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For immediate release: February 26, 2008
This past Friday night, February 22, Oxford-educated theologian David Cowan brought his defense of market economics to the University of Minnesota in a lecture co-sponsored by the Institute and Mars Hill Students. “Jesus doesn’t propose a radical economic alternative, nor the perfection of human society,” he declared. Rather, said Cowan, Jesus’ economic parables, of which there are many, can be interpreted in light of any economic system.
One of the very few Lutherans who hail from Great Britain (he now lives in Cluny, France), Cowan dismissed as a “21st century indulgence” the habit of secular economic guilt. One example is the tendency for Hollywood stars to act as great humanitarians, wanting to be seen as caring for those at the bottom of the economic heap. They thus join many academic theologians in condemning the market economy as unjust.
Noting a critique developed by Zygmunt Bauman and Erich Fromm, Cowan described how consumerism is seen to create homo economicus (the human as consumer). In Fromm’s view, modern consumers are alienated from ourselves, having falsely chosen to market ourselves as commodities. Cowan says that these and other critics of consumer economies make a false leap from the limitations and problems of consumer access to criticism of market economies, conflating an economic with a spiritual problem.
For Cowan, consumerism’s excesses need not lead to a rejection of consumer economies, for, in fact, there are no successful alternatives to market economies. He joins economist William Easterly in his critique of the development industry which is so often hostile to market economics (see Easterly’s 2006 book The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good). Cowan, who has worked for the World Bank, commented that first-class plane travel seemed de rigueur among World Bank employees claiming to help the poor.
Jesus, said Cowan, is more interested in the economy as a mirror of who we are. His concern is not with competition, but with the envy that it generates. “The market economy doesn’t create greed; it reflects our greed,” said Cowan.
Knowing that many sincere Christians are prone to the kind of economic guilt that seems to afflict celebrities, Cowan was careful to say that Jesus does not propose a radical economic alternative, nor the perfection of human society. Reflecting his deeply-held Lutheran ideals, Cowan asserted that the Gospel absolutely requires that we exercise confidence in what God has achieved on our behalf, and not our efforts to achieve something for Him and humanity. In the end, said Cowan, the capitalist economy, whether we like it or not, allows people of all faiths or no faith to trade, and that benefits everyone economically.
Copies of Cowan’s 2006 book Economic Parables (Paternoster Press) are available for sale at the Institute for $13, including $3 for shipping. Please contact sarajoy@maclaurin.org to place your order.
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Student Apologetics Training Conference 2009
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Jan. 23 - 7th Annual Faith & Bioethics Lecture
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Legal Scholar Compares Modern Political Practice to the “Gelasian Thesis”
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Is Charity Without Faith Dead?
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Mayo Bioethicist Offers Bracing Challenge to Churches
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January 25, 2008 |
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Minnesota Daily Covers First Lecture in Mangalwadi Series
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June 5, 2007 |
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Os Guinness Is Featured Speaker at the Institute's 25th Anniversary
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April 30, 2007 |
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Trade, Claims Dean, is Critical for the Poor
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April 20, 2007 |
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New Testament Scholar Unfolds Counter-Cultural Implications of Luke and Acts
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Dr. Theo Stavrou to Receive Mentoring Award
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Christianity Has a “Strange” Understanding of Truth, Says Sweet
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April 2, 2007 |
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Our Modern Understanding of Freedom is Nihilistic, Says Hart
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March 27, 2007 |
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Institute's Library Catalog Now Accessible Online
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February 21, 2007 |
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Theo Stavrou to Receive Christian Faculty Mentoring Award
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Biblical Feminism Inspired by 19th Century Missionary Movements, Says Haddad
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Symposium to Address Civic Engagement
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Institute to Offer Recommended Books Through Amazon.com
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Palliative Care, Not Physician Assisted Suicide, Says Dr. Robert Orr
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Campus Minister Joins Institute Staff
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Christian Medical and Dental Personnel Potluck
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Cal DeWitt on Speaking of Faith Program
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In Search of a Theology of the Soul
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Writer Challenges Assumptions of Public Debate
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Intelligent Design Proponent Declares State-Mandated Materialism Is Impermissible
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Flannery and the Fundamentalist South: Opponents of a Nihilistic Church
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Article Claims Jesus' Forgiveness was as Political as it was Religious
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Institute Board Member Receives Award
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Europe Better Demonstrates the Christian Ideal, Says Middelmann
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November 2, 2006 |
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Turkish Journalist Addresses the Pope's September 12 Lecture
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October 22, 2006 |
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International Journalists Question Media Treatment of Intelligent Design
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Minnesota Daily Editorializes for Religion Requirement
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“Recover the Wonder,” Declares Esolen
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Elaine Pagels Leaves Questions Unanswered
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Professor Argues That Modern Education Is “Debunking” Wonder
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Conference Stresses Strength of Christian Vision for the Environment
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Conference to Address Balance Between the Human, Engineered and Natural Worlds
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Institute Fellow Discusses Da Vinci and the Authority of Scripture
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Consumerism Conferences Ends With Call for Green Martyrs
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Michael Novak Lectures on Clash of Civilizations
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Lecture to Address Clash of Civilizations
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David Shenk Offers Response to Lecture Report
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Institute Lectures Span Economics, Education, and Ethics
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Conference to Challenge Consumerism’s Grip on American Christianity
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Muslim-Christian Dialogue at the University of Minnesota Is Strategic
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Philosopher Peter Singer Speaks at the University of Minnesota
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Institute Welcomes Two New Staff Members
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Institute Board Chair Wades Into Intelligent Design Debate
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Michael Behe Spoke to Packed Crowd of 500
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Online Christian Studies Library Now Available
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Overflow Crowd Hears Author of The Question of God
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God and the Global Marketplace
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Dramatic Price Reduction for Christian Studies Courses
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Deconstructing The Da Vinci Code
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What Role Does Art Play in Our Daily Lives?"
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J. Richard Pearcey Challenges Madonna
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Vishal Mangalwadi Receives Honorary Doctorate
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New Testament Survey Course to Begin in January
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Dr. Jeffrey Polet Highlights the "Monstrous Logic of Terror"
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Faculty Mentoring Conference Brought Together Scholars From Around the Country
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Narnia on Tour Comes to Twin Cities
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Nancy Pearcey to speak on C-SPAN
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Nigel Cameron Addresses Cloning Issue
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Schapp Sees Hope for the Future of Literature
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Gay Marriage Debate on TV
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University Professor Discusses 'Axiomatic Christianity'
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