St. Maximos' Hut

Christianity and Economics
Now and again, while looking for wholly unrelated things on the internet (in this case commentary on Pauline passages dealing with idolatry), we all run across something unexpected. In this case it is an essay by Bob Goudzwaard entitled Christianity and Economics.
Goudzwaard addresses several questions including

Is the Biblical revelation silent about economic life, and the way it should be perceived?
If it is not, what explanation is there for the strange opinion among Christians that one’s views about economic life are a merely private affair?

The views these questions as having "great practical importance, including in the area of education."
He also briefly examines three characteristics of the "new artificially created [economic] world." These characteristics are:

(i) a lack of responsibility and accountability
(ii) a loss of qualitative aspects and insights
(iii) a restless and risky dynamism

Dr. Goudzwaard, Professor Emeritus of the Free University of Amsterdam,takes a Reformed view of society, for example viewing markets as good gifts from the Creator because of their usefulness in serving one another. It is worth a read (although not, perhaps, when preparing a sermon!)
Posted by Fr. Charles Nalls on Saturday August 12, 2006 at 1:44pm. 0 Trackbacks
EWTN and Viewer Choice
I note that the Eternal Word TV Network (EWTN), the worldwide Roman Catholic radio-TV apostolate built by Mother Angelica, celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend, with "Family Celebration" near the network headquarters in Alabama.
Catholic World News notes that

Launched in 1981, from the garage of a Poor Clare monastery, EWTN today is the world's largest religious broadcasting network, transmitting programming 24 hours a day to more than 105 million homes in 110 countries.

According to its website, EWTN is entirely supported by donations from viewers. Truly, this is a remarkable result of the exercise of consumer choice in favor of spiritually satisfying programming and a willingness to support that choice by placing money where the heart is.
I offer the following as the St. Maximos' quote of the week from EWTN's foundress:

Unless you are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the miraculous.


Posted by Fr. Charles Nalls on Saturday August 12, 2006 at 9:17am. 0 Trackbacks