The 1999 Kuyper Lecture by the Center for Public Justice, delivered by Bob Goudzwaard, Professor Emeritus, Free University of Amsterdam, with three responses, edited by James W. Skillen, president of the Center for Public Justice, published by Baker Books, 2001, 123 pages.

Dr. Goudzwaard’s address is a Christian assessment of globalization. He takes a Reformed view of society, for example viewing markets as good gifts from the Creator because of their usefulness in serving one another. He reminds us that the Church itself is to be a global community. The Greek word “oikonomia”, which has come to us as the word economics, is translated in Scripture as administration, dispensation, and most often stewardship. The stewardship God requires of us extends to all of life, not just to the natural world. The

After defining aspects of globalization in terms of world markets, Goudzwaard turns in chapter 3 to examine the structural and cultural dimensions of globalization. Cooperation in areas such as human rights, environmentalism, justice and humanitarian aid are other aspects of globalization. However, competition not cooperation is the hallmark of globalization. The hyper-competitive nature of the economy can have it overstep its sphere of sovereignty, causing harm to other spheres such as family and government.

“Demand-management” is introduced as a term related to creating demand for goods and services artificially. “Imagine what would happen if consumers began to show signs of satiation and satisfaction with what they have. Would it not threatened the foundations of growth for the whole economy and, in turn, threaten our economic and political power?” (p.32) Yet the damage produced by this artificially induced scarcity is far greater in the Two-Thirds World than its benefits to the West. Satisfying artificial scarcity limits the alleviation of real scarcity. Goudzwaard refers back to Kuyper’s remarks about the hypnosis or of our age which now consists of a virtual reality of manipulated desires.

In his concluding fourth chapter, Goudzwaard becomes prescriptive. His solutions amount to a call for Awakening (Eph. 5:14). He outlines five steps toward this “reformation and transformation.”

1. Wake-up and realize that sufficiency – being satisfied with enough – is not a curse but a blessing. “A culture in which people have lost the sense of “enough” is also a culture that loses its awareness of abundance.” (p.37)



2. Rediscover giving – exchanging “something for nothing.” “[The] preservation of the poor and weak always depends to some degree on acts of restraint on the part of the rich.” (p.38)



3. Do new things, not just old things faster. Consider the tragedy of the tree which puts all its efforts into growing taller instead of more fruitful.



4. We need to work together as a true global community – for example, environmentalists working with corporations to solve problems rather than demonizing them. (The “body” example from 1st Corinthians 12 would have fit well here.)



5. Governments and international law need to act in areas of managing international finance, global information technology, and environmental protection.

The Entire World Needs to Be Awakened, response by Brian Fikkert, associate professor of economics at Covenant College (Georgia).

After a review of Goudzwaard’s views, Fickkert begins his remarks by reminding us of the “now but not yet” nature of Christ’s Kingdom. He proposes that some steps short of another great awakening may produce ends desired by Goudzwaard. He warns that international cooperation which appears positive on the surface, likely still springs from wrong motives. Also, dysfunctional cultures in the Two-Thirds World cause it to share blame with the West.

Fickkert briefly discusses what the requirements are for current development projects that work. And he cautions that many evangelicals object to some of the suggestions of Goudzwaard, especially where laissez-faire economics are questioned. He promotes “grassroots, faith-based efforts to complement the macroeconomic efforts that Goudzwaard has suggested.”

A Ten-Trillion-Dollar Stewardship, response by Larry Reed, managing director of the Opportunity International Network, an association of Christian microcredit organizations.

Reed first suggests we “follow the money” to understand the issues more fully. With annual incomes of Christians worldwide topping $10 trillion, world poverty problems are solvable now. Reed addresses the global issues raised by Goudzwaard by focusing on the individual choices of consumers. He concludes with prescriptive suggestions for families, churches and the workplace, and at government levels. Also – visit their web site at opportunity.org for more information about stewardship through microlending.

A New Agenda for Economic Theory, response by Adolfo García de la Sierna, professor of economics, University of Vera Cruz, Mexico.

As his title suggests, de la Sierna departs from a direct response to Goudzwaard and instead proposes an agenda for Christian economists in light of Goudzwaard’s remarks. He includes six pages titled Note for Economists on Arrow’s General Possibility Theorem which appears out of place among the other articles here.

Dr. James Skillen provides both the brief forward and a more lengthy conclusion for the book.

Skillen recaps Goudzwaard and synthesizes Goudzwaard with his three respondents. He adds corrective comments, for example the legitimacy of proper national self-regard as opposed to mere self- aggrandizement – and points to signs of maturation which is a softer view than Goudzwaard’s call to wake from our cultural hypnosis. He admits that these remarks raised questions that did not point directly to policy recommendations for the World Bank, IMF or WTO, but that they describe the problems and certain barriers to their solutions. His bias for policy making is evident as he looks to organizations like these to learn from their mistakes. With the other writers, he encourages Christians to practice love and justice toward the poor in their stewardship.

Reviewed by Dr. Richard Sleight, 7/31/02