For God and profit : how banking and finance can serve the common good

From Christianity’s very beginning, it has had a difficult relationship with the world of money. Through developing sophisticated understandings of the nature and wealth-creating capacity of capital, Christian theologians, philosophers, and financiers exerted considerable influence upon the emergence and development of the international financial systems that helped unleash a revolution in the way the world thinks about and uses capital. In __For God and Profit__, Samuel Gregg underscores the different ways in which Christians have helped to develop the financial and banking systems that have helped millions escape poverty for hundreds of years. But he also provides a critical lens through which to assess the workings—and failures—of modern finance and banking. Far from being doomed to producing economic instability and periodic financial crises, Gregg illustrates that how Christian faith and reason can shape financial practices and banking institutions in ways that restore integrity to our troubled financial systems. Samuel Gregg erzählt die faszinierende Geschichte eines allmählich sich entwickelnden Verständnisses der produktiven und wohlstandschaffenden Funktion des Geldes - der Einsicht also, wie Geld zu Kapital wird. Sie ist auch die Geschichte der allmählichen Überwindung des ursprünglich vorchristlich-antiken Misstrauens gegenüber Geldverleih, Spekulation und Handel und deren Versöhnung mit der Aufgabe des Schutzes und der Fürsorge für die Ärmsten und Schwächsten. Der Autor hebt einen Schatz, der für eine Ethik des Finanzwesens aus christlicher Sicht neue und überraschende Perspektiven eröffnet sowie manche kritische Anfragen an heutige Praktiken des Geld- und Kreditsektors in einem neuen Licht erscheinen lässt - insbesondere auch die oft problematische Rolle des Staates und gesetzlicher Regulierungen. Sein packend geschriebenes Buch zwingt dazu, manches Vorurteil zu revidieren und neu darüber nachzudenken, was im konkreten Fall richtig und falsch, gut und böse ist From Christianity's beginning, it has had a difficult relationship with the world of money. Through developing understandings of the nature and wealth-creating capacity of capital, Christian theologians, philosophers, and financiers exerted considerable influence upon the emergence and development of the international financial systems that helped unleash a revolution in the way the world thinks about and uses capital. This book underscores the different ways in which Christians have helped to develop the financial and banking systems that have helped millions escape poverty for hundreds of years. But it also provides a lens through which to assess the workings--and failures--of modern finance and banking Underscores the different ways in which Christians have helped to develop the financial and banking systems that have helped millions escape poverty for hundreds of years. But Samuel Gregg also provides a critical lens through which to assess the workings - and failures - of modern finance and banking.