Tag: oikonomos
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“Are Christians Called to be ‘Stewards’ of Creation?” – Paul Heyne
[The following is from a photocopy of an article in a journal that has ceased publication. The article is very difficult to locate. The late Paul Heyne was an exceptional theologian, ethicist, and economist, who authored the highly acclaimed economics textbook, The Economic Way of Thinking (now in its 12th edition.) His collection of essays,…
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Theologians and Economists: The Impact of Modernism
[Series Index] Though we talk about the arrival of a postmodern era, Modernism still has considerable influence in our discussions of theology and economics. Modernism was built on human autonomy and endless human progress (defined largely as material happiness) through the application of reason. I see two general influences that distort Christian reflection on these…
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Theologians & Economists: The Oikonomos?
[Series Index] We begin this post by recounting a story from Starfish and the Spider. The authors relate a story about David Garrison’s (CEO of Netcom … an AOL-type operation) attempt to raise funds from a French venture capital firm in 1995. … There were about thirty people in the room … It was like…
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Self-Interest and Benevolence: Partners, not Antonyms (Part 6)
[Link to Part 5] Co-creators and Partners in Our Own Provision Over the last five posts, I've made the case that economic freedom has generated unprecedented abundance. People acting on what they believe to be in their best interests bid for goods and services, and people acting on their perceived best interest freely choose to…
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Prosperity: The Mission of God
The mission of God is not to get people saved. Now that I likely have your attention, let me also acknowledge that getting people saved is an essential piece of God's present work in the world. However, we must view God's mission from God's vantage point rather than ours. Failure to do so inevitably results…
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Living Simply in Abundance (9)
What was Jesus' view of wealth? I want to begin in what may not seem to be the most obvious place for discussion: The discourse on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24-25), especially the stories of the talents and the story of the sheep and goats in chapter 25. Matthew presents the Mount of Olives…
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Theology and Economics: Eikons and Environment in a Fallen World
We are called to be God's oikonomos or stewards of God's household, namely creation. We are to be living eikons of God in the world, reflecting God's character and values in all we do. However, in our present state, we are broken eikons who are ever inclined to elevate our image to that of godhood.…
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Theology and Economics: Two Ecos
The word "Economy" is laden with meaning for Christians. It comes from the Greek word oikonomia, meaning "household management." (oikos = household or home; nomia =management) Related to it is the word oikonomos, which means "household manager or steward." The household in mind here is the large villa of the Greco-Roman world. These were self-sufficient…