Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Economic Justice

Dear Colleagues,

John Calvin accused church leaders of living in “the luxury and the corruption of the times”, while ignoring the great needs of the poor. He called this disobedience to Christ’s commands and that “the daily alms are swallowed up in this abyss.”

Wesley expressed concern that when people become rich, “the essence of religion, the mind that was in Christ, has decreased in the same proportion.” Therefore, he perceived no real possibility of the long-lasting revival of true religion.

Max Weber critiqued these leaders of the Reformation in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, charging that the Calvinist virtues of frugality, honesty, and prudence created a “this-worldly asceticism” that led to an excessive accumulation of wealth.

William Stringfellow and Walter Wink linked principalities and powers to unjust economic systems, with poverty becoming institutionalized by prosperous people in society.

Likewise, Sallie McFague stresses that inequality is embedded in neo-liberal capitalism and calls for a planetary theology.

Philip Francis Esler states that the rich cannot “set themselves right with God by bringing their riches to a bottomless pit and throwing them in, while the starving poor looked helplessly on.”

Dario López Rodriguez’s thus calls for the disciples of Jesus to cross socially constructed boundaries and join in solidarity with the marginalized, regardless of particular societal forces that generate marginalization.

Rachel L. Coleman calls for materially wealthy people to utilize surplus wealth for generosity and hospitality, avoid distancing, and incorporate marginalized people into the community.

Likewise, Kwok Pui-lan, in the context of neocolonialism and slavery, calls for economic equity and God’s solidarity with the poor.

This summarizes the scholarly research and teachings on injustice. This volume biblically addresses economic injustices, yet will supplement it with models, strategies, and case studies for living justly amidst economic injustice.

Since injustices are rooted in economic practices, biblical writers have continuously pressed for economic justice. The enormous scale of economic injustices under neo-liberal policies today cause an ever increasing gap between the rich and poor people. The wealth and income gaps must be addressed and corrected in light of historical contexts and biblical interpretation. This journal issue assesses personal and structural inequity, utilizing case studies and contemporary alternative practices in faith communities provide corrective models towards economic justice.

The outline of this journal incorporates a broad biblical sweep:

1. Economic Justice in the Hebrew Bible

      Creation and Ecology:  Plagues and People.

      The Women of the Exodus.

      Exodus and the Oppressed.

      The Prophets and protection of the Vulnerable.

      Living in Exile; Coping with Empires—Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, etc. 

      The Torah and Justice.

      Sojourners and Aliens: The Bible and Immigration.

2. Economic Justice in the New Testament

      Jesus and the Poor.

       Embracing Diversity in the book of Acts.

       Remember the Poor in Paul.

       Paul's vision of a New Economic Order.

       Living with the Apocalypse—The Economics of the Book of Revelation.

3. The Bible and Economic Justice in Our world today

      Biblical Theologies: Liberation, Pentecostalism, Ecumenicism, and Evangelicalism

      Issues:  Racism, women, poverty, globalization, ecology and climate change, sustainability

     Global, and urban ministry organizations that are putting it all together with praxis.

4. Summary and the Vision of a just and sustainable society

Economic justice can only be discussed when making connections between the needs of people, meeting those needs, and the pursuit of a more sustainable planet.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, the interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions ([email protected]). The abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors to ensure they fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Paul Hertig
Dr. Clinton E. Stockwell
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• economics
• justice
• economic justice
• biblical theology
• economy
• injustice
• poor
• rich
• marginalized
• wealth
• poverty
• oppressed sustainability
• globalization
• liberation
• practical theology
• mission theology