The way traditional economics is taught by compartementalizing “positive” or emperically based decisions versus “normative” or ideology-based decisions is a tool that conspicously frees the agent to make economic choices while seemingly escaping any culpability or moral accountability for those choices. This presumposition is a lie. If we make the choices, inherently we are accountable for the consequences.
Since this is the case, we must have a new framework (for believers at least) to make faith-based, spirit-filled, moral economic choices.
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2 responses so far ↓
1 Eleventy // May 21, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Traditional economics does not insinuate that empirical decisions remove accountability - it leverages perspective to a common metric (usually monetary) and the outcome (both materially or spiritually) is on the agents head regardless of the decision making process.
A secular man and a spiritual man make economic decision based on the options and avenues available to them - how does the gospelism frame work bring moral structure to the spiritual man that he does not already possess?
2 Anthony // May 21, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Eleventy, thank you for you comment and insights. Great question; since this theory is conceptually being developed, let’s muse a bit about some of the differences regarding the concept of accountability.
True, there is a common metric. To just have a “good-hearted” objective without a metric and outcome would be altruism (”selflessness”).
The accountability concept I define in Gospelism adds an additional dimension of a moral agent, in the case, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the person’s heart which gives the spiritual man the opportunity to “choose” to operate according to the moral agent’s will versus his own will. [ref Gal 5:16-22]
This aspect of an internal, personal moral agent (outside of the person’s conscious which they both posess) in affect, establishes a higher-level of decision making that equates operating according to the will of the moral agent as “faith” and operating according a person’s own self-centered desires as “sin.” [ref Rom 14:22-23]
Jesus demonstrated this accountability in the Garden of Gethsemane [ref Luke 22:42]. His decision-making process was beyond the limitations of a typical economic agent.
In the same way, as Paul says, the love of Christ “compels” us…
2 Corinthians 5:13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
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