Discerning the role of the Church in relation to economic life: a perspective from the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Steven C. Heuvel ()
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Steven C. Heuvel: Evangelische Theologische Faculteit

International Review of Economics, 2019, vol. 66, issue 3, No 3, 249-263

Abstract: Abstract This article seeks to contribute to a further understanding of Lutheran economic ethics. Specifically, I seek to develop new insights into the role of the Church in relation to economic life by exploring the work of German Lutheran theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945). I select three different elements in his description of the Church’s role. First, I describe his insistence on the Church as a deliberate socioeconomically inclusive community, and his assertion that “the view from below,” as he calls it, is of great importance. Second, I focus on what he sees as the guardianship role of the Church in relation to economics, presenting his doctrine of the divine mandates. Thirdly, I turn my attention to his view on the role of Christian professionals in economic life. While primarily an historic study, in describing these three elements I will also briefly indicate their relevance for contemporary Lutheran economic ethics.

Keywords: Church; Christian ethics; Dietrich Bonhoeffer; Economy; Mandates; Sociality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N34 P16 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1007/s12232-018-0308-9

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