It has often been said that economic growth is the last remaining God that is accepted in Western societies. As CBS turns 100, and the Reformation looks back on 500 years of its own history, we will ask: is it really true that capitalism has turned into a secular religion?

Is Luther to blame for all this? How do religions moralize the economy? Do religions other than Christianity lead to other forms of capitalism (Islamic Finance)? And are our economists really neoliberal priests?

To celebrate CBS’ 100^th Anniversary, and in order to contribute to broader discussions about the kind of economy we want to live in, the Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy is organizing a 3-day workshop on International Perspectives on Economic Theology. Between July 8^th and 10^th, over 30 international scholars will meet at CBS to present their views on matters ranging from the religious undercurrents in the writings of Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes to the economic views of Martin Luther, of Jewish rabbis and of the Prophet Muhammad. Other papers will investigate how theological conceptual analysis can help us reinterpret core concepts such as organization, risk, governance, leadership, consumer choice, welfare, creativity, work and the corporation. Speakers will include, amongst many others, Paul Oslington, Bruno Dyck, Robert Nelson, Lisa Hill, Patrice Buzzanell, Luigino Bruni, Michael Dempsey, M. Kabir Hassan, Jeffrey Mahan, Mitchell Dean, Philip Goodchild, Colin Campbell, and Robert Skidelsky.

A full programme and full list of speakers will be uploaded on the conference webpage, links to which will be posted here: http://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-management-politics-and-philosophy/centre-business-history/news/markets-money-and-the-sacred-new-perspectives-on-economic-theology

This is an open event, but registration is a prerequisite!

Saturday, July 8th

1.00-1.30 (PM): Coffee and Welcome at Solbjerg Plads Building, outside Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Ground Floor)

1.30-1.45 (PM): Workshop Introduction – Lecture Hall SPs 07, Ground Floor

1.45-4.00 (PM): Paper Track 1 (Chair: Stefan Schwarzkopf) – Lecture Hall SPs 07 Ground Floor, Christoph Deutschmann, ‘Profit, Interest and the Religions’, Simon Coleman and Martin Lindhardt, ‘Prosperity & Wealth’, Paul Crosthwaite, ‘Theologies of Money’

4.00-4.30 (PM): Coffee Break

4.30-6.00: (PM): Parallel Paper Tracks 2 and 3 – Track 2 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Stefan Schwarzkopf): Michael Dempsey, ‘Providence’ & Wolfgang Palaver, ‘Faith & Trust’ – Track 3 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Camilla Sløk): Camilla Sløk, ‘The Concept of Guilt: Guilt as Curse an Gift’, K. Villadsen & M.P. Karlsen, ‘Confession and the Economic Subject’

6.00-7.00 (PM): Wine Reception

Sunday, July 9th

8.30-9.00 (AM): Welcome and Coffee

9.00-10.30 (AM): Parallel Paper Tracks 4 and 5 – Track 4 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair Stefan Schwarzkopf): Sigmund Wagner-Tsukamoto, ‘Eschatology in Economic Perspective: Beyond Doom’, Stefan Schwarzkopf, ‘The Economic Theology of Choice’ – Track 5 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Kaspar Villadsen): Philip Goodchild, ‘Debt & Credit’, Luigino Bruni, ‘Spirit of capitalism’

10.30-11.00 (AM): Morning Coffee Break

11.00-12.30 (PM): Parallel Paper Tracks 6 and 7 – Track 6 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Camilla Sløk): Perry Dane, ‘Corporation’, Christina McRorie, ‘Property & Ownership’ – Track 7 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Mitchell Dean): Jeffrey Mahan and David Worley, ‘Learning to Believe in Free Enterprise’, Colin Campbell, ‘Hedonism & Asceticism’

12.30-2.00 (PM): Lunch

2.00-3.30 (PM): Parallel Paper Tracks 8 and 9 – Track 8 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Mads Peter Karlsen): Lisa Hill, ‘Invisible Hand’, Bruno Dyck, ‘Theological Underpinnings and Outcroppings in Organization and Management Theory’ – Track 9 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Mitchell Dean): Dotan Leshem, ‘Oikonomia’, Mitchell Dean, ‘Reign and Government: Economic Theology in Critical Theory’

3.30-4.00 (PM): Afternoon Break

4.00-5.30 (PM): Parallel Paper Tracks 10 and 11 – Track 10 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Kaspar Villadsen): Patrice Buzzanell and Brenda Berkelaar, ‘Calling, Work and Profession’, Peter Simpson, ‘Leadership and Theology’ – Track 11 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Stefan Schwarzkopf): M. Kabir Hassan and Muhammad Akram Khan, ‘Economic Theology of Islam’, Isaac Lifshitz, ‘Issues in Jewish Economic Theology’

6.30 (PM): Conference Dinner

Monday, July 10th

8.30-9.00 (AM): Welcome and Coffee

9.00-10.30 (AM): Parallel Paper Tracks 12 and 13 – Track 12 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Camilla Sløk): Elden Wiebe, ‘Time and Economic Theology’, Gabriel J Michael, ‘The Economic Theology of Intellectual Property’- Track 13 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Mitchell Dean): Devin Singh, ‘The Economic Theology of Late Antiquity’, Ray Benton, ‘The Economic Theology of the High Middle Ages’

10.30-11.00 (AM): Morning Coffee Break

11.00-12.30 (PM): Parallel Paper Tracks 14 and 15 – Track 14 Lecture Hall SPs 07 (Chair: Stefan Schwarzkopf): Philipp Robinson Rössner, ‘Martin Luther as Economist?’, Paul Oslington, ‘Adam Smith’s Economics of the Church’- Track 15 Lecture Hall SPs 08 (Chair: Kaspar Villadsen): Robert Skidelsky, ‘John Maynard Keynes as Theologian’, Robert Nelson, ‘Why Economic Progress Requires Economic Religion’

12.30-2.00 (PM): Lunch and Workshop Review

Conference Organizer: Associate Professor Stefan Schwarzkopf, Copenhagen Business School http://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-management-politics-and-philosophy/staff/sscmpp

The organizer gratefully acknowledges funding for this workshop from the following sources:

• Copenhagen Business School Centenary Fund (http://100.cbs.dk/)
• Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy (http://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-management-politics-and-philosophy)
• Centre for Business History (http://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-management-politics-and-philosophy/centre-business-history)
• Haniel Foundation (https://www.haniel-stiftung.de/en)