Series Summary: The Unseen Forces: Faith, Ethics, and the Market

10 Essays on the Moral Undercurrents of Money, Markets, and Meaning

What drives the economy isn’t just data—it’s us.

Beneath the charts and headlines, markets move with the rhythm of hope and fear, shaped by culture, guided by ethics, and often blind to the values they reflect. This 10-part series starts July 7, 2025, on my Substack newsletter and it explores what happens when we bring moral vision, spiritual insight, and human dignity back into the conversation about money.

Drawing on timeless wisdom from faith traditions, behavioral economics, and personal reflection, The Unseen Forces asks deeper questions about how we earn, give, invest, and steward what we’ve been given.

🔎 In this series:

• We confront greed and Mammon, and rediscover the call to stewardship
• We examine the Sabbath principle, and the spiritual wisdom of rest and restraint
• We challenge the difference between charity and justice, and explore how wealth can either heal or harm
• We walk through interfaith perspectives on giving, uncovering shared values across traditions
• We reflect on the emotions behind our portfolios—and how faith can stabilize us between hope and fear
• And we end by imagining what a more human capitalism might look like—not as a utopia, but as a more faithful, dignified economy grounded in meaning

Whether you’re a person of faith or just someone who suspects money should be about more than math, this series offers a richer lens on economic life—one where people matter more than profits, and purpose reshapes policy.

📚 Titles in the Series:

1. Markets with Morals – Is That a Contradiction?
2. Greed, Stewardship, and the Role of Intent
3. The Sabbath Principle – Why Rest and Limits Matter in Economics
4. Charity vs. Justice – What Economic Systems Forget
5. The Temptation of Mammon – A Timeless Warning
6. Financial Decisions as Moral Acts
7. The Prosperity Gospel vs. Economic Reality
8. Interfaith Perspectives on Wealth and Giving
9. Hope, Fear, and the Spiritual Side of Markets
10. Toward a More Human Capitalism

This isn’t financial advice. It’s a deeper exploration of what we’re really doing when we handle money—and who we’re becoming in the process.

Here is where to find the series on my Substack: lylebowlin.substack.com

This series is also the outline for an upcoming book. Faith, Ethics, and the Markets