New eight-week course on The Bible and Money
Posted: 14 May 2009
How can we fight a desire to acquire material things? How does an attitude of ‘stewardship’ change how money is to be used from that of the world? How do we accumulate treasure in heaven?
At a time when the economy is in meltdown and questions of integrity are being raised about the financial industry and our Parliamentary representatives alike, the Jubilee Centre has published an eight-work course on what the Bible has to say about our use of money today.
"The Bible and Money: Managing one's money in the end times" is an immensely practical course designed to help Christians develop a biblical understanding of money and how we should use it. In eight lessons, the course looks at possessions, stewardship, giving, borrowing and lending, saving and insurance, investments and gambling, tax and pensions, and church finances.
Exploring questions such as “Should I default on debt payments to tithe?”, “Should the local church ever borrow to fund missions, buy property or pay staff?” and “How do the most widely available forms of savings and investment match up to biblical principles?”, the course was prepared by senior international economist Dr Paul Mills.
Speaking in a personal capacity at a recent Jubilee Centre conference, Dr Mills suggested that Christians should take a lead in using money to build relationships within extended families and their communities, for instance by investing in local businesses or providing housing equity for family members or others in their congregations.
Other questions considered in the Bible and Money course include: How can money be used to foster relationships? Does giving to charitable causes outside the local church count towards the tithe? Should I pay off my debts/mortgage or save for my pension? How much should I save up and own rather than give away? Should a church or Christian charity i) Raise funds through raffles? ii) Accept money raised from public lotteries? What does good stewardship look like in a will? And what does it entail for the church corporately to be a good steward of God’s resources?