New Testament expert Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does -- and doesn't -- say about money. He clearly and concisely examines what Jesus and his earliest followers taught about wealth and poverty, money and debt, and tithing and sacrificial giving to help readers understand the proper role of money in modern Christian life. At a time when money issues are at the forefront of many people's concerns, this is a book for church study groups, ministers, church leaders, students, and all who are concerned about making sense of money in a world of economic uncertainty.

Ben Witherington

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Prequel: Reconsidering the Value of Money in Hard Times

1. “In the Beginning God Created . . .”: Getting Our Bearings

2. A King’s Ransom: Proverbial Wisdom on Wealth

3. Money in the Bartering World of Jesus

4. Jesus and the Treasure Hunt

5. James’s Rich Wisdom

6. Wealth and Poverty in Luke-Acts

7. Paul—On Work, Remuneration, and the Love of Money

8. John of Patmos and a News Flash for the Merchants and Mr. 666

9. Towards a New Testament Theology of Money, Stewardship, and Giving

10. Deprogramming Ourselves from a Lifestyle of Conspicuous Consumption and Self-Gratifi cation

Appendix 1: Ten Christian Myths about Money

Appendix 2: “The Use of Money”: A Sermon by John Wesley

Notes

In the sobering wake of the global recession, many Christians realize they need to rethink their approach to money. Respected New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III explores what the Bible does - and does not - say about money.

The Good Book Stall

Most of this book is a fascinating and thought-provoking analysis of what the Bible teaches about money and possessions. It was written for a primarily American readership to refute the ‘prosperity gospel’ message and begins by examining the – mainly Old Testament – Scriptures used to justify it. This is followed by a description of first-century socio-economic realities, how they differ from ours, and how we should interpret Biblical exhortations in light of them. Chapters cover the words of Jesus Himself, James, Luke, Paul and John of Patmos. Much care is taken to present an accurate translation of the original texts, with the author often providing his own version.   
The main body of the book assumes a reasonable level of education and intelligence and achieves its objective perfectly well in itself. Unfortunately it is sandwiched by a finger-wagging introduction that supposes all readers to be mindless, avaricious consumers, measuring success by possessions and obtaining them by overuse of credit, and a ‘deprogramming’ section in similar vein. Don’t be put off by these. Even if you are not an advocate of prosperity gospel and believe your lifestyle to be Christ-honouring, this is an informative, challenging work and well-worth reading.

Jesus and Money

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