Economics in the Bible

Economics means ‘the affairs of the household’ (from the Greek, oikonomia). It refers to the thousands of interactions we have every day, in work, shopping, recreation, and running our homes.

From front to back, the Bible is a book that is fundamentally concerned with how we live in this world. In the Bible, there is no disconnection between our material lives and our spiritual lives. How we live in this world – especially our economic lives – is a central component of all the big Biblical themes, such as sin, salvation, the people of God, worship, mission, evangelism, justice and poverty. The good news that Jesus talked about cannot be fully good until we rediscover these parts of his message.

 

Economics as a central thread of the Biblical story

1. The strange economics of manna in the wilderness
2. The idea of Israel as an alternative economic community
3. The economy of salvation
4. Living in the kingdom of God
5. The economics of the body of Christ
6. Standing at the Crossroads (1): Facing up to the crisis of the church
7. Standing at the Crossroads (2): The economics of renewal

Economic themes in the Bible

Money

• Unmasking Mammon: What is money?
• Money and the Misuse of Scripture: Revisiting the Stewarship Parables
• The Perils of Wealth: Why did Jesus say 'Woe to the rich'?
• Dethroning Mammon: Money in the Kingdom of God

Enough

• Daily Bread: The economy of enough in the Bible

Work

• Good Work

Land & Housing

• But Tenants in the Land: Land & housing in the Bible
• Housing, Negative Gearing & Usury: A biblical perspective on the real estate market

Poverty

• Can we really make poverty history?

Giving

• Living with an open hand: The role of giving in discipleship

Ethical Consumption & Fair Trade

• A Theology of Trade
• A new legalism or the law of love?

Urban Living

• Living in Babylon (1): The meaning of the city
• Living in Bablylon (2): Shalom in the city

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