Pope Leon XIII And The Rerum Novarum Encyclical

The Industrial Revolution began in England in the late 1700’s. The Industrial Revolution was a time of new inventions, products, and methods of work. The results of the Industrial Revolution led to many short and long-term positive and negative effects. These results have been assessed from many viewpoints such as the factory workers, the factory owners, the government, and other people who observed the conditions in industrial cities.

Luke’s Gospel greatly emphasizes the social justice aspect of Christian living. Throughout the third book in the New Testament, the story and history of Jesus Christ is written, and Luke preserves the many sayings of Jesus warning that those with material possessions have a

28). He describes wealth as a “…blessing to mankind,” (Gladden, 8). Gladden’s perspective of causality dissents from Weber and Sellers; he believes that, “…one effect invariably produced by Christianity upon an uncivilized people receiving it is to multiply the wealth of that people,” (Gladden, 5). He argues, Protestantism, and ultimately Christianity, cause people to desire material goods (Class notes, Feb. 28). Thus, Christianity cannot be against capitalism without contradicting itself (Gladden, 8). Gladden’s evidence for his argument stems from the Bible. Gladden contends that there are statements in the Old Testament in which “…the possession and the increase of wealth are adduced as proofs of the favor of God,” (Gladded, 6). Wherefore, the New Testament supplements this argument by clarifying that is expected for men to accumulate wealth and possessions, but also God admonishes people valuing material goods over spiritual good, but not material wealth itself (Gladden,6). That is, people are meant to value spiritual well-being over material goods, but also remember they are commanded to be “fruitful” on earth and thus produce and amass wealth (Gladden, 7). Finally, Gladden realizes capitalism is not the problem; the problem is the unequal distribution of wealth (Class Notes, Feb. 28). He says, “No possible system will remove all

Poor treatment toward the lower class, depicts classism. The poor were stripped of what little money they had, from the upper class. Such is supported by document 1, where it states, "Why does not the Pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of

While the attitudes of Christianity and Islam toward trade differed greatly in the beginning, their views evolved and changed over time. In the beginning of the trade movement, Christianity had originally opposed it, while Islam chose to embrace it. As time went on, both Christianity and Islam took on a more moderate stance. Christianity chose to embrace it more while Islam began to reject it.

In addition to indulgences, Luther also wrote about “St. Peter’s Scandal.” He states, “Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the

did feel that there was value in possessions. This is shown in his anger for the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has long helped those in need.The Church's love for the poor has long been part of her constant tradition. The Church urges us to go the extra mile and help those in need. The church has held many prosperous charities. The church has also eheld many food drives and other types of donation events.They do this quite often actually.

Christian teaching on wealth and possessions varies slightly regarding the amount of money and possessions that should be given to the poor. Some Christians follow the teaching in (Mark

Reverend Young addresses Christians about wealth inequality as he states that Jesus cared for the poor and consequently, followers of the faith have an obligation to do the same.

In Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just, Tim Keller uses the bible as a focal point in connection to social justice. Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Acts, and the Gospel were all used to associate Jesus’ teachings to today’s world. He does this to prove the importance of social justice. He uses several instances in today’s world and how society needs to do better for our neighbors. Keller shows the importance of social justice by not only using Jesus’ sacrifice, but he also shares the struggles that the poverty stricken and marginalized go through. In the end, Keller calls for all Christians and non-believers to look within themselves and do what is right to provide social justice for all.

You give them something to eat.” (Matthew Ch. 14:16) Christians believe in a final judgment day when God will judge them upon their actions. If they have led a ‘good’ life they will be rewarded with eternity in heaven with God, where as those who led a ‘bad’ life will be punished with an eternity in hell. Jesus speaks of helping the poor because it is what God asks of you and not because you want praise from your fellow men.

The wisdom of Francis and Clare speaks to our global concerns and economic issues in a variety of ways. Both Francis and Clare practiced gift spirituality which means that they believed that all good things come from God and they must be shared with others. Consequently, they also believed that material items are for individual use rather than just for possession. Francis preached that everyone should be treated as equals regardless of his or her socioeconomic status. He was able to put himself into the same situations that the poor were encountering by giving up all of his valuables and living a life in poverty. As a result, he was able to discover the values of the poor from their point of view. When Francis encountered someone, who was even poorer than himself, he couldn’t help but grieve due to his compassion for the

Although Christianity was well known throughout the affluent classes, Jesus’s philosophies touched the hearts of the plebeians. The self-proclaimed Messiah often spoke of money and riches not being needed in the afterlife, and that God measures you not on how much money you have but on your values you showed throughout your life. This touched the working class’s heart as it informed them that there is hope for a better life that everyone can achieve but not a lot deserve. Therefore, this was the main reason why Christianity was spread as quickly as it could.

However, while on his way to church, he was meditating a bible verse but on stepping into the church, he was baffled when he heard the Gospel being read instructing whoever wants to serve God to go and sell of his property and distribute the profits from the sale to the poor. He felt that the verse of the Gospel was meant for him so he did exactly as he was ‘instructed’ (Robert 26). After selling off the property, he distributed the proceeds amongst the poor. St. Anthony went to church again and after listening to the Gospel again, he said he