Money, Greed, and God

by Richards, Jay W.

• ISBN13: 9780061900570
• ISBN10: 0061900575
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

The good news about capitalism Jay Richards presents a new approach to capitalism, revealing how it's fully consistent with Jesus's teachings and the Christian tradition--and our best bet for renewed economic vigor. "Money, Greed, and God" exposes eight myths about capitalism--including the notion that capitalism is based on greed--and demonstrates that a good Christian can be a good capitalist.

Author Biography

Jay W. Richards, Ph. D., is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a contributing editor at The American magazine (american.com) and the Enterprise Blog (blog.american.com) at the American Enterprise Institute. Richards has been featured in the New York Times and The Washington Post, and he has appeared on Larry King Live. He also has lectured on economic myths to members of the U.S. Congress.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. ix
Introduction: Can a Christian Be a Capitalist?	p. 1
Can't We Build a Just Society?	p. 9
The Nirvana Myth (contrasting capitalism with an unrealizable ideal rather than with its live alternatives)
What Would Jesus Do?	p. 33
The Piety Myth (focusing on our good intentions rather than on the unintended consequences of our actions)
Doesn't Capitalism Foster Unfair Competition?	p. 59
The Zero-Sum Game Myth (believing that trade requires a winner and a loser)
If I Become Rich, Won't Someone Else Become Poor?	p. 83
The Materialist Myth (believing that wealth isn't created, it's simply transferred)
Isn't Capitalism Based on Greed?	p. 111
The Greed Myth (believing that the essence of capitalism is greed)
Hasn't Christianity Always Opposed Capitalism?	p. 135
The Usury Myth (believing that working with money is inherently immoral or that charging interest on money is always exploitive)
Doesn't Capitalism Lead to an Ugly Consumerist Culture?	p. 157
The Artsy Myth (confusing aesthetic judgments with economic arguments)
Are We Going to Use Up All the Resources?	p. 183
The Freeze-Frame Myth (believing that things always stay the same-for example, assuming that population trends will continue indefinitely, or treating a current "natural resource" as if it will always be needed)
Conclusion: Working All Things Together for Good	p. 209
Appendix: Is the "Spontaneous Order" of the Market Evidence of a Universe Without Purpose?	p. 217
Acknowledgments	p. 225
Notes	p. 227
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