How Should We Then Money?
It is good to work and to be invested in our work. Distributism fits well with traditional Anabaptist values, even though it has largely been articulated by Catholic thinkers. Stephen Russell urges us to “look at distributism and see how it fits with what we have traditionally tried to do, and learn from it”. These themes include valuing craftsmanship, family businesses, and widespread ownership of the tools and infrastructure needed for business.
Recommended Resources:
The Hound of Distributism edited by Richard Altman
What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton
Economic Policy Institute, “CEOs were paid 351 times as much as a typical worker in 2020.”
Guild of St. Joseph and St. Dominique: “Men rich in virtue studying beautifulness living in peace in their houses.”
Barbara Peter’s Observations about Mondragon
Pope Leo’s Statement on Distributism
“Men always work harder and more readily when they work on that which belongs to them; nay, they learn to love the very soil that yields in response to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat, but an abundance of good things for themselves and those that are dear to them. That such a spirit of willing labor would add to the produce of the earth and to the wealth of the community is self evident.”
Pope Prius XI’s statement on subsidiarity
“Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them.
Stephen’s testimony about exiting political engagement
Episode Guest Info
Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell earned a degree in European Studies at George Mason University (1986-1988), and an M.A. in Church History and Theology at Wheaton Graduate School (1989). His voluntary service experiences include two summers in Germany (1978, 1982), Choice Books (1981), and a halfway house for parolees (1980). He taught in Christian schools for five years and worked at Choice Books for seventeen years. During a seven month stay in Israel (2006), he wrote a book on nonresistance, Overcoming Evil God’s Way.
Read MoreEpisode Host
Jaran Miller
Jaran Miller is a resident of Pennsylvania and a native of Tennessee. He received his K-12 education via homeschool, his college education at Lee University, and his most important education through the books he’s read and the human relationships he’s been privileged to have. Jaran enjoys living with his wife Sara. Together they engage in pursuits like playing the piano, reading books, and developing hospitality skills.
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