Relating a Biblical Principle to a Developing Economy's Agrarian Sector

摘要

The relevance of a normative biblical economic principle to the agrarian sector of a developing economy is examined, using modern Mexico as the example. First, the derivation of the principle is presented. This is deduced from secondary Christian interpretation, such as Bruno Dyck, Brian Griffiths and Pope John Paul II, and practice in Mennonite and Quaker traditions. How biblical exegetes have established the principle is considered also from Jesus' sayings in the gospel of Luke. The principle may be expressed as a normative orientation toward consensual self-governance, where those who are members of an institution (such as a farm or firm) are the decision makers for the institution. Second, this principle is related to the farming sector of Mexico since the beginning of the twentieth century. Self-governance emerges repeatedly as a feature affecting agrarian tenure, from its virtual absence until 1910, but thereafter emphasized in changing tenure demands concerning forms of production up to the present. Both Christian and non-Christian presentations of the self-governance principle have played an important role in Mexico's agricultural development. As well as describing the course of Mexican agriculture, the principle is used to evaluate it.