This article investigates the phenomenon of present-day globalisation from a Christian perspective to determine whether the principle of sphere-sovereignty can provide an antidote to globalisation’s harmful consequences. Firstly, it is explained how the principle of sphere-sovereignty is founded on the biblical message, and that it includes two interrelated dimensions, viz. that of life-orientation and of responsible differentiation. Secondly, the following four characteristics of contemporary globalisation are reviewed: it is (1) of a more or less autonomous nature, (2) a seemingly unavoidable project, (3) a process of a dynamic nature, and (4) a product of Western modernisation. In the third place the implications of the acceptance of the principle of sphere-sovereignty for globalisation are investigated. It seems that globalisation, in many areas of life, is detrimental to healthy forms of differentiation – the first dimension of sphere-sovereignty. From the perspective of orientation(the second dimension of sphere-sovereignty), it becomes evident that the present project of globalisation has in some respects already deteriorated into a kind of blinding, oppressive ideology. This type of globalisation “ad malam partem” is finally contrasted with a better road of globalisation “ad bonam partem”. This last type of globalisation – not driven by selfish greed, desire and power, but by love for our Lord Jesus Christ,and for one’s neighbours – may help to prevent the ominous crisis of our time
Within the Reformed Christian tradition, there is a diversity of economic thinking. Contributions differ with respect to their theoretical significance, scientific originality, and typicality for the reformed tradition. Four different typologies or approaches are distinguished: some use a single normative key concept, while others choose to embed their approach in an existing school, which they try to correct. In addition a welfare approach and a renewed normative approach are distinguished. Of the selected studies that are analyzed the thematic-oriented approach is argued to be lacking in terms of theoretical reflection and being often oriented to the own reformed public. Embedded approaches are better linked to standard economic theories, follow a specific economic methodology and interact relatively much with fellow economists. A critical element in the welfare-approach is the link between economics and (economic) ethics. The normative institutional contributions are argued to provide the most influential and systematic type of reformed economic thought.
One hundred twenty years ago, to be more precise on 9 November 1891, Abraham Kuyper opened the first social congress in the Netherlands He did so with an outstanding lecture on the relationship between the so-called social question and the christian religion. He began the lecture however with a remarkable complaint (Kuyper 1991, 23): One of the pitiful fruits of state monopoly, which continues to increase in this country’s universities, is that we have not yet even produced academic specialists. None of us at this Congress stands out as an expert in economics. If I look around me now, that seems to be a little bit different from what I see today. But I doubt whether that in itself is a guarantee of greater wisdom amongst us. Let us not be too hasty. Let us wait and see.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.