By Mark Russell
The economy is like your home. If your home collapses, you’ll be injured. If it’s polluted or broken, you’re likely to be harmed. But if your
home has a robust foundation and is well built, then you will be protected and secure. The same is true of the economy.
Like it or not, all of us are daily affected by the economic systems in which we live. Money, while it should not become an object of our love, is an undeniably important part of life on planet Earth. Modern societies cannot function without currency; people cannot get by without money (either theirs or someone else’s).
Economics (which may include topics such as work, budgeting, financial markets, and business models) is a complicated and sometimes touchy subject. And that’s probably why it is not as frequently discussed in churches as it should be. That needs to change. After all, God is very interested in this subject, as at least 800 Scriptures are related to money.
Think about this: The Bible starts with God working and then commissioning Adam and Eve to work in the Garden and rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky (Genesis 1:28). God gave them every plant for food (Genesis 1:29–30), but as the biblical story rolls out, we see that they worked to produce that food. Their work was not in vain; from the very beginning of time, work was a means to humanity’s provision.
As the biblical story moves on, we see that humans sinned. Humanity is fallen and imperfect. We have become slaves and lovers of money. As a result, our systems are imperfect, reflecting the imperfections of us all.
Our relationship with work also has become increasingly complex since the days of the Garden of Eden. Today, most people, at least in the West, do not produce the food that they eat or build the homes in which they live or assemble the cars that they drive. Rather we perform a task or service, are compensated for that work with money, and use that money to purchase what we need and want.
This is why money is so central to our lives. It serves as the bridge between our work and our provision. This bridge resides within a larger system, our economy.
In between the Fall and 2011, something happened that changes everything. Christ came. He came to bring about a new way of living, which he frequently referred to as the kingdom of God. Many people have viewed the kingdom as a purely spiritual reality. But the kingdom should manifest itself in the here and now, and it should work its way into the economic
dealings of our world.
Throughout my career, I have traveled to more than 70 countries, largely working in the entrepreneurial and economic sectors of society. I believe that God’s new way of living should have a direct impact on the economic realities of people everywhere.
Bringing together the values of the kingdom with the economics of our times is what I call kingdom economics. Fusing these two worlds together is not easy, but we can’t afford not to.
Over the next few months I look forward to examining and exploring what kingdom economics means for you, for our nation, for the poor, and for our world.
Mark Russell is a widely respected voice in the missional community. He has lived in Russia, Chile, and Germany, and has traveled to more than 70 countries to carry out a variety of business, educational, humanitarian, and religious projects. He is the author of The Missional Entrepreneur.
Contact Mark through www.russell-media.com, www.facebook.com/marklrussell, www.twitter.com/marklrussell.
