Theos Report on Investment

The latest report from Theos has recently been published:

Paul Bickley, Madeleine Pennington, and George Lapshynov, A Theology of Investment (London: Theos. 2026).

Here’s some brief blurb:

‘In our cultural imagination, investment is often seen as “finance–driven capitalism” associated with short-termism where profits are prioritised over people.

‘And it’s true, financial investment is part of a larger economic system which often flows in ways which reinforce injustice, entrench inequality, and contribute to environmental damage.

‘But this is not the whole story.

‘When understood differently, investment is a tool that can either steer our societies towards abuse and excess, or towards something more fruitful. Investment stewarded well can be a mechanism for human and global flourishing…

‘A biblically–informed view of investment is an important means of allocating surpluses fairly, honouring the network of relationships in which we are embedded, and respecting the needs of the natural world.

‘A more positive account of investment is not only possible, but urgently needed.’

More information is available here, and a pdf of the full report is available here.

Jonathan Ebsworth, Samuel Johns, and Michael Dodson on Surveillance Capitalism

The latest Cambridge Paper from the Jubilee Centre is available online here (from where a pdf can be downloaded here), this one by Jonathan Ebsworth, Samuel Johns, and Michael Dodson:

Jonathan Ebsworth, Samuel Johns, and Michael Dodson, ‘Surveillance Capitalism: the hidden costs of the digital revolution’, Cambridge Papers 30, 2 (June 2021).

Here is the summary:

‘We are in the midst of a digitally-enabled industrial revolution. As with previous revolutions, this one is attended by both benefits and perils. In this paper we examine a business model called ‘surveillance capitalism” that funds the free services of this digital revolution. We describe the model itself; demonstrate the intrinsic dependence on deception, addiction, and exploitation; and suggest practical responses that individuals and communities can take to face these challenges with hope and assurance.’

Theos Report on Money and Capitalism

Clifford Longley, Just Money: How Catholic Social Teaching can Redeem Capitalism (London: Theos, 2014).

In the latest report from Theos, Clifford Longley lays out an approach to economics based on Catholic Social Teaching.

Here’s some of the blurb:

‘With the long-standing and highly esteemed model of Just War theory in the background, [Longley] unpacks the theory of Just Money. Drawing on the extensive and detailed tradition of Catholic Social Thought – a tradition with roots in classical philosophy and Catholic teaching that is accessible to people of all faiths and none – Longley sets out an alternative vision.

‘The answer is not to abandon the business economy but to humanise it, thereby making it fairer, more efficient and user-friendly, never forgetting that, like the Sabbath, the market was made for man and not man for the market.’

More information is available here, and the full report is available for download here.

Christian History Magazine on Christians in the New Industrial Economy

The latest issue of Christian History Magazine is devoted to ‘Christians in the New Industrial Economy’.

According to its blurb, the magazine ‘examines the impact of automation on Europe and America and the varying responses of the church to the problems that developed. Topics examined are mission work, the rise of the Social Gospel, the impact of papal pronouncements, the Methodist phenomenon, Christian capitalists, attempts at communal living and much more.’

The whole magazine is available as a 5.7 MB pdf here.

Centre for Public Christianity (December 2012)

The most recent newsletter from the Centre for Public Christianity contains links to several video interviews

• Mike Bassous (adjunct Professor of International Studies at Taylor University and General Secretary of the Bible Society of Lebanon) on what the Arab Spring means for the Middle East and the effects of the Syrian civil war

• Darrell Bock (Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary) on the purpose of Jesus’ miracles and why Westerners struggle to accept them

• Richard Burridge (Dean of King’s College London) on the New Testament attitude towards wealth and the revolutionary impact that such understanding could have on contemporary society

• Michael Schluter on the importance of families for healthy communities and what governments should be doing to foster healthy family relationships.

There is also a review of After Capitalism: Rethinking Economic Relationships, by Paul Mills and Michael Schluter.

Jonathan Rushworth and Michael Schluter on Transforming Capitalism

Jonathan Rushworth and Michael Schluter, Transforming Capitalism From Within: A Relational Approach to the Purpose, Performance, and Assessment of Companies, Research Report No 1 (Relationships Global, 2011).

This 72-page report has just been published by the Relationships Foundation.

Transforming Capitalism, they say, is ‘a fresh approach to the purpose, performance and assessment of companies based on the idea that stakeholder relationships lie at the heart of companies’. In addition, the report ‘is based on several years of research into the concept of “relational companies”, culminating in the creation of a Relational Business Charter’.

The Executive Summary is linked to from here, and the full report can be downloaded from here.

Michael Schluter on Capitalism (Again)

Michael Schluter, ‘Beyond Capitalism: Towards a Relational Economy’, Cambridge Papers 19, 1 (2010).

Having posted (here) on an earlier paper by Michael Schluter on capitalism, I thought I should mention that a follow-up paper – where he sets out an alternative – is now available.

Here is the summary:

‘Western societies face economic decline and political instability due in significant part to the five moral flaws of Capitalism and their severe social consequences. A radical new economic vision is urgently needed. This paper proposes a way forward through five strategies: embed relational values, strengthen household balance sheets, empower extended families, engage capital providers and entrust welfare to local communities. These changes are mutually reinforcing because they all reform economic life so as to strengthen personal bonds in the local and wider communities. They point towards the Christian vision of a “Relational economy”.’

The whole paper is available here.

Michael Schluter on Capitalism

Michael Schluter, ‘Is Capitalism Morally Bankrupt? Five Moral Flaws and Their Social Consequences’, Cambridge Papers 18, 3 (September 2009).

The latest news from the Jubilee Centre reports that Michael Schluter has published a new Cambridge Paper claiming that corporate capitalism has had ‘a devastating impact on families and communities and has been responsible for the excessive growth of giant corporations and over-centralisation of state power’.

A summary is available here, and the full paper is available here.

He promises to set out an alternative – ‘a new economic order based on biblical revelation’ – in a future paper.

Oliver James on Affluenza

Oliver James, Affluenza: How to be Successful and Stay Sane (London: Vermilion, 2007), xxii + 570pp., ISBN 9780091900113, £8.99, and The Selfish Capitalist: Origins of Affluenza (London: Vermilion, 2008), 288pp., ISBN 9780091923815, £14.99.

‘Affluenza’ is the virus which increases our vulnerability to emotional distress by placing a high value on wealth, possessions, status, and appearance. Far from economic growth making us happier, James argues, it has made us more susceptible to depression, anxiety attacks, and personality disorder. The US and UK, in particular, are plagued by an attack of unrealistic aspirations, competitive workaholism, entrepreneurial fantasies, sustained by the ideology that material affluence is the key to personal fulfilment. The virus promotes ‘having’ over ‘being’ and confuses wants with needs. Blaming affluence for our ills might blind us to other damaging features of society, but there is lots to ponder here, much of it resonating with a Christian worldview. The paperback edition of Affluenza coincided with the publication of The Selfish Capitalist, a more rigorous reworking of the same material, detailing the academic research that underpins the ideas he explores.