Browsing Think
More than Giving Money
“Stewardship is another way of talking about ministry, and it would revolutionize ministry if people could think of it in terms of stewardship—that we are accountable to God for what we do and with what he has trusted to us,” says R. Paul Stevens in this Christianity Today interview. (Photo: Keoni Cabral, Creative Commons)
Why our Brains Work Against Good Stewardship
Why, as human beings, do we tend toward consumerism and often fail to be good stewards of the resources we have on loan from God? Here’s an interesting article delving into some of the science behind the phenomenon. Click here to read the article. (Photo by Mitch Altman, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!)
As We Become Richer, Do We Become Stingier?
As people become wealthier, they tend to think in more individualistic terms and they become less responsive to needs of community, say researchers studying the habits of people in different income groups. One theory? Poor people need to rely on others, and so they weave a tighter social fabric. Fascinating story you an read or listen to.
Pious Materialism: How Americans View Faith and Money
Robert Wuthnow, Andlinger Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University, wrote this article for The Christian Century a decade ago, but his observations and critique of the failure of American churches and synagogues to address issues of faith and money in a substantive and effective way […]
Thinking Theologically about Faith & Wealth
Here’s a study guide authored by Carol Johnston inviting participants to consider the theological meaning of wealth by examining literature on Christian practices of giving and stewardship as well as scriptural and cultural understandings of riches. A downloadable PDF document is available. (Photo by pfarrell95. Thanks!)
Faithful Living: A Biblical Ethic of Financial Stewardship
Financial stewardship is not only a matter of faithful giving but of faithful living. In response to the gospel, we submit our lives to the rule of God, to the lordship of Christ, and to the direction of the Holy Spirit, so that we may be the people God wants us to be and have the lives God wants us to have.
Stewardship as a Human Vocation
In this essay, Douglas John Hall explores stewardship of creation by asking the age-old question, “What are human beings for.” He rejects the pessimism of those who say the crisis is beyond hope, and instead he finds hope in Christ. (Photo by aussiegall, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!)
The Liturgy of Abundance, the Myth of Scarcity
One of Christian theology’s most prophetic voices offers a challenging biblical analysis of the role of money in our culture. Wealth in America, Brueggemann says, acts as a narcotic, numbing us. “The great contradiction is that we have more and more money and less and less generosity — less and less public money for the needy, less charity for the neighbor.” (Photo: Prisoner 5413, Creative Commons)