Teaching the Gospel from Agency Theory in the Bible

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show how the basic ideas of Agency Theory can be taught directly from the Bible through the use of biblical sheep-shepherd-hireling imagery and in so doing, naturally open an opportunity to lead business students to the call of the Gospel. To pursue this purpose, the paper will briefly review contemporary business scholarship on the concept of agency. Following this, the paper will consider evidence of Agency Theory from the biblical record focusing on the biblical foundations for caring for the economic asset of sheep, the work of the owner-shepherd, and the work of the hireling-shepherd. The paper will present a summary of the principles of agency as addressed in the Bible. Finally, the paper will present suggestions for how to integrate this material into the teaching-learning processes in the business school curriculum.