KJCKorea
Journal Central

Since a little more than two decades ago, we have been getting understanding of Christian ethical issues in economy. These issues range from teachings of Christian values in economy by Words of Bible, applying of biblical principles into business management to economic injustice on global scale. However, there are so many authors - economists, theologians, business people, church ministers - having as many fields, ideas and approaches concerning Christian ethical issues in economy. So it would be better if we have a comprehensive map, based on literature survey, so that we may use this map for a better communication among people. This map will help us understand relative context and position of issues among the literature. To deal with the literature of Christian ethics in economy, we use two criteria: (1) level of topics - individual, organization, or nation - and (2) focus of issues - understanding or applying. From these criteria, we can have six areas from <individual-perception> to <nation-application>. According to the mapping, we found out some interesting results; on both individual level and firm level, most of the issues converge toward ‘stewardship’; Korean authors focus on understanding biblical principles of wealth, poverty, or justice while American authors focus on how to deal with debt or business management processes. And there is a tension among six areas. Approaching <individual-perception> area, people may rather stay around the church than taking part in social issues, while when they get nearer to <nation-application> area, they may indulge in policy making and social action at the cost of intimacy with God. To solve this tension, we need to remember that the starting point of Christianity is, in any area, righteous relationship with God and being guided by the Spirit.

christian ethics in economy, stewardship, debt issues, biblical economics, alternatives to economic system