Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the Dutch pastor, theologian, and statesman Abraham Kuyper (18371920) argued for the foundation of an independent university to pursue, from a thoroughly confessional Christian perspective, the entire curriculum of human learning. In one of his convocation speeches, Kuyper made clear that there are three wonderful things about science: it brings to light the hidden glory of God; it gives you joy in the act of digging up the gold that lies hidden in creation; and it grants you the honor of raising the level and well-being of human life. In this, Kuyper attempted to clearly delineate the uniqueness of the calling to pursue scholarship even as he sought to avoid the danger of unduly separating theory from praxis, the academy from the rest of the world, and theology from piety. A solid understanding of the economics of the theological vocation should thus be situated in the broader framework of the interrelationship and interdependence of the various spheres, the broader economy, so to speak, of social life.
Jordan J. Ballor: "Editorial:The Theological Vocation and the Economy of Social Life," Journal of Markets & Morality 18, no. 2 (Fall 2015): 251-254.