Abstract
Globalization is bringing Western, market-based economies to the rest of the world, resulting in unprecedented economic growth and reductions in poverty. Nevertheless, there is reason to be concerned about the current form of global capitalism that is encompassing the world. Drawing on biblical anthropology, theological insights from virtue ethicists, and empirical evidence, this article argues that mainstream economics has a tendency to transform image-bearers of the triune God into selfinterested, materialistic creatures, who are not flourishing despite market-induced increases in their material well-being. In order to offset this deforming process, the article suggests formative practices for the church and the marketplace and calls for a research agenda that explores true human flourishing in an era of expanding global markets.
Brian Fikkert and Michael Rhodes, "Homo Economicus Versus Homo Imago Dei," Journal of Markets & Morality 20, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 101-126