Usually any book review symposium will have a mix of negative and positive reviews, but the one on Kathryn Tanner’s Economy of Grace in the most recent Journal of Lutheran Ethics – not exactly a right-wing rag – has four pretty scathing reviews.

In fairness, I haven’t read Prof. Tanner’s book, but if these reviews are at all accurate it sounds like she may be guilty of what seems to be a common failing among theologians who write about economics – being long on moral prescription and short on actually coming to grips with the findings of the discipline.

I’m not saying that economists are infallible – far from it. But we can’t simply wish away things like scarcity and trade offs because they don’t gel with the way we think the world should be. If economics provides an accurate – if partial – understanding of the way the world works, then Christians should use that knowledge to help craft policies that make people better off.

For a good introduction to a variety of Christian perspectives on these issues I’d recommend the book Wealth, Poverty, and Human Destiny, edited by Doug Bandow and David Schindler.