Economy of Love: A Culture of Peace with Justice and Unity

By Eskil Jonsson

"Economy of Love" provides a new economic philosophy with mutual and personal moral responsibility in contrast to the modern institutional structures and liberal economics in the globalisation of markets.

"Economy of Love" suggests a new ecological philosophy of "interdependence" in contrast to the Western and egocentric worldview, which sees the rest of the world as an object for exploitation.

"Economy of Love" claims that the diversity of churches and religions have to search for ecumenical and interreligious unity in order to be signs of peace with justice to the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481769297

Eskil Jonsson

Eskil Jonsson has a Ph D in Business Administration from Uppsala University, Sweden and has long working experiences as Financial Advisor in church related organisations in multireligious and multicultural contexts. He has also done research in the field of leadership, sociology, theology, ethics and ecological economics and has served as Director of the Life and Peace Institute in Uppsala.

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© 2013 by Eskil Jonsson. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse 07/30/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-6929-7 (e)

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

I.   AN ECUMENICAL WORLDVIEW

Towards a Sustainable World

Changing Conflict Patterns

An Ecological Philosophy

Conclusion

II.   ROOT CAUSES OF CONFLICTS

Measuring the Peace without Justice

Marginalisation

Nationalism as a Source of Conflict

Institutional Disintegration

Expansion of Political Power

Conclusion

III.   ECONOMY OF LOVE

Stewardship of Oikos

An Economy of Grace

An Economy of God

A Trinitarian Economy

Conclusion

IV.   THE SECULAR/RELIGIOUS DIVISION

Religion and Development

Religious Rationalism

Divisions between modern and traditional religion

The Spiritual Market

Gifts of Prophecy

The Gospel of Prosperity

Integration of Faith and Economy

Conclusion

V.   OUT-RATIONALISATION OF A PROPHETIC CHURCH

Economic rationalism

The Power of Projects

The Church as a Moral Community

Conclusion

VI.   LEADERSHIP FOR PEACE

Ecumenical Leadership

Mutual Learning for Peace

Conclusion

VII.   CONCLUSIONS

Moral Responsibility

Ecological Philosophies

Summary

LITERATURE

PREFACE

Economy of Love is a rewritten and updated version of a previous book called To be or not to be the church (Att vara eller inte vara kyrka), that was published in Sweden 2002. It then takes account of the critical changes that has taken place as part of globalisation with changing conflict patterns, religious changes, as well as ecological and economic crises.

The pressures from political and economic powers with increasing privatisation and global economic growth seems, however, to lead to increasing poverty and a decreasing solidarity, which again result into social unrest in many parts of the world.

Economy of Love, focuses primarily on the role of the church as a prophetic and moral community and a sign of peace with justice, solidarity and unity. It departs from a review of root causes of conflicts and goes on to present a culture of peace, where mutual responsibility is a central concept for a new economy of grace and love. Here it becomes clear that there is also need for a new ecumenical and ecological worldview, which recognises that the whole world is a household or a family.

I would then like to take the opportunity and thank all those who have supported me with good comments, suggestions and inspiration and of course my wife Anita and family who have given me constant support during the process of reading, reflecting and writing.

Uppsala, June 15, 2013

Eskil Jonsson has a Ph D in Business Administration from Uppsala University, Sweden and has long working experiences as Financial Advisor in international church related organisations in ecumenical and multicultural contexts. He has also done research in the field of leadership, sociology, theology, ethics and ecological economics and has served as Director of the Life and Peace Institute in Uppsala.

I.   AN ECUMENICAL WORLDVIEW

Conventional approaches to peace making and peace research have usually been guided by the management of conflicts between national and political powers over territories, but have not paid much attention to root causes of conflicts related to institutional cultures or social, ecological and economic injustice. Such conflicts concern in particular conflicts between modern and traditional cultures and religion or between the rich and the poor countries as well as between the state and local communities. A general observation I have made in previous studies (Jonsson) is that the globalisation of institutional structures of power and economy, often rooted in the Western culture, cause excessive fragmentations, injustices or disintegrations in relation to traditional cultures. Political institutions may be expected to take a mutual responsibility for peace and justice, but the institutional fragmentation, disintegration and competition for power makes it difficult. A precondition for a really sustainable society would, however, in my view demand not less than a new ecumenical worldview in contrast to the Western and egocentric view which often treats the rest of the world as an object for exploration.

Towards a Sustainable World

In recent years some of the research and works related to peace and sustainability has started to highlight economic, ecological as well as social injustice. The relevance of these aspects is also demonstrated through the work that has been awarded the Nobel Prizes of Economy and Peace. In 1998 Prof Amartya Sen got the Nobel Prize in Economy for his contribution to welfare economics and demonstrated for instance that poverty was not common in democratic countries. Prof Joseph Stieglitz got the Nobel Prize in Economy awarded by Sveriges Riksbank in 2001 for his works on questioning neoclassical economics, for not recognising the lack of transparency