Political Theory

Christianity, Capitalism, and the West

ABSTRACT

We examined the role of Christianity in the rise of capitalism and important Western institutions through readings in Rodney Stark’s The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success and selected essays that are critical of the Stark thesis.

READING LIST

Conference Readings

Israel, Jonathan I. Enlightenment Contested. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Jones, Eric. “Review of Rodney Stark, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success.” EH.Net Economic History Services (March 2006): 3.

Lilla, Mark. The Stillborn God. New York: Random House, Inc., 2007.

Sherlock, Richard and Roger Barrus. Interpretation (Flushing). New York: Interpretations Inc. , 1993.

Stark, Rodney. The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism and Western Success. New York: Random House, 2006.

Wolfe, Alan. New Republic . New York: New Republic, 2006.