What is Theonomics?

First, a disclaimer. I am neither a theologian nor an economist; neither an academic nor a writer. I just find this subject fascinating.

Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed. Blaise Pascal in Pensées (1670)

An Introduction
Lest anyone think that this word is my personal creation, I stumbled upon this word while reading Max Weber's book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. It refers to the intersection of theology and economics.

According to Lidell and Scott's Greek English Lexicon, the term θεολογια theologia is used in Classical Greek literature, with the meaning "discourse on the gods or cosmology". Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The word 'economics' is from the Greek for οἶκος (oikos: house) and νόμος (nomos: custom or law), hence "rules of the house(hold)." A definition that captures much of modern economics is that of Lionel Robbins in where he says that economics is "the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses." Theonomics, therefore, is the study of the nexus of these two disciplines.

In using the term "theonomics", on a micro- level, I am attempting to understand what effect, if any, does a person's view of God have on one's economic decisions. On a macro level, I am trying to understand the theological underpinnings, if any, of large economic systems. Reversing the direction of analysis, another question is: does one's economics decisions reveal something about a person view of God?

Why is this important?
Throughout history, religion and trade have been vital underpinnings of society and civilization. In the modern context we observe, for better or for worse, the rise of fundamentalism, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Islamic, or atheistic. I define fundamentalism as a "strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles". Of course, "strict adherence" in itself does not constitute a problem for society in general, but it does become an issue when one's "strict adherence" has a direct effect on the life of someone who is outside the realm of "strict adherence". Interestingly, the "strict adherence" leads to choices, many of which involve the economic realm. History has shown that the direct effects are not always bad, e.g. when William Wilberforce, propelled by his faith, influenced legislation that led to the abolition of the slave trade under the auspices of the British government. We also have our bad examples: the movie, The Mission, a depiction of a historical event also reveals the dark side of such a nexus. Lest anyone think that fundamental theistic beliefs are the only notions to blame, the fundamentalism of atheism has had also directed a large share of persecution and death to its non-adherents.

A Caution
There is a phenomenon that is sweeping the world, that notions of God are exhibiting themselves through the lens of political, social and economic policy. There is also a widespread belief (albeit , often untrue), and that a large part of historical and contemporary destruction that stems from direct human involvement has something or the other to do with people’s notion of God and what God has commanded them to do. People’s actions have their roots in people’s choices, and these choices stem from people’s world views that exhibit themselves through ways that have a correlation between the world views and the power (or the lack thereof) that they sense in being able to live through their world views in ways that result in, what they believe to be, a meaningful life. It is, therefore, becoming increasingly important to understand, and study, the nexus of theology and economics.

There is a danger when we make sweeping statements (often because we choose not to think through the issues) that belief in God is the problem. People proclaiming the name of God have done immense good. Evil has also been propagated by people who have used God as their personal battering ram. Once could argue that the very notion of good and evil, are in itself an acknowledgment of an external moral code, ascribed to an external code giver or law giver. When you get to the root of the discussion of God, one finds that often it is the external law or code giver that people often reference as God.

How can we do this?
N.T. Wright (in his book The New Testament and the People of God) argues that essential to historical knowledge is learning to see through the window of a world view other than our own. These world views do four things: First of all, they provide the stories through which humans frame reality. Secondly, these stories address the questions being asked by a people - Who are we? Where are we? What is the problem? and, What is the solution? Thirdly, they include symbols and boundary-markers which express the world view in daily life. And finally, they include a praxis, a plan of action, a way-of-being in the world. I believe that the symbols and boundary markers (Wright's 3rd point) are influenced by our view of God, and the praxis in the economic realm is worth this study.

Therefore.....
Thus, theonomics is the study of the effects that the external law giver has on the choices we make, particularly those choices with personal and societal economic ramifications.

I trust you will be a part of the journey wherein I attempt to understand this issue.