Economics Policy Paper Presented at American Economics Association

by Staff

January 2010

The current period of economic crisis has left many seeking answers to difficult questions. Christian economists turn to faith to explain what is happening and to find a possible solution. Archbishop Johnson presented a paper entitled "A Theological and Mathematical Model of the Loss of Religious Values Following "Excessive Affluence" and Its Potential Contribution to an Economic Crisis" at a session during the 2010 national meeting of the American Economics Association and ASSA. (Click here to read a pdf of the paper.) As part of the ADSW's continuing mission to aid the people of the world, this paper was written to provide insight into the current situation and suggest implications for economic policy. The key point of the paper is that theology teaches us that what is generally considered sound economic policy might, in a period of spiritual and moral decline, simply fuel the problem and lead to an economic crisis or make an existing crisis worse.

During the Conference, Archbishop Johnson led one of the Daily Offices at the Cathedral of Saint Philip