Thinking Theologically about Entrepreneurship: Why Does it Matter?

Co-Taught with Scott Rae

What do the Bible and other sacred texts have to say about entrepreneurship? What theological grounding can be made to undergird our understanding of innovation and creativity in the marketplace? You may think that entrepreneurship is only about business, but there is a long standing religious tradition of entrepreneurship going back to the Medieval period and the Reformation. We will look at the theological basis for entrepreneurship both from the Bible and in the history of the church, as well as in other religious traditions and their sacred texts.

Recommended Readings

Baker, Bruce, “Entrepreneurship as a Sign of Common Grace,” Journal of Markets and Morality 18:1 (2015): 81-98. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/works/34/

Ballor, Jordan and Victor Claar, “The Soul of the Entrepreneur: A Christian Anthropology of Creativity, Innovation and Liberty,” Journal of Ethics and Entrepreneurship (Spring 2016): 117-131. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2749195

Clark, Catherine and Christian Harrison article, “Entrepreneurship: an assimilated multi-perspective review,” Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (2018), 6-29.

Gregg, Sam, “Entrepreneurship isn’t enough,” Acton.org (May 13, 2009). https://acton.org/pub/commentary/2009/05/13/entrepreneurship-isn%E2%80%99t-enough

Pearcy, Anthony, Entrepreneurship in the Catholic Tradition (Lexington Books, 2010).