How can economic and theological approaches be better integrated to promote the common good and human flourishing? Part of the problem is that economists typically analyze systems, while theologians typically focus on the ethics of personal relationships. The inflation and government debt problems most Western countries face illustrate the individual vs. system ethics dilemma. Lenin is said to have suggested that “the best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency,” meaning printing money to destroy its usefulness as a medium of exchange and store of value. While debauching a currency involves individual ethical failures, addressing the problem requires a systems perspective, understanding credit creation and monetary economics.

This lecture sketches a theology of market systems that draws on Adam Smith’s writings on markets and divine providence. It proposes a better integration of economic and theological approaches to problems such as inflation and debt in order to contribute to the common good and human flourishing.