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| Eldoret, Kenya |
Oxfam International Report
"Almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population, and seven out of ten people live in countries where economic inequality has increased in the last 30 years. The World Economic Forum has identified economic inequality as a major risk to human progress, impacting social stability within countries and threatening security on a global scale.
This massive concentration of economic resources in the hands of fewer people presents a real threat to inclusive political and economic systems, and compounds other inequalities – such as those between women and men. Left unchecked, political institutions are undermined and governments overwhelmingly serve the interests of economic elites – to the detriment of ordinary people.
In this paper, Oxfam shows how extreme inequality is not inevitable, with examples of policies from around the world which have reduced inequality and developed more representative politics, benefiting all, both rich and poor. Oxfam calls on leaders at the 2014 World Economic Forum at Davos to make the commitments needed to counter the growing tide of inequality."
30 A.D,
Jesus of Nazareth
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
- Luke 1:53
Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
- Luke 6:24
This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.
- Luke 12:21
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day...
- Luke 16:19
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
- Luke 18:25
January 23, 2014
Dr. Susan Brooks Thiselwaite - "Proof Jesus Was Not a Capitalist: The Richest 1 Percent Own Half the World's Wealth"
"God's rules on economics, as articulated both by the prophets and Jesus of Nazareth, are strikingly clear. Not small concentrations of great wealth and the vast majority of people in poverty, but 'each under their own vine and fig tree, living without fear.' (Micah 4:4) Jesus announces his ministry as "good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18), that is, the "Jubilee," the really radical redistributive economic strategy of ancient Israel."
2010
Dr. Ben Witherington - Jesus and Money
"This timely book blends Witherington's exegetical skill and his pastoral concern to address a very relevant issue. His interpretations of various passages reveal the complexity of issues involved in interpreting and applying texts about money that many take for granted. While this work is a welcome retort to the Scripture-twisting of prosperity preachers, it will also challenge many who have been living large without sustained theological reflection on their lifestyle."
--Craig Keener, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary
"God's dream looks pretty different from Wall Street's dream."
- Shane Claiborne
"American Christians desperately need to read and heed this book."
- Ronald Sider, Palmer Theological Seminary
"God's dream looks pretty different from Wall Street's dream."
- Shane Claiborne
"American Christians desperately need to read and heed this book."
- Ronald Sider, Palmer Theological Seminary
