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Association of Christian Economists
25th Anniversary Conference

Thursday, April 16-Saturday, April 18, 2009

Program Description

Plenary Speakers (click here for details)

• Arthur C. Brooks (American Enterprise Institute)
• Laurence R. Iannaccone (George Mason University)
• Rodney Stark (Baylor University)
• John P. Tiemstra (Calvin College)

For twenty-five years, the Association of Christian Economists has encouraged Christian scholars to explore and communicate the relationship between their faith and the discipline of economics and to promote interaction and communication among Christian economists. This anniversary conference will celebrate and continue that tradition.

The conference is organized around three scholarly perspectives in the integration of faith and economics. These perspectives have figured prominently in the quarter century of conference presentations and journal articles published in Faith & Economics by the Association of Christian Economists.

1. Faithful Economics
   Incorporation of topics informed by religious values and presuppositions into mainstream economic analysis and research. This includes areas such as poverty, health care, migration, the environment, etc. Faithful economics involves "widening the mainstream."
2. Economics of Religion
   Application of mainstream techniques of economics to the study of religion and the impact of religion. The rational choice model of decision-making is central to the economics of religion. Topics include the organization and function of religious organizations and religious markets, as well as the effects of religious beliefs and practices on economic and social outcomes.
3. Heterodoxy
   The critique of mainstream economics from Christian perspectives. Dominant traditions in economics that are critiqued include the rational choice model, utilitarian underpinnings of the discipline, and aspects of the use of econometrics. Heterodox economists tend to favor models of economic agents as moral decision-makers with differing amounts of economic power and a wider use of historical economics as a method of empirical validation.

For each of these themes there will be a plenary speaker. There will also be a plenary closing panel discussion for each of the themes.

Steering Committee

• Paul Glewwe, Professor of Applied Economics at University of Minnesota
• Earl Grinols, Distinguished Professor of Economics at Baylor University
• James Henderson, Ben Williams Professor of Economics and Academic Director of Healthcare Administration at Baylor University
• John Pisciotta, Associate Professor of Economics at Baylor University and Conference Director
• Andrew Yuengert, Professor of Economics at Pepperdine University
• Bruce Webb, Professor of Economics at Gordon College

Acknowledgments

Funding for this conference is made possible by:

• Earl Grinols, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Baylor University
• The Department of Economics and the Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University
• The Institute for the Studies of Religion, Baylor University
• Baylor Horizons Grant Initiative, administered by the Institute for Faith and Learning, Baylor University

Administrative support is provided in part by the Institute for Faith and Learning

Please direct inquiries about the conference to:

Dr. John Pisciotta
Department of Economics
Baylor University
One Bear Place #98003
Waco, TX 76798-8003
(254) 710-6224
John_Pisciotta@baylor.edu