Calvin and Commerce

As part of the Calvin 500 series, David W. Hall and Matthew D. Burton have co-authored a book they describe as a "primer" on the economic theory of the great reformer John Calvin. It is called Calvin and Commerce: The Transforming Power of Calvinism in Market Economies.You can read a brief review of the book by Orthodox Presbyterian Minister, Mark J. Larson here. According to the review, Hall and Burton stress five tenets of Calvin's views on economic issues:

• Work is a moral duty.
• Charging of interest on loans is ethically legitimate.
• Private property is a proper social institution.
• Because wealth is given by God, there is no Christian mandate for forced income equality.
• Wealth brings with it the opportunity for and responsibility of charity.

The book is published by P & R Publishing which has made available a copy of the full table of contents here.