Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis
Overview
Widespread unemployment. Record home foreclosures. A vulnerable stock market. Government bailouts. In the wake of a sobering global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Here respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does--and doesn’t--say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to help readers understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. Along the way, he critiques the faith promise and health-and-wealth approaches to these issues, showing what good stewardship of God’s possessions really looks like. Church study groups, pastors, church leaders, students, and all who are concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty will value this book.
From the Back Cover
In the wake of a sobering global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Here respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does--and doesn’t--say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to help readers understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. Along the way, he critiques the faith promise and health-and-wealth approaches to these issues, showing what good stewardship of God’s possessions truly looks like. Everyone concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty will value this book.
"This book is like a theological cagematch--Jesus and Mammon go head to head. Witherington offers a smart, witty, bold corrective to the prosperity gospel. Rooted in Scripture and church history, Jesus and Money will help us all navigate the narrow way to life, regardless of whether Wall Street flounders or flourishes. After all, as Ben reminds us, God’s dream looks pretty different from Wall Street’s dream."--Shane Claiborne, author, activist, recovering sinner, www.thesimpleway.org
"Urgently needed. Solidly biblical. Readable, clear, and provocative. American Christians desperately need to read and heed this book."--Ronald J. Sider, president, Evangelicals for Social Action; author, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger
Prequel: Reconsidering the Value of Money in Hard Times
1. “In the Beginning God Created . . .” Getting Our Bearings
2. A King’s Ransom: Proverbial Wisdom on Wealth
3. Money in the Bartering World of Jesus
4. Jesus and the Treasure Hunt
5. James’s Rich Wisdom
6. Luke on Poverty and Wealth
7. Paul on Work, Remuneration, and the Love of Money
8. John of Patmos and the News Flash for the Merchants and Mr. 666
9. Toward a New Testament Theology of Stewardship, Money, and Giving
10. How to Deprogram Ourselves from a Lifestyle of Conspicuous Consumption and Self-Gratification
Appendix 1: Ten Christian Myths about Money
Appendix 2: John Wesley’s Sermon "On the Use of Money"
Product Details
- Title : Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis
- Author: Witherington, Ben III
- Publisher: Brazos Press
- Publication Date: 2010
- ISBN: 9781441207821
Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. A prominent evangelical scholar, he is also on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His other works include The Indelible Image, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, The Gospel Code, A Week in the Life of Corinth and commentaries on the entire New Testament. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications and is a frequent contributor to Patheos and Beliefnet. Witherington is an elected member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He is a John Wesley Fellow for Life, a research fellow at Cambridge University and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Biblical Literature, Society for the Study of the New Testament and the Institute for Biblical Research. He previously taught at institutions like Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings around the world. He has led numerous study tours through the lands of the Bible and is known for bringing the text to life through incisive historical and cultural analysis. Along with many interviews on radio and television networks across the country, Witherington has been seen in programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline and the Peter Jennings ABC special Jesus and Paul—The Word and the Witness.