The Economics of the Parables

Timeless and moral economic wisdom for life's choices and changes derived from the parables of the New Testament by famed free market advocate and Catholic priest Robert Sirico.

Libraries are filled with books on the parables of Christ, and rightly so. In the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, “While civilizations have come and gone, these stories continue to teach us anew with their freshness and their humanity.” Two millennia later, the New Testament parables remain ubiquitous, and yet, few have stopped to glean from one of Christ’s most prevalent analogies: money.

In The Economics of the Parables, Rev. Robert Sirico pulls back the veil of modernity to reveal the timeless economic wisdom of the parables. Thirteen central stories—including “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” “The Rich Fool,” “The Five Talents,” and “The Faithful Steward”—serve as his guide, revealing practical lessons in caring for the poor, stewarding wealth, distributing inheritances, navigating income disparities, and resolving family tensions.

As contemporary as any business manual and sure to outlast them, The Economics of the Parables equips any economically informed reader to uncover the enduring financial truths of the parables in a reasonable, sensible, and life-empowering manner.

REV. ROBERT A. SIRICO is a Roman Catholic priest and the president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, a think-tank dedicated to promoting a free-market economic policy framed within a moral worldview. He is the author of several books, including Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy, and his writings have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the London Financial Times, and National Review, among numerous other publications. Fr. is regularly called upon to discuss economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern and has provided commentary for CNN, ABC, the BBC, NPR, and CBS’ 60 Minutes.