How can we truly free the ‘free’ market?
This forum will discuss the development, pros, cons and current situation of free markets, including the principles of capitalism, spiritual background, biblical links and global consequences. Current hot topics like TTIP, CETA, Doha, etc. and the imbalance of markets in Europe (north versus south) will be addressed, as well as the heart of the Father for business people.

Chair: Timo Plutschinski

9:30 – 10:45 Session 1:
Introduction
Thesis- Dr. Richard Turnbull: “The Moral Challenge of the Market”
Response- Wim Kater
Q&A

11:00 – 12:30 Session 2:
Introduction
Thesis- Prof. Prabhu Guptara: “How Free is the “Free” market?
Response- Dr. Arleen Westerhof
Q&A
Discussion
Conclusions and prayer

Professor Prabhu Guptara, Relationships Foundation (CH), is Distinguished Professor of Global Business, Management & Public Policy, William Carey University, India, as well as Member of the Board, Instituteof Management, University of St Gallen, Switzerland, and Chairman of the International Network which supports the Relational Thinking movement with its secretariat in Cambridge, UK.

Timo Plutschinski (D), is leading the Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and is Partner of MIC Corporate Finance. A Protestant theologian, he is also a Board Member of the Congress of Christian Leaders, Chairman of the Relational Business & Finance Group, and a Fellow of the Olivet Institute for Global Strategic Studies. His core concern is the relationship between business and church. Timo lives with his wife and two daughters in Hamburg, Germany.

Revd Dr Richard Turnbull (UK), is director of the Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics, Oxford. Married with four children, he was the Principal of the Evangelical Anglican theological college in Oxford, Wycliffe Hall, 2005-12. He chaired the Business Committee of the Anglican General Synod (2004-05).

Wim Kater (NL), Managing director of CBMC Netherlands. Wim began as entrepreneur in the agricultural sector and then became manager Agriculture, Food and Retail in the IT business before being appointed CBMC director late in 2015.

 Dr Arleen Westerhof, (NL) facilitator of the European Economic Summit, co-pastor of the God’s Embassy Church in Amsterdam together with her husband Dick. Born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, she has a PhD in Chemistry and originally came to the Netherlands to work as a Research Scientist at a large multinational  corporation.

Suggested preliminary reading:  The unfreedom of the free market, W.T. Cavanagh

Presentation 1: Thesis – Dr. Richard Turnbull: “The moral Challenge of the Market”

A CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE MARKET ECONOMY, GOVERNMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2007 ONWARDS WAS NOT THE FIRST SUCH CRISIS, OR EVEN THE FIRST TIME A BANK HAS COLLAPSED. THE RESULTING RECESSION AND CRISIS HOWEVER WAS DEEP, NOT LEAST BECAUSE SOME COMBINATION OF GREED, ABUSE OF POWER AND TRUST, AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF INCREASINGLY COMPLEX FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS, ALL CONTRIBUTED TO THE COLLAPSE.

The outcome was not just a financial crisis, but a crisis for capitalism itself. How then might we respond as Christians? What can we say about the market economy and what about the role of government and the quest for social justice? Read more…

Presentation 2: Thesis – Prof. Prabhu Guptara: “How Free is the “Free” market?

HOW CAN WE MAKE IT GENUINELY FREE? 

“WAR IS PEACE”, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY”, “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”.

THE DOMINANCE OF DOUBLESPEAK AND BUZZWORDS TODAY SHOULD LEAD US TO SUSPICION OF *ALL* WORDS THAT ARE UNDEFINED. THERE NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST SOME JOINT UNDERSTANDING OF KEY WORDS BEFORE PLUNGING INTO ANY DISCUSSION.  MORE THAN THAT, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME CLARITY REGARDING WHERE A SPEAKER IS “COMING FROM”.

In most of my lectures, my positions become clear in the course of my presentation and certainly towards the end.  However, let me show my cards at the start with two observations. Read more…