Money Matters: Faith, Life, and Wealth

Description

A guide to investing in heaven and being “rich toward God”  Christians often hesitate to talk about money in spiritual contexts, but in the gospels Jesus talks more about money than about “religious” topics like prayer and heaven. Money Matters advocates following Jesus’s lead in engaging with matters of economy and finance in a faith-driven way, in both our individual and our corporate lives. The authors draw on their contrasting life experiences to offer a well-rounded look at money in the twenty-first century. Paul Stevens, who grew up well-off in Canada and worked as a carpenter, a banker, and later a pastor and professor of theology, finds a complementary voice in Clive Lim, who grew up without money in Singapore, and now works there as an entrepreneur and head of a family investment firm. With frequent scriptural references, Stevens and Lim offer insight into navigating the economic systems of today, aiming to help individuals, churches, and societies become faithful stewards who store up “treasures in heaven” by investing in the kingdom of God.  Money Matters is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to integrating one’s faith with one’s approach to money. Just as the Bible variously treats money as a blessing, a sacrament, and a problem, so do Stevens and Lim approach this matter judiciously—avoiding the prosperity gospel on one side and the demonization of material wealth on the other. Capitalism is treated as what it is: a system that has created widespread opportunity and relieved poverty for millions while also exacerbating the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The authors’ wisdom is at turns theological, historical, and practical—and always focused on what it means to live with faithful integrity in our contemporary global economy. Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction 1. Growing Up without Money—Clive’s Story 2. Growing Up with Money—Paul’s Story 3. Holy Money—a Brief History and Why It Is So Complicated to Handle 4. Giving to God and Caesar—the Complicated End of Dualism 5. Grappling Shrewdly with Capitalism 6. How to Buy Forever Friendships 7. Why Money “Talks”—the Social Value of Money 8. Whose Money Is It Anyway? 9. The Health and Wealth Gospel 10. Investing in Heaven Questions for Reflection and Discussion Notes Selected Bibliography