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Redeeming Capitalism

"Capitalism is a subject, not an object. It possesses no hypostasis, imposes no will and reflects the values of the culture in which it resides; it is the result of countless individual and corporate decisions. For good or ill, the capitalism we have is the capitalism we have chosen; it’s redemption rests on the choices we are yet to make." 

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     Click icon for STARRED REVIEW in Publisher's Weekly

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Interview with Hon. John Anderson
(former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia)
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Our Services
Who We Are

The Mockler Center for Faith and Ethics in the Public Square provides a platform for those wishing to explore the integration of faith, work and economics. 

Our History

Since 1994, the Mockler Center (which is named after former Gillette CEO Colman Mockler) has been equipping business leaders to think theologically about economic issues, and equipping faith leaders to think holistically about the role of business in society.

What We Do

Through a combination of seminars, courses, books, periodicals and research papers, we engage, equip and empower business and faith community leaders. We also collaborate with like-minded organizations from around the world.

Degrees

As part of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, we offer everything from one-off online courses to a doctoral degree in Workplace Theology and Ethical Leadership.

Networks

For a link to some of the organizations we have worked with over the years, please click Learn More below.

Events

Throughout the year we hold various events and seminars. Please click "Learn More" (below) for a list of what's coming up.

Editorial Reviews
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  • Paul S. Fiddes

— director of Love in Religion Project, Regent’s Park College, Oxford

“This remarkable and timely book by Kenneth Barnes is essential reading for all those who are disturbed by a moral vacuum at the heart of business, or who want to know how the Christian faith can speak into our present financial crisis.”

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  • Ian Harper

— board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia

“Clearly written, concise, and compelling, this is a book for our time. It speaks to a deepening disaffection with capitalism as we know it and offers hope of a better way where hope is sorely lacking.”

 

  • David W. Miller

— director of Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative

“Many who live in glass houses built by the fruits of capitalism are the first to throw stones at it. Yet few understand the underlying economics and theology. Barnes is one of the few theologically trained scholars and clergy to also bring firsthand insights, knowledge, and experience from an extended career in the corporate world and global marketplace. A theologically informed, constructive critique of global capitalism, Redeeming Capitalism is a must-read for all those who wish to build more sustainable houses.”

 

  • Bob Doll

— chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management

“Barnes has written a gem. This is a must-read for any serious student of capitalism from an academic or practitioner background.”

 

  • John Hoffmire

— chairman of Cadence Innova, London

“Kenneth Barnes has written a book that would take someone else a lifetime to pen. Redeeming Capitalism is a tour de force through the fields of business, religion, and economics. Ken shows great skill and will receive great admiration for his effort in bringing forth this book.”

 

  • Martyn Percy

— dean of Christchurch, Oxford

“There can be few who are better qualified and more sure-footed in this complex field. Kenneth Barnes’s book gives us an intriguing and insightful analysis into how capitalism might be redeemed. For any who might be wondering just how our banking systems, markets, and consumerism might be reimagined within the context of a specifically faith-based ethic, Barnes provides both challenge and hope.”

 

  • Publishers Weekly (STARRED review)

"Barnes, a Christian theologian and business ethicist, delivers a tour de force arguing that capitalism fails most people but isn’t beyond repair. The 2008 global financial crisis, writes Barnes, was the first shot in a battle for the soul of capitalism. The size and impact of the crisis forced Barnes to contemplate not whether capitalism needs to be reformed but rather whether it deserves to be reformed. To make his points, he barrels through the history of modern capitalism, beginning with Adam Smith, touching on Marx’s incisive critique of capitalism’s excesses, diving into Max Weber and the Protestant ethic, and finally landing with an analysis of what he calls “postmodern capitalism” that includes sections on the Occupy movement and Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. He concludes that capitalism should be salvaged and that there is no economic system that provides a workable alternative. As a solution to the intransigent problem of income inequality, Barnes proposes a “virtuous capitalism” not based on wealth accumulation and conspicuous consumption but on human flourishing through reforming “the social, political, theological, and ethical drivers that have formed our economic system.” This means “ethical constraint” on the part of the ultra-wealthy combined with a society-wide rejection of “ever cheaper, less useful, disposable products.” By clearly explaining the history of markets and corrosive effects of contemporary capitalism, Barnes’s well-reasoned book will help readers forge a more empathetic way forward."

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