1
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: noell@westmont.edu
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: rhee@westmont.edu
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 processes
and policies.
2. Students will conduct qualitative and quantitative research appropriate to
economics and business.
3
3. Students will exhibit effective writing skills in economics and business
documents.
4. Students will practice effective verbal communication skills in economics and
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.


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.
4

They will establish lifelong disciplines marked by theological reflection, Christlike 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
Demonstrate the ability to articulate their learning
in speech and group research with creativity and
effectiveness (Competence in Oral
Communication; Information Literacy; EBWritten and Oral Communication; Research and
Technology)
Articulate a fundamental thematic knowledge of
the development of Christian understandings of
and dealings with the issues involving wealth and
poverty in written works, including its relation to
the theology and practice of the contemporary
church (Christian Understanding; Competence in
Written Communication; RS—Hermeneutical
Competence)
Utilize the critical methods of biblical and
historical interpretation and contextual thinking
and the analytical tools of economics with respect
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
economic processes underlying the creation of
wealth and long-term poverty, both domestically
and in the global economy, and the policy
challenges associated with poverty reduction in
addressing global income inequality (Critical
Thinking; Global Awareness; EB -Analyzing
Complex Economics and Business Processes and
Policies)
Evaluate the intricate and complex relationships
among theological constructions of wealth and
poverty, their social constructions and
manifestations, and their moral discourses and
Instructional
Activity
Discussion
Assessment
Group Research
Project
Lecture
Discussion
Exam
Group Research
Project
Critical Reading
Notes
Analysis Paper
Journal
Lecture
Discussion
Exam
Analysis Paper
Journal
Lecture
Discussion
Exam
Group Research
Project
Critical Reading
Notes
Lecture
Discussion
Exam
Critical Reading
Notes
5
implications (Critical Thinking; Christian
Understanding; RS—Theological Judgment)
Explore the ways in which we can articulate an
Lecture
economically and theologically informed reflection Discussion
on Christian social justice, engage in the
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)
Critical Reading
Notes
Journal
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.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Claar, Victor V. and Robin J. Klay. Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory, Policy
and Life Choices. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007.
6
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.
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.
7
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.
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.
8
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
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?”
2
Proviso: The professors reserve the right to change this syllabus when deemed appropriate; changes to the
syllabus will be announced in class.
9
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
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
10
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 selfanalysis 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.
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.
11
** 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,
snoble@westmont.edu), 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
Development of redemptive almsgiving and charity
Monasticism (asceticism) and poverty
Scholastic teaching on economic compulsion and the economically disadvantaged worker,
borrower, and merchant
12
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
Introduction to the course
Week One
1/8 (Tue)
Economics of Wealth and Poverty:
Origins of the Economic Problem in
Genesis; Scarcity and Stewardship
1/10 (Thur)
Wealth and Poverty in OT Law:
Ancient Israel’s Economic Institutions
for Labor, Loans, and Welfare
Wealth and Poverty in OT Wisdom
Literature and OT Prophets: Economic
Oppression and the Ancient Economy
Readings/Assignments
Blomberg, 17-32; Schneider, 112; Sider, “Preface”
Blomberg, 33-56
Schneider, 65-89; Sider, 4144, 65-75; Blomberg, 57-85
Schneider, 90-115; Sider, 4446, 53-55, 107-114
13
Week Two
1/15 (Tue)
Jewish view of wealth and poverty: the
Second Temple literature
1/17 (Thur)
Greco-Roman view of wealth and
poverty I: economy and patronage
Week Three
1/22 (Tue)
1/24 (Thur)
MLK Holiday: No Class
Greco-Roman view of wealth and
poverty II: Plato on socio-economic
stratification; Aristotle on wealth
acquisition and the telos of economic
activity
Halteman and Noell, 15-28
Week Four
1/29 (Tue)
Greco-Roman view of wealth and
poverty III: moral teachings
1/31 (Thur)
NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and
poverty (Part I): Economic Institutions
of first-century Roman Palestine –
taxation, migrant labor, trade and the
agrarian economy of the Roman colony
(the Parables of Jesus set in social and
economic context)
NT: Jesus and Synoptics on wealth and
poverty (Part II)
NT: James and Acts
Early Christian community and the
sharing of goods in common; Roman
law and wage payments
Reader: Plutarch’s “On Love
of Wealth” and Seneca’s
“Epistle LXXXVII”
Halteman and Noell, 28-36;
Schneider, 139-66; Sider, 5663;
Week Five
2/5 (Tue)
2/7 (Thur)
Week Six
2/12 (Tue)
2/14 (Thur)
NT: Excurses on Wealth and Poverty
NT: Paul on responsible stewardship for
life in koinonia; Roman charitable
mechanisms and Poverty Relief in the
Early Church
NT: General Letters and the Revelation:
the Economic Persecution of Christians
in Rome (guilds, trade, slavery and
subsistence in the Roman Empire)
Blomberg, 87-103; Schneider,
116-38; Sider, 46-52; Rhee
(handout), “Social, Economic,
and Theological World of
Early Christianity,” 19-21
Rhee, ch. 1
Blomberg, 105-109, 111-46
Blomberg, 216-27, 147-72;
Schneider, 167-92; Sider, 7580, 114-117;
Schneider, 193-210; Sider, 89105
Journal Due
Blomberg, 172-212; Schneider,
207-10 or Sider, 81-87;
Blomberg, 228-40
14
Week Seven
2/19 (Tue)
2/21 (Thur)
Week Eight
2/26 (Tue)
Presidents’ Holiday: No Class
NT: Early Christianity: The Apostolic
Fathers and the Apologists
Salvation of the Rich by Clement of
Alexandria
Early Christianity: The Rich and the
Poor in the Third and Fourth Century
Developments
2/28 (Thur)
** Group Formation for Research
and Presentation
Early Christianity: Role of the Bishop
and Church as a Social Welfare
Organization
Week Nine
3/5 (Tue)
Early Christianity: Monasticism,
Wealth, and Poverty in the Fourth
Century
3/7 (Thur)
Early Christianity: Augustine of Hippo
and John Chrysostom on Wealth,
Poverty and the Just Wage
Week Ten
3/12 (Tue)
3/14 (Thur)
Week Eleven
3/23 (Tue)
Rhee, ch. 2
Reader: Morality and Ethics,
“The Shepherd of Hermas” and
“The Apologists”
Rhee, ch. 3
Reader: Clement of
Alexandria, The Rich Man’s
Salvation
Analysis Paper/Notes Due
Rhee, ch. 4
Reader: Morality and Ethics,
“Cyprian of Carthage”;
Handout—Constantine’s
support for the church
Rhee, ch. 5
Reader: Poverty and
Leadership, “Governor of the
Poor”
Rhee, ch. 6
Reader: Rich and Poor in
Christian Tradition, “St.
Ambrose”; Social Thought,
“The Cappadocian Fathers”:
Basil the Great
Reader: Social Thought, “St.
Augustine of Hippo,” “St. John
Chrysostom”
The 4th and 5th century Roman
Economic Institutions governing
Wages, Poor Relief, and Property
Rights and Responsibilities
Spring Recess: No Class
Spring Recess: No Class
The Scholastic Tradition on Wealth, and Reader: Aquinas, “On the Just
Poverty (Aquinas and the Italian
Price and Usury”
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
15
3/25 (Thur)
Medieval Christianity: Theology of the
Poor and Medieval Charities
Poverty and Charity in the Middle Ages
Week Twelve
3/30 (Tue)
Reformation Christianity: Theology of
the Reformers and the “Calling”, Usury
and Poor Relief
Economic Migration and Welfare Relief
in European City-States
4/1 (Thur)
The Weber Thesis, Puritan Economic
Enterprise, and Early Modern European
Technological Change and
Entrepreneurship
The Rise of Modern Capitalism and the
Scottish Enlightenment
Week Thirteen
4/6 (Tue)
4/8 (Thur)
Modern Christianity: “The Protestant
Work Ethic” and 18th Century Christian
Reflections on Wealth, Labor and
Savings
Classical Economics and the Christian
Response to the Industrial Revolution
Karl Marx and the German
Enlightenment: Wealth, Exploitation,
the Proletariat and the Robber Barons
Modern World: Christianity and
Marxism, Economic Responses to
Marxism (Austrian Economics)
Week Fourteen Catholic Response to Modern
4/13 (Tue)
Capitalism: Papal Encyclicals
4/15 (Thur)
Protestant Response: The Social Gospel
Contemporary World: Capitalism and
Oppression—Liberation Theology
Reader: Rich and Poor, “St.
Gregory the Great”; “St.
Bernard of Clairvaux”; “St
Thomas Aquinas”
Handout: Lindberg, 43-67, 9194
Handout: Bieler, 269-301
Reader: On Moral Business,
“Martin Luther,” “John
Calvin,” “Radical Reformers,”
and “On Usury”
Reader: On Moral Business,
“John Cotton,” “John Locke,”
“Adam Smith”
Halteman and Noell, ch.4
Noell, Smith and Webb, ch.1-2
Group Research Annotated
Bibliography/Questionnaire
Due
Reader: On Moral Business,
“John Wesley”; Handout—
Max Weber, “Asceticism and
the Spirit of Capitalism”
Handout: Shewring, 205-218
“John Stuart Mill”;
Halteman and Noell, ch.5
Reader: On Moral Business,
“Marxism and Christianity”;
Handout—Karl Marx, “The
Manifesto of the Communist
Party”
Reader: On Moral Business,
“Andrew Carnegie” and
“James Skillen”
Halteman and Noell, ch.6
Group Research Outline Due
Reader: On Moral Business,
“A Papal Encyclical”:
Centesimus annus
Handout: Rerum Novarum
Handout—Rauschenbusch
Reader: On Moral Business,
“Gustavo Gutierrez”
16
Week Fifteen
4/20 (Tue)
4/22 (Thur)
Week Sixteen
4/27 (Tue)
4/29 (Thur)
Contemporary Perspectives on
Capitalism and Income Inequality – the
“Occupy Movement”, Corporate and
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
Contemporary World: Global Economy
and Capitalism – Globalization and the
IMF, WTO, and World Bank; the Role
of Geography and Extractive vs.
Inclusive Institutions; Debt Relief for
Developing Economies and the Modern
Jubilee
Schneider, 13-40; Sider, 1-37;
Halteman and Noell, ch.9
Group Research Presentation
Noell, Smith and Webb, Ch.3
Reader: Economics in
Christian Perspective—
“International Economic
Relations”; Schneider, 211-20;
Group Research Presentation
Contemporary World: Toward Christian
Stewardship and Responsibility I
Reader: On Moral Business,
“Conservative and Evangelical
Statements”
Contemporary World: Toward Christian
Stewardship and Responsibility II
Rhee, ch. 7
Sider, 181-217
Contemporary World: Toward Christian
Stewardship and Responsibility III – the
role of Government and Private Sector
in aiding the Poor; Microfinance and
other Current Economic Strategies for
Economic Development
Group Research Presentation
Sider, 219-67; Noell, Smith
and Webb, Ch.5, 7, 8
Group Research Presentation
Journal Due
Conclusion of the Course
Week Seventeen
5/3 (Mon)
FINAL EXAMINATION
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
No In-Class Final: TakeHome Exam due by 1:00 pm