When: June 9, 2021, 1:00 pm - Wednesday

Where: Ezell 207

Session 1

Session Abstract

As Christians in the business world face multiple crises and competing goals, Scripture reminds us of the need to care for the planet that God has created for us as well as the people he has created. This session brings diverse presentations on environmental, economic and public health topics to participants.  Of particular concern is the impact of the COVID pandemic.

Paper Abstracts

Mark Jobe, Tim Creel and Andy Borchers, Lipscomb University, “Christians Business Leaders and Climate Change”

As Christians in the business world face multiple crises and competing goals, Scripture reminds us of the need to care for the planet that God has created for us. In this paper, the authors build on the work of Robert White to advance five reasons why Christian business leaders should care about the planet.  Indeed, when business leaders care for the planet, they can avoid what Carl Henry refers to as “separating the economic sphere from the living God and his claims.”

 

Cliff Anderson, Vanderbilt University, “Plant Patents: Boom or Bust for Sustainable Farming?

The “Green Revolution” of the twentieth century paved the way toward food security for billions of people. But the use of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) to foster crop yields has proved controversial for multiple reasons, including the narrowing of biodiversity, worry about potential health effects, and the concentration of intellectual property for new seed varieties at biotechnology corporations. Theologians have objected to plant patents, pointing to their deleterious effects on indigenous farmers. Economists regard such patents as significant to fostering agricultural innovation. Can the legal, economic, and theological perspectives be reconciled? Or must they exist in tension or contradiction?

 

Brian Starr, Lubbock Christian University, “Texas vs. California – A Comparison of Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Contrary to the more uniform approaches to COVID-19 response adopted by some countries, the United States delegated policymaking to individual states.  Not surprisingly, different states adopted different policies.  This presentation seeks to compare the pandemic response policies of the two largest state economies – Texas and California, and the concomitant outcomes that obtained for each state.  Often depicted in the media as representative of the extremes exhibited within the United States in response to COVID-19, these two states, adopted significantly different response policies.  This presentation seeks to outline some of the more significant differences, and then proceed to evaluate outcomes.

 

David Bosch, Boyce: The College at Southern, “Before and During the Pandemic: A Comparison of Attitudes on Work and the Gig Economy”

 

The purpose of this exploratory quantitative study was to add incremental understanding to individual’s preferences for and attitudes toward participating in the Gig economy. This study examined individual’s work values, locus of control, and entrepreneurial intentions, and their relationship to their preferences of participating in the Gig economy. The overarching research question was “Is there a generational difference in attitudes about and preferences toward the Gig economy. Results indicate that there are some statistically significant individual differences between the generations. These results may have implications for business curriculum within the college and university setting.

Speakers

Andy Borchers, Lipscomb University, Convener

• Mark Jobe, Tim Creel, and Andy Borchers, Lipscomb University, “Christian Business Leaders and Climate Change”
• Clifford Anderson, Vanderbilt University, “Plant Patents: Boom or Bust for Sustainable Farming?”
• Brian Starr, Lubbock Christian University, “Texas vs. California – A Comparison of Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic”
• David A. Bosch, Boyce College, “Before and During the Pandemic: A Comparison of Attitudes on Work and the Gig Economy”