Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 19:2 (Summer 2015)
Article: Economics And The Christian Worldview: 12 Theses
Author: R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

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SBJT 19:2 (Summer 2015) p. 9

Economics And The Christian Worldview: 12 Theses

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and also serves as the Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Seminary. He is the author of Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth (Multnomah, 2008); He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World (Moody, 2008); Words From the Fire: Hearing the Voice of God in the Ten Commandments (Moody, 2009); and We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, & The Very Meaning of Right and Wrong (Thomas Nelson, 2015).

Once called “a dismal science” by historian Thomas Carlyle, economics is often sidelined, even in the academic world. But economics is, in fact, one of most important social sciences. With that in mind, my aim in this brief article is to look at economics, labor, business, money, industry, and work from a theological perspective. Further, my aim is to lay out how these all point to God’s purpose for humans as the only creatures who bear his image, exercise co-regency and dominion in the world, and work with the ability to have an economic consciousness.

Regrettably, many American Christians know little about economics. Furthermore, many Christians assume that the Bible has nothing at all to say about economics. But a biblical worldview actually has a great deal to teach us on economic matters. The meaning of work, the value of labor, and other economic issues are all part of the biblical worldview. At the same time we must recognize that the Christian worldview does not demand or promote a particular economic system. Because this is the case, Christians must allow the economic principles found in Scripture to shape our thinking

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while simultaneously recognizing that we can act in light of those principles in any economic, cultural, or generational setting.

A Biblical Theological Framework For Economics

Before looking at the Bible’s economic principles, we need to understand the theological framework which undergirds and sets the theological context for those principles. The Bible reveals the self-sufficient, sovereign God who is the creator and source of all things. God creates as an exercise of his own glory, and he creates in a way that demonstrates his own attributes and character. That anything exists is due entirely to the fact that God exists and creates all things. Further, creation testifies that God is a God of abundance, which ought to influence how we think about abundance and wealth. In other words, God did not create a world with a scarcity of resources, but w...

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