Adam Smith, the Invisible Hand and the Intersection between Economics and Theology, with Prof Paul Oslington

The Political Animals

Jonathan is joined by economist and theologian Paul Oslington for a wide-ranging discussion on the intersection of economics and theology. The conversation begins with Adam Smith, the great father of economics, with a particular focus on his idea of the invisible hand and its allusions to providence. The conversation covers the reception, misreception and new (theological) reading of Smith, plus the virtues and limitations of free markets, the idea of capitalism, wealth and the theological roots of economics.

Professor Paul Oslington has PhDs in economics (University of Sydney) and theology (University of Divinity). He currently works at Alphacrucis College, is a visiting fellow at the Australian National University and a Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University. He was previously a Professor of Economics at the Australian Catholic University and an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales. He is currently working on a book for Harvard University Press on the history of economic thinking in the Christian tradition.

The Political Animals is hosted by Dr Jonathan Cole, an academic, writer, speaker and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority and Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality.

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