Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel
    God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel
    God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel
    Ebook172 pages2 hours

    God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel

    By Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    While “health and wealth” proponents urge Christians to claim for themselves material blessings, others insist that God’s best gifts can’t be enjoyed until heaven. The truth of God’s intentions, writes acclaimed author Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, is far greater than either perspective suggests.Packed with inspiring stories, God’s Economy invites readers to step into the good life God intends his people to enjoy here and now—not a shrink-wrapped, plastic version of prosperity but a liberating approach to living that leads to genuine and lasting satisfaction.With persuasive enthusiasm, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove draws from the teachings of Jesus on money and explores five tactics for living in God’s economy of abundance. Rather than being subject to unpredictable market factors, those who live by God’s economy find their security in the richness of community and generosity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780310562085
    Author

    Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

    Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (M.Div., Duke Divinity School) is director of the School of Conversion in Durham, North Carolina, where he is a member of the Rutba House new monastic community. His books include Free to Be Bound, Inhabiting the Church and New Monasticism.

    Read more from Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove

    Related to God's Economy

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Entering The Gates!

      Nov 19, 2021

      With the onset of the Christmas season and the year 2022, we study the Biblical principle of the gates. In the spiritual realm there are gates that control the seasons in a year. Studying the early traditions of the Christmas season, we understand th

      2 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Jul 30, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      Worldview?

      Dec 30, 2022

      Worldview?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Family Policy Institute Celebrates 11 Years

      Aug 19, 2019

      Errol Naidoo is one of the most effective Christians that I have ever encountered. He is passionate about God’s call on his life, he is driven to inform Christians of the issues that are facing us, and he is bringing the truth of God’s word out in So

      4 min read

    • Article

      Letter To The Editor

      Mar 16, 2020

      My working environment is non-Christian and I work very hard with long hours every day. After a few months, through the mighty and powerful work of the Holy Spirit, I started a prayer group at our workplace, but I have been doubting if this is the pl

      6 min read

    • Article

      Theo & Bev Wolmarans CELEBRATING 40 YEARS IN MINISTRY CELEBRATION 2019

      Aug 19, 2019

      This year is a very momentous celebration for Pastor Theo and Bev Wolmarans, who have been faithfully guiding Christians for 40 years to faith in Jesus, both locally and abroad. When we look at the history of spirit-filled churches in this nation, Pa

      5 min read

    • Article

      Fake News, Fake Gospels!

      Dec 31, 2021

      Fake News, Fake Gospels!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jul 21, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Tale Of Two GLOBALISMS

      Jun 16, 2023

      Globalisation” is a familiar term. It is the growing interaction and integration among peoples, organisations, and governments worldwide. The term “globalism” is less common: it is the ideology – the thinking, beliefs, and values – that drives global

      3 min read

    • Article

      WHO’S In The NEWS?

      Oct 27, 2023

      Survivalist and author Bear Grylls recently shared that he was baptised in the Jordan River, the same location where Jesus Christ was baptised. Grylls, best known for starring in the show, “Man vs. Wild” is outspoken about his Christian faith. Grylls

      4 min read

    • Article

      Cal Thomas: The False God Of Politics

      Dec 22, 222

      When King David ruled over all of Israel, one of the many Psalms he wrote included this verse: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans com

      2 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Apr 13, 2020

      I would like to congratulate Desiree Mansfield on her wonderful and insightful article in JOY’s Feb/Mar issue, “Are We Cursed Because Of Our Government’s Decision On Israel?” This is an article nearer the truth than most people will realise and sadly

      8 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Mar 8, 2024

      Send your letters to editor@joymag.co.za Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for

      7 min read

    • Article

      After The Elections: Now What?

      May 20, 2019

      After election results have been announced, we often find ourselves unsure of how to live out our values in the world around us. Elections, by their very nature, are short-term events that come and go. They can also be likened to the visible tip of a

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Rebel Evangelical

      Aug 23, 2019

      The Rebel Evangelical
      9 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Jun 12, 2020

      This lockdown has really shaken a lot of people and caused them to stop relying on themselves and the things of this world. Jesus is our only hope and I am so grateful that I know Him as my Lord and Saviour and best friend and protector. I have peace

      7 min read

    • Article

      WHO’S The In NEWS?

      May 20, 2022

      “The latest American Worldview Inventory 2022 report from Dr George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University turns its focus to the worldview of American parents—and the consequences for the nation’s children. The resear

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for God's Economy

    4.5/5

    6 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      The book God’s Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove provides an interesting look at a controversial subject: How should Christians understand money?The first four chapters prepare us through a combination of autobiography on the part of the author, examination of biblical texts, and theological discussion on the issues of poverty, money, and power. The latter four chapters explain four “tactics” Jonathon suggests Christians use in the world to help us create a new understanding of abundance.Towards the beginning of the book Jonathon challenges many fundamental aspects of the “American dream.” In speak of Joseph, for example, he says that his life was one “marked less by teh abundance of possessions than by abundant relationships.” He takes the rest of the book to discuss how Christians might re-order their thinking around relationships instead of possessions. He says elsewhere that “what concerns Jesus about money isn’t so much how we should use it…as how it affects our relationships with God.”He also spends the first four chapters attempting to get rid of the popular ideas that problems in the world are either: (1) The fault of the rich having too much, or (2) The poor being lazy. He explores a kind of “third way” where the lines aren’t so finely drawn, and where relationships are central. His main example for this kind of life is St. Francis of Assisi who valued the relationships in his life over his wealth and possessions (indeed even ripping his own clothes off his back to return them to his father). Money has away of “quietly colonizing” us in ways we least expect. He notes, as many authors have noted as of late, how the ‘protestant ethic’ has separated ’spiritual’ and ‘material’ realities into separate spheres (to the point of excluding God in the ‘material’ reality).Another preparation Jonathon makes before delving into his four tactics is understanding the importance of first century economies and the importance of the feast-table. The biggest problem that modern readers of the biblical text have is understanding first century economies. We have to understand that the household was also the primary means by which commercial ventures took place. There was no separation between the two in this time period, and thus to understand Jesus’ teaching about family, we must understand that family household economics was all their was. There was not other way of doing things. The point of such household economies was to create as big and powerful a household as possible with as many servants as possible.From here, Jonathon goes into his first tactic: subversive service. We are called, not to be the great fathers of great households, but to be like children. To read the text as Jesus speaking of childlike faith is incoherent to a first century economy. Rather, the authors seem to be calling us to be ‘nothing’ – or, at least, nothing as a child was considered nothing in a household economy structure. We are to BE the least and the last.The second tactic is what Jonathan calls “eternal investments.” When I first read the title of this chapter I was a little unsure of what to think. I don’t like the idea of someday you’ll be rewarded in heaven for all the good things you do on earth. Luckily, that’s not at all what he was referencing with this second tactic. Rather, he was talking about investing in things that don’t fade away (i.e. people rather than possessions). He talks about the difference between investing eternally and investing effectively. If our investments are to be “effective,” Jesus would have sided with Judas in criticizing Mary when she anointed his feet with oil.The third tactic Jonathan refers to as “eternal friendships.” For the example here Jonathan speaks of the shrewd manager who made friends in order to save his job. I enjoyed Jonathan’s interpretation of the shrewd manager, and I think he makes some good points that I had never really heard in church before regarding the important parable. He charges those reading to try and understand the “wisdom of the weak” and not just ’serve’ them. He talks about many organizations serving the poor who don’t actually consult the poor (thinking that they will only ’slow them down.’). In order to be the people of God, we need to get rid of the lines of separation and create a life of abundance now in the friendships we make (without fear).The fourth and final tactic is relational generosity. Relational generosity is different than most Americanized charities because it calls us to be in relationship with those who we serve. We are not to be part of some philanthropic organization that gives to the poor, but then goes to live apart from them for most of our day.The book, as a whole, is a very well thought out way to live as Christians in the world. It is about more than money and health and wealth because it deals with our entire lives. There will be some for whom the book will be too radical. I am also sure that Jonathan will be called a ’socialist’ by those who do take a few of things he says in the book out of context. There are parts in the book where he talks about new monasticism and the rich giving to the poor in churches. All of these things will make his message difficult to swallow if you hold capitalism too tightly, but he seems to be right on in his theological and biblical analysis of the Christian life. The book is both imaginative and grounded.If you give his book the chance to speak to you, I’m sure it will change you in some way, shape or form.

    Book preview

    God's Economy - Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1