自1980年代以來，宗教經濟學一詞雖有一定的定義，但許多經濟學和宗教研究人員認為，它不僅成為宗教研究的專門分支，而且與其他經典經濟學一起成為經濟學的研究分支，例如農業經濟學、商業經濟學、貿易經濟學等……通過概述宗教與經濟之間的關係，將宗教視為一種社會要素，將宗教的「變量」與經濟的「變量」聯繫起來，從而可以想像「宗教經濟學」的概念，並可研究宗教如何影響經濟增長。因此，本文主要解決幾個問題：（1）宗教與經濟關係的特徵與轉變；（2）宗教經濟學及其組成部分；（3）宗教經濟學及其對經濟增長的影響。

Since 1980, the term economics of religion, many researchers reckoned that it not only becomes a specialized branch in religious research, but also a research branch of economics alongside with other classical economics such as: agricultural economics, commercial economics, trading economics and so on. A review on the relationship between religion and economy, looking in the context of social elements and the economy, we can easily see how religion can influence economic growth. This paper addresses the following issues:(1) The characteristics and shifts of the relationship between religion and economy; (2) Economics of religion and its elements; (3) Economics of religion and its influence to economic growth.