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, Author Andrew Yuengert brings readers to a deeper awareness of the intrinsic involvement of the individual and the responsibility of moral choice. Andrew Yuengert is the John and Francis Duggan Professor of Economics at Seaver College, Pepperdine University.

And Why Not? Morality and Business
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This book-length extended interview provides fascinating insights into the mind of François Michelin, the former managing partner of Group Michelin. In one of the few interviews he has ever given, Michelin sat down with two journalists and discussed his management philosophy and his deeply felt Christian faith. Apart from offering subtle theological reflections into the nature of business, Michelin speaks eloquently about the creative dimension of free enterprise and the human aspect of life in the commercial world. "The main thing is to live, but in order to do this, one has to feed on the reality that is hidden behind facts, one has to seek out root causes," Michelin says in And Why Not?. Michelin is also outspoken about the French government's penchant for central planning and collectivist economic systems. France, he maintains, has been governed by the spiritual sons of Marx. The same technocrats who are so fond of Marxist theories are also frightened by open markets and globalization. Michelin observes that,"In our country, there is a marked preference for hitting people with all kinds of duties and taxes rather than giving them the means to invent, to make progress, and to compete."

Faith and Liberty: The Economic Thought of the Late Scholastics
$18.50 [ purchase ]

A common working assumption of many economists is that modern economics began with Adam Smith. Largely forgotten is the contribution of the Spanish scholastic thinkers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Thinking through issues such as the just price and the legitimacy of private property, these Catholic theologians and philosophers were the first to grapple with ideas normally associated with Smith. In Faith and Liberty, Alejandro A. Chafuen draws upon many texts largely unfamiliar to English-speaking audiences to illustrate that the origin of modern economics lies very much in natural law and scholastic moral theology. A work that challenges economists and theologians alike, Faith and Liberty points to the need for modern economics to be grounded upon a revised anthropology of the human person, and it makes the case for theologians and the church to recognize the capacity of economics to contain greater truths.