Dave Brat in The New York Times

On Government Reform: 2011: how to reconcile Christianity with federal programs?

Brat's academic work has drawn particular interest. Religious ethics rarely enter into mainstream economic theory, but they are topics that Brat, who describes himself in his writing as a Calvinist, has turned to repeatedly. In a 2011 article, "God and Advanced Mammon--Can Theological Types Handle Usury and Capitalism?" published in a journal of religion, Brat questioned whether Christianity could be reconciled with government programs.

"Are you willing to force someone you know to pay for the benefits for one of your neighbors?" he asked. "Very few Christians I know are willing to say 'yes' to this question."

In the same essay, he argued: "If we make all of the people good, markets will be good. If markets are bad, which they are, that means people are bad, which they are. Want good markets? Change the people."

Source: N.Y. Times, "David Brat Shows Unease in Spotlight" Jun 13, 2014

The above quotations are from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times. Click here for other excerpts by Dave Brat. Click here for a profile of Dave Brat.
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