Economic Compulsion and Christian Ethics

"The book is intended as a contribution to the growing secular debate about economic ethics which I think can only grow louder. We need more studies such as this one, tackling the prickly ethical issues of growing old, genetic modification, and virtual morality. It does not shy away from using technical economic argument to pursue its vision of market forces mediated by Christian compassion. The technical economics may put off many readers, but it is the engagement with the world outside religion which gives the book real credibility. This is no handbook for globalisation, but it may well provide new ammunition for the people who write and think about global impacts - be they economists, theologians, or even both."
Peter Day, Church Times

“In clear prose accessible to nonspecialists, Barrera convincingly demonstrates that the free market creates unintended burdens on those least able to bear them.” -- Choice

"This book is full of good things. ...Barrera has managed not only to make important connections between theology and economics, but to achieve a remarkable degree of integration and write a book which is comprehensible for the non-specialist without oversimplifying his line of argument. More importantly, the affects the way we think about globalization. This book sets a high standard for those working on the interface of theology and economics." --Journal of Theological Studies

"This volume is an extremely important one--one of the very best on Christian economic ethics. It is a model for engaging such issues in a manner that affirms the best of markets and the insights that economics have about them while at the same time remaining rooted in the justice concerns of the biblical and later theological traditions. So few books in the area do both. Much of Barrera's commitment comes out of Catholic social thought,but other Christians will nonetheless find his careful biblical analysis a real contribution. His argument concerning pecuniary externalities as causing economic compulsion will be an important contribution to everyone interested in economic ethics regardless of faith commitment." --Daniel Finn, Journal of Markets & Morality

"...a tightly argued piece of work that depends on knowledge of moral philosophy, economics, scripture and contemporary discussion of human rights. Work of this intellectual rigour makes much writing on social ethics look both amateurish and easily dismissed by economic neo-conservatives. ...This book makes a powerful case for the duty of Christians to respond to the continuing imperative of being the agents of divine providence in economic insecurity. It also is a good example of how moral theology can be informed by a cosmology that allows human beings freedom of action as the means by which their moral formation is secured." --Ecclesiology

"Barrera's study is a thoughtful and much needed resource, which addresses difficult issues from a compassionate yet reflective perspective."
Mark L. Russell, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies

"It is refreshing to find a contribution to theological economic ethics that reflects a strong understanding of utility and limits of economic theory in interpreting today's global economy. Albino Barrera's monograph is one of those rare works in theological economic ethics that passes this test of economic seriousness."
Bruce P. Rittenhouse, The Journal of Religion

"Albino Barrera is both a professional economist and a competent theologian and it shows. There are few works which as impressively bridge the modern chasm between these two originally connected disciplines as this latest volume in the valuable New Studies in Christian Ethics series edited by Robin Gill. ...we have the sense of being with an authoritative and informed guide. Barrera presents an exegetically rich account of the economic teachings of the Old and New Testaments... This is a careful and clearly argued book, a model of causistical and contextual ethics based upon a clear theological narrative of the divine character of justice, and the preference for the poor in the Christian moral tradition." --Modern Theology

"Erudite but clear, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in economic theology, biblical ethics, or Catholic social theory." --Religious Studies Review