A Christian View of Economics in the Age of AI

Camden Bucey speaks with economist Shawn Ritenour about what makes an account of economics distinctly Christian. They discuss economic law as part of God’s created order and the biblical principles shaping stewardship, private property, labor, capital, exchange, and care for those in need. Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas provides the occasion for a searching conversation about the universal destination of goods, Big Tech, data, subsidiarity, sphere sovereignty, GDP, and human dignity.The conversation presses beneath policy to theology. Neither markets nor governments escape the effects of sin, and material prosperity must never be confused with sanctification. Christians seek just and prudent arrangements in this age while recognizing that scarcity, exploitation, and disordered desire will not finally be overcome by human construction. The church’s hope rests in the crucified and risen Christ and the consummation of his kingdom.Topics DiscussedEconomic law, creation, and Christian stewardshipPrivate property, labor, capital, exchange, and human dignityLeo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas and Catholic social teachingGDP, inequality, and the common goodThe universal destination of goodsData, privacy, Big Tech, and non-rivalrous goodsSubsidiarity and Kuyperian sphere sovereigntyUniversal basic income and the economic disruption of AISin, scarcity, eschatology, and Christian hopeLearn more: https://reformedforum.org/ctc974Chapters00:00 Introduction02:09 What makes economics Christian?09:52 Economics at Grove City College14:01 Introducing Magnifica Humanitas19:23 GDP and the dignity of the human person23:46 The common good, inequality, and economic law29:36 Private property, markets, and solidarity35:12 The universal destination of goods43:20 Data, privacy, and non-rivalrous goods50:21 Subsidiarity and sphere sovereignty55:04 Big Tech, state privilege, and central banking58:02 Labor, capital, and human worth63:26 Universal basic income in the age of AI72:33 Economics between the fall and the consummation80:03 Resources and conclusion