New Testament Wealth Ethics in the Twenty-First Century: Some Constructive Considerations on Personal Piety and Public Progress
This article is a work of New Testament ethics which asks how to take seriously Jesus’s teachings on wealth and poverty in a global economy, where markets and finance might considerably aid the flourishing of the poor. It begins with a summation of the wealth-ethical teachings of the Third Gospel, encapsulating Luke’s teaching on wealth in the notion that disciples must commit all their resources to the Kingdom. The article then asks how constructively to appropriate this New Testament ethic for contemporary society. Finally, some comments are ventured on how one might transpose this biblical ethic onto the public sphere. It is the thesis of the present essay that recourse to the organizing concepts of repentance, sanctification, the double love command, and vocational diversity can enable the people of God faithfully to pursue the New Testament’s wealth ethical imperative that disciples commit all their possessions to the Kingdom.