This paper critiques neoclassical economic growth firstly through the lens of John Maynard Keynes and John Stuart Mill and secondly through the theology of Oliver O’Donovan. Both indicate a role for ‘looking forward’ to the eschaton, and O’Donovan adds a dimension of ‘looking back’ at our stewardship responsibilities. In this manner, a theological critique of economic growth has the property that Watkin (2022) outlines of a richer multi-dimensionality.
Bibliography
Keynes, John Maynard. 1931. “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren.” In Essays in Persuasion. London: Macmillan.
Mill, John Stuart. 1871. “On the Stationary State” In Principles of Political Economy with Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy. 7 ed.
O’Donovan, Oliver. 1994. Resurrection and Moral Order: An Outline for Evangelical Ethics. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Watkins, Christopher. 2022. Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.