Do Christian Beliefs Help the Economy?

This paper discusses the relationship between Christian ethical principles and economic decision making. The results are based upon a study using the Ultimatum game and a sample of Indiana Wesleyan students to identify whether a strong affiliation with Christian principles leads to a greater sharing of resources. The results showed that the respondents who indicated they believe Christian principles are the most important consideration in decision making shared a greater portion of their resources (in the experimental game) compared with those in the sample who did not hold this view. The implication is that increasing the prevalence of strong Christian principles among the population would lead to a more equitable distribution of wealth in the economy, without significantly reducing economic efficiency. Introduction and Purpose “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13: 16 NKJV). Do we share well? We have heard this since early childhood and it is a basic principle of Christianity. If we share well, this moral obligation will als