How does the prosperity gospel articulate a response to economic status?
Explain the biblical teaching behind the so-called health and wealth movement on prosperity and suggest reasons why this movement has become attractive worldwide.
Identify possible reasons for the emergence of prosperity preaching in modern-day Pentecostalism and motivations for people to follow the prosperity gospel even if their economic status has not changed. Conclude with an evaluation of the prosperity gospel as a theological response to poverty.
How does Liberation Theology respond to the situation of the poor?
Identify how Liberation theologians speak of poverty and the social status of the poor in the Christian scriptures. Summarise the arguments for social action brought to the economically disadvantaged and suggest reasons why Liberation Theology has become a dominant teaching particularly in Latin America and the Black community. Conclude with an assessment of the promises and problems of Liberation theology.
Provide a critical account of the rise of the “growth” paradigm in 20th century economic theory. Your answer should detail three ways that a theological understanding of economics might provide the basis for a theoretical counter-account of “degrowth” or “steady state” economics.
How might the emphasis on small-scale economic units (e.g. communities) in ecological economics relate to a Christian account of ecclesiology? Provide a critical survey of the compatibilities and possible incompatibilities between these concepts.
Provide an economic and theological critique of Garret Hardin’s “tragedy of the commons” thesis with reference to the work of Elinor Ostrom. Your answer should highlight the role played by theological conceptions of human nature in these debates.
