Journal Articles

An Historical Perspective on the Interplay of Christian Thought and Business Ethics

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To provide effective guidance for business decisions, a set of ethical principles must be stable over time, rather than responding to changes in the business environment for expediency sake. This article examines the ability of religious principles to maintain such stability by reviewing the historical relationship between commerce and Christianity, beginning with early Christianity and concluding with the Enlightenment.The changes in five constructs are examined: ownership of land, acquisition of wealth, attitude toward work, charging of interest and acceptability of trade. For each construct, the attitude evidenced in early Christianity was, at least to some degree, inimical to business as we view it today. That perspective changed over time, with the practice becoming at first acceptable and later even admired. The authors conclude that ethical principles based on referents from outside business are ineffective as a check on the undesirable effects of business on society.

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Detail Information

Series Title

Business & Society

Call Number

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Publisher

: sage publisher., 2010

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

00076503

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 49 no. 4. December 2010.pp. 652-676

Subject(s)

business ethics
History of business ethics
Christianity and business ethics
Religion and business ethics

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