Jerry Bowyer: Jesus on Economics & Entrepreneurship
Can we learn anything from Jesus and his teachings in relation to economics generally and entrepreneurship specifically? When we know about the specifics of ancient economies during the time Jesus walked the earth, not skimming over details such as places, names and occupations, we see a clear pattern emerge: Jesus had positive views toward those who were wealth creators and negative views toward those who extracted wealth using political power and manipulation. Jesus does not disapprove of wealth in general. Rather, Jesus makes moral distinctions based on how wealth is obtained. Those who obtain riches through cronyism and political manipulation are treated differently than those who build wealth through value creation. The ancient economy was made up of makers of wealth and takers of it. His harsh words about money are aimed at the extractive class, not the entrepreneurial class.
Jerry Bowyer is a financial economist, public speaker for business conferences, frequent radio and television guest, author and journalist. Jerry lives in Pennsylvania and is a lay minister. Jerry is an adjunct instructor in the Entrepreneurial Leaders Programme offered by ELO in collaboration with Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford.
Jerry has compiled an impressive record as a leading thinker in finance and economics. He worked as an auditor and a tax consultant with Arthur Anderson, Federated Investors, and consulted in various privatization efforts for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He founded the influential economic think tank, the Allegheny Institute, and has lectured extensively to university, business and civic groups.
He has been a member of three investment committees, among which is Benchmark Financial, Pittsburgh’s largest financial services firm. Jerry is a regular commentator on Fox Business News and Fox News and was a Forbes columnist. He was formerly a CNBC Contributor, has guest-hosted “The Kudlow Report”, and has written for CNBC, National Review Online, The Wall Street Journal as well as many other publications. He is the author of The Bush Boom and more recently The Free Market Capitalist’s Survival Guide, published by Harper Collins. Jerry is the Chairman of Bowyer Media, which produces the television program Pennsylvania Newsmakers and various programs on 1360 am (WMNY) Pittsburgh’s Business Talk Radio.
Jerry consulted extensively with the George W. Bush White House on matters pertaining to economics. He has been quoted in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, The International Herald Tribune and various local newspapers. He has been a contributing editor of National Review Online, The New York Sun and Townhall Magazine. Jerry has hosted daily radio and TV programs and was one of the founding members of WQED’s On-Q Friday Roundtable. He has guest-hosted the Bill Bennett radio program as well as radio programs in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.
His recent book is titled, The Maker Versus the Takers: What Jesus Really Said About Social Justice and Economics (Fidelis, 2020).
Jerry is a Lay Eucharistic Minister in the Episcopal Church and lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Susan, and the youngest three of their seven children. He has been a regular and popular presenter at the annual Kingdom Advisors Conference.
Dr. Richard (Rick) J. Goossen, Chairman, Advisory Board, ELO Group and Strategic Counsel, Nicola Wealth hosted this conversation with Jerry Bowyer, posing questions and fielding questions from a live audience.
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