Kingdom Economics

by Bryan Johnson, Ph. M, B.Th, A.C.A.

The key-note speech delivered recently to the Forum on Public Theology, Otago Univerity, Dunedin, New Zealand ……..

Introduction

Jesus said in John 18 vs 36 – 38, that His kingdom was a different kingdom to that operating in Israel in his day. Jesus also said he was different type of King to the King of Israel. Jayakumar Christian, a development practitioner and colleague in India, has explored the reversal of power in Revelation. It was the lamb of God that was slain who is worthy to open the scroll, not the British lion, the Indian tiger or the American eagle.1. Jesus told many parables and stories about money, wealth, justice and poverty. 2.

We can conclude from a study of these scriptures that Jesus’ worldview was holistic, so that money, finance, barter and trade were an integral part of that worldview. 18 years working for his father as a carpenter would have exposed him to the world of business and commerce.

When Jesus made disciples, he would have included in that process the use of money, employment, work, and the reward of labour. Jesus disciples were economically interdependent as a mobile band of religious brothers learning how to live by Jesus’ strange new kingdom life principles. His instructions to the disciples when first sending them out as a ministry team included very specific instructions about money and ministry. Introducing the disciples to the ideas of abandonment of non essentials, and voluntary poverty, he instructed them to “take no food, no traveller’s bag, no money, wear sandals, and take only one coat?” 3.  Most modern Christians look at Jesus life during his 3 years of public ministry, and dismiss it as not having any relevance for modern lifestyles that extend to 70 years and more. In-depth research, and application of Jesus’ teaching, and how the New Testament Church functioned are full of robust economic lessons relevant to our present global financial crisis.

Leslie Newbigin has shown how the modern separation of the physical and spiritual realms explains the wide range of modern dichotomies that are prevalent in the modern worldview.4. The modern Church in the Western world has largely ignored economic discipleship because relationships within dichotomist Church communities are too shallow to embrace economic inter-dependency.

Jesus used the love of money, and the sin of greed to strike at the heart of human affection for things, rather than a meaningful relationship with God. Jesus carefully explained that greed hardens the heart, and makes it difficult for greedy people to show love, justice and compassion for the poor. St Jerome spoke bluntly: “The Gospel rightly calls riches ‘unjust’ because they have no origin other than injustice, and nobody can own them without losing them.” 5. Roman Catholic Church orders, and some European evangelical orders, embrace economic inter-dependency. Most ordinary Church members see these orders as only useful to those who have taken oaths of celibacy.

The post war European Church prophetic voices for economic discipleship have been few. Ron Sider shocked American evangelicals in 1977 with his book “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”. Sider advocated new forms of Christian Community that would redistribute wealth and create economically interdependent churches. The shift to these new forms of Church were difficult to embrace in the very competitive and consumer hungry western society. Consequently poverty in the west is appearing at an ever increasing rate. The Church is ill-equipped to speak prophetically to this need because it has not made economic disciples of its members. Most Christians live ineffectively in highly competitive, and an increasingly intense economic world trying to find the difference between the economic systems of the world, and those of the Kingdom of God. Sider concluded his book in chapter nine stating that structural change was essential for the Church and the world. He quoted C.I. Schofield, author of the Schofield Bible Notes, 1903, “The present social order is the most abject failure the world has ever seen…

Governments have never learned how to so legislate as to distribute the fruits of the industry of their people. The countries of the earth produce enough to support all, and if the earnings of each was fairly distributed it would make men toil some, but no man toil too much. This great civilisation of ours has not learned how to distribute the product of human toil so that it shall be equitably held”. 6.

Christians have been victims of the global economic melt down for the same reasons non-Christians have.  The slick investment advertising, and the offer of income without work, has been driven by greed that deceived so many people from many religious backgrounds. In New Zealand the prophecy preachers of the 60’s to 90’s tried to warn Christians of the dangers of the “mark of the beast” and other secret banking codes. That was as far as economic discipleship went. It did not address the heart and root of the misuse of God’s generously provided resources. Christians were not taught the root cause of economic evil, and how to practice kingdom principles. Sider observes, the “neglect of biblical teaching on structural injustice, what we might call institutionalised evil, is one of the most deadly omissions in evangelicalism today”. 7. A few Christians who were labelled “alternative life-stylers” tried to voluntarily reduce consumption, produce household vegetables and fruit, establish alternative energy sources, modify their lifestyles, and experiment with cooperative based communities. They were on a quest for long term sustainability, but very few achieved it.

Early New Zealand history ignored

Economic interdependency was at the heart of early Maori prophetic movements. Maori culture was holistic and as the gospel brought redemptive patterns to Maori society the prophets were captivated by the concept of the city of God. Jesus prayer in Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” was a future reality Maori prophets longed for. Two such prophets were Te Whiti O Rongomai and Tohu Kawaru. They applied kingdom economics in a cooperative pattern of economic interdependency that created the city of Parihaka in South Taranaki in the 1870’s and 80’s. The City of God on earth became a reality. Prophet Rua Kenana formed his Christian community at Maungapohatu in the Urerewa among the Tuhoe based on the New Testament. Maori had an Old Testament view of many economic concepts, including land ownership and use in particular, and this made them very receptive to Christianity as they discovered these concepts in the Bible. Christopher J. H. Wright states that “the land gift to Israel was declaration of God’s dependability. Every harvest reminded Israel of this. This land whose produce they now enjoyed had not always been theirs”. 8. Maori prophets, empowered by their new found authority from the Bible, were bold enough to experiment with the implementation of Jesus’ teaching of kingdom economics, but sadly it was “institutionalized evil of the domination system” that led to the annihilation of these communities.

Theological foundations for economics

Most good theology has its roots in the Godhead and the actions of God in creation. R. Paul Stevens describes the Triune God in three terms of people-hood, vocation and leadership. Stevens charts these three terms in operation in each of the three persons of the Godhead.  God had a vocation. 9. God measured his outcomes and productivity. So does our understanding of God as Father extend to Him being a provider? If we can accept that God is a providing God in creation it gives us a sound basis for exploring the foundations of Kingdom economics. Genesis 1:11-12 tells us that God created plants and fruit. In Genesis 1:20-22 we see God creating fish and birds. Genesis 1:24-25 records God’s creative acts in producing a vast array of animals. As a caring providing father, God has set the stage to make it possible for His first command in Genesis 1:26-28 to be obeyed without the threat of starvation. God provided for human success. The rate of reproduction in the animal, plant, bird and fish kingdoms is generally faster than in the human kingdom. Mankind could multiply and fill the earth without fear of starvation. Sustainability was in the mind of God. Understanding God’s fatherly love for us in the creation order is vital for our learning how to trust Him with our economic welfare and future. God continued to show His power to provide in Joseph’s journey to Egypt and his provision for Jacob in the time of famine. During the Exodus from Egypt under Moses God provided, water, bread and birds to feed the newly forming nation of slaves heading for the Promised Land. Throughout the Bible, stories of God’s provision for his people are not just occasional occurrences, but a continuous theme. God is seeking to get his people to learn to trust him in all circumstances even the economically challenging ones.

Paulo Freire in his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” states that “An epoch is a full realisation of something that impedes full humanization.” He states that “A critical and dynamic view of the world strives to unveil reality.” “To achieve the full realization of the human task requires permanent transformation of reality in favour of the liberation of people.” 10.

What are these hidden realisations? The hidden realisations that change our economic worldview are;

God is a providing God; God has a vocation; God loves everyone on earth; God has created entrepreneurial people in each people group; God has given mankind incredible talents of creativity; and God intends for mankind to live in caring sharing communities.

“Jesus is the happy God”, exclaimed some Hindu women in Kolkata, after they experienced economic liberation. This was the result of applying economic discipleship in their community liberating them from their former condition of destitute poverty. They were part of the formation of a sustainable community of people bonded together in love, work, play and worship. The realisation that their former destitute poverty had impeded their full humanisation liberated them into permanent holistic transformation.

The creation, earning, and sharing of wealth is vital to the success of a viable community.

God’s objective is for mankind to live in clusters of viable holistic communities comprising nations. For us this becomes a study in kingdom micro and macro economics.

Why the current Global economic crisis?

When the 20^th century arrived it brought an explosion of democratic freedoms associated with the development of human wealth distributed to new classes of rich people who had no background or history of creating or managing wealth. The lust for power produced by this new found wealth was the “Achilles” heal of the world economic crisis. The status orientation of wealthy societies fuelled speculation based on perception, feeling and greed rather than the tangible industrial production that took place in the 19^th century. The world had few new inventions that made a major difference to the enhancement of the wealthy lifestyle. Investment focus changed from productive assets to buildings, and property speculation driven by rapidly expanding populations in developed countries moving to greater urbanisation, placing pressure on limited land resources in large cities. William Easterly makes the statement “The potential for future high income is a potent incentive to do whatever it takes to get there”. 11. Abuse of power in the economic sense emerged, and investment fund managers gained a very powerful role in an economy driven by investors looking for greater and greater returns, and the huge bonuses fund managers’ could earn if successful. So these people gained a vested interest in the property speculation markets. The vast sums of money they controlled, and sought to “invest” in the property market gave them the power to buy and sell property at inflated prices created by their own buying and selling.

They lost focus on the value of essential productive assets. These investment managers were driven by the competition between investment firms to show higher and higher returns. The higher the returns, the higher the number of investors they were likely to attract. Unsustainable greed underpinned the entire speculative industry, not production of vital commodities and services to alleviate world poverty. The unbridled greed of the global rich sought higher and higher returns from illusory asset values based on an immoral method of valuation, rooted solely in economic considerations. This unbridled greed was contributing directly to increasing global poverty. In the last six years the number of destitute poor in India has risen from 300 millions in 2003, to 460 millions in 2009. At the same time Western charities held fundraising rock concerts promoting the idea that we can reduce global poverty without a fundamental change to the status seeking, and greedy powers of the celebrity industry. Today as I write this article the New Zealand Herald business section has a half page article that features how celebrity appointments to Company Boards can enhance share prices. 12. This type of triviality is evidence that the value of the shares of Companies traded on the stock exchange are influenced not by the measurable production of essential commodities, but by the perceptions of the rich who have made a lifestyle of status seeking, spending their money according to perceived value and not actual value. Greed has caused such poor judgement among the rich, and powerful that they cannot see the fallacy of their ways. Over-valuing assets based on perception and feelings will always lead to financial collapse and bankruptcy.

The size of the Global economic problem?

One third of the world’s population, are 2 billion urban poor slum dwellers. 1 billion of these people are destitute poor – they do not know where their next meal is coming from. Paul Collier states that “The problem matters, not just to the bottom billion who are living and dying in fourteenth century conditions. It matters to us. The twenty-first century world of material comfort, global travel, and economic inter-dependence will become increasingly vulnerable to these large islands of chaos. And it matters now. As the bottom billion diverges for the increasingly sophisticated world economy, integration will become harder not easier.  Already this problem is surfacing. The World Bank has not a single resident in the Central African Republic. Development agencies find it very difficult to get staff to serve in Chad and Laos”. 13. Despite the hype of so many global poverty initiatives we are losing the battle against poverty. The methods we are using will not create a sustainable and just economic order. US Prophet Bruce McLaren stated that “the prosperity crisis was the key symptom of an unsustainable economic system”. 12. The end result of the abuse of power by the rich and greedy will probably be a violent revolution, either by the poor overthrowing the rich, or the rich continuing to use abusive power to control the poor.

The end result of the present economic system is that everybody would be investors and there would be no producers. This will result in bankrupt economies with worthless non-productive assets.

A Biblical view of humanity?

The Bible has the best theology of humanity. The creation story reveals God as creating mankind as the climax of His creation. The “least to greatest” theme of the Bible is revealed in dust being transformed into intelligent design. God states that “he has created mankind in His own image male and female he has created them”. God created us for community. God’s compassionate fatherly and motherly heart for mankind is consistently spoken about by his prophets down through Biblical history. God’s genius in creation results in myriads of varieties of species and sub-species all with unique differences. Man strives to invent and produce, but this results in mass production where the attempt to demonstrate the intelligence of man is done at the expense of degrading mankind to a repetitive production machine. This also rampantly consumes wastefully the resources of the earth. The human machine is expected to produce without thought for his unique creativity, and without building meaningful relationship with the owners of the business or the productive unit. There must be a better way.

Cooperative communities and Kingdom economics?

The New Testament teaches that every member of the Body of Christ is uniquely gifted to contribute to the welfare and growth of the holistic Christian community. Marva Dawn interprets Romans 12 so we can have a vision of how “we can invite those who have the gift of showing mercy to exercise that gift with ‘cheerfulness’”. 15. This theology reflects the vision of the City of God, a society where every member is valued, has latent creativity, and is of immeasurable value. Everyone belongs, relates, speaks acts, contributes, and lives in the Body. Work is best seen in the theological framework of worship to God as expressed by Jesus in his carpentry work for his earthly father Joseph. Everything Jesus did was intentionally designed to bring honour to his heavenly father. When work is seen in this perspective the joy of creating is realised;

Work and obedience = blessing.

Work and disobedience = curse and poverty. 16.

The latter opens the door to the exploitation of other human beings by the greedy.

Two are better than one, and in cooperative economics inspired by the new community of believers in Acts 2, more than two are even better still. When the Church becomes a holistic fully interdependent community it has the potential to start realising the dream of the City of God. The deep heart change that the Spirit of God incarnates into believers breaks fear, and replaces it with unselfish love. Incarnational abandonment becomes a possibility. The Spirit’s divine power can break through the stronghold of self-aggrandisement and greed. The result is intergenerational stewardship and creative utilization maximising the beauty of creation rather than mindless exploitation of humans and resources.

Dichotomistic worldviews prevalent in western societies are the result of the sin of independence. Without embracing a holistic worldview it is very difficult for the vision of the City of God to be realised. The sad history of New Zealand is that Pakeha have tried to use their dichotomistic worldview, and abusive power driven by greed to dominate Maori who had a holistic worldview and a vision for the City of God. Maori embraced the Gospel of the Kingdom so profoundly that by 1860 90% of Maori were Christians and over the next 20 years their prophets tried to lead them into a practical expression of the City of God through the building of Parihaka and Maungapohatu.

Foreign examples of economic models serving the poor

Probably one of the best examples of a new model of economics for the poor is that developed by Mohammed Yunus, 17, of Bangladesh and his Grameen Bank and its productive investments. In recent times a new breed of benevolent entrepreneurs in India have birthed “Inclusive Capitalism”, 18, through the formation of Fabindia, a marketing Company selling the handicrafts of large scale cooperatives with 22,000 artisan shareholders across five states. Fabindia has access to 86 retail stores in 39 cities throughout India selling their art to the rich. Finally, a group of benevolent business executives with superb marketing skills have used their extensive expertise for the uplift of the poor. This has produced and excellent model where poor artisans can access rich markets and transfer money from the rich economy of India to the poor. The previously poor artisans not only have a guaranteed market for their art but they receive dividends form their share in the success of the Marketing Cooperative.

This concept of a production based marketing cooperative has been critical to the international success of the New Zealand dairy industry. This industry owned by farmers who receive the profits of their production invest it wisely in increased productivity that has resulted in the most efficient dairy industry in the world. There are no non-participating shareholders in this industry. Everyone involved in Fonterra has a vital interest in the industry’s success and long term viability.

Land – a sacred trust

Maori held the biblical view of land that it was a sacred trust from God. They held land in collective ownership. The British Colonial Government actively and deliberately destroyed that system of collective ownership undermining the heart of the holistic worldview of Maori and the potential for collective economic development. Land is essential to the welfare of a nation. Its wealth and productivity is vital to the expression of God’s pastoral care and provision of a nation’s basic needs. Remove land from a nation and they will lose their power to provide for their people. Bryant Myers states that “Land and natural resources are gifts to all humankind, not only a few. While this does not mean there can be no private land ownership, Wright argues that ‘the right of all to use is prior to the right to own.’” 19.

The poverty faced by 2 billion people around the world is primarily an issue of land rights and access. The powerful control far too much land and the poor have no access to land. A rich country like Australia with a per capita income of US$28,780 per annum, 2003, 20, has huge tracks of land that could be made productive if it was inhabited. The powerful rich classes of Australia, Canada, the United States of America and Russia fear and oppose the migration of people to inhabit their under-utilised land. These wealthy countries are controlled by the greedy who invest their wealth primarily in non-productive and speculative buildings and property, withholding investment in productive investments that would alleviate poverty.

In New Zealand we have sufficient land for every citizen to own a piece of land and thereby enable everyone to have an asset for collateral lending and business development. Singapore has practiced a system for 35 years where every Singaporean receives an inalienable apartment when they reach 25 years of age. This has created a nation of millionaires and redistributed wealth in this tiny island nation with no natural mineral resources.

The Poor

The Kingdom of God is unshakable (Heb 12:28) because it is the true reality, the way things really are. 21. Christ is the unchanging person (Heb 13:8) the reality of the kingdom in human form, the only way to enter God’s kingdom. God’s concern for justice is evident throughout the Bible and his prophets were continually advocating for the poor and broken in heart when pondering the plight of the poor (Leviticus 25: 35-37). 22. They captured the Spirit of God’s fatherly concern for the marred image of God reflected in the faces of the poor. Mother Teresa so aptly described this brokenness when she said; “looking into the face of the poor and dying I see the broken body of Christ”. God’s redemptive action for the plight of the poor is through a people who have humble hearts. A humble and contrite heart is a pre-condition to entering the kingdom of God. Compassion for the poor is the barometer of the condition of the hearts of God’s servants. Incarnational lifestyles among the poor are the most powerful way to walk with the poor. Bryant Myers states that “there is no greater loss, no greater pain for the three-in-one God than abandonment. This must shape our view of poverty. Poverty is about relationships that don’t work, that isolate, that abandon and devalue. 23. Transformation must be about restoring relationships with God, with self and with community, with the “other” and with the environment”. Myers states that “the triune premise is that love is completed when it is invested in the other”. 24. A rich Christian abandoning a wealthy lifestyle to live among the poor is an act of incarnation that demonstrates the reality of Christ’s message for the poor. This is a possible a universal first step we could take towards redistribution of wealth for the benefit of the poor.

Redistribution

The knowledge of economics can be used to assist the poor to make their dreams of liberation from poverty a reality. Access to capital through micro-finance schemes and business advice to set up cooperatives with access to group lending, 25, markets and marketing expertise are the vital services the incarnational worker among the poor can give to the poor. The poor have developed advanced life survival skills and have dreams that can be made a reality. The poor micro and macro economies must have access to capital and be able to access the rich economies to redistribute wealth. This must happen at a local, national and international level. The World Bank report dated the 14^th January, 2002 concluded “A better life for poor people requires stimulating economic growth that is pro-poor”. 26. Empowerment comes to the poor when access to capital is provided without collateral security. Worldview transformation comes to the poor from a new understanding that the theology of creation that is inclusive of them. Training in creative production accompanied by the wise use of money, marketing expertise, market access, business planning, budgeting and mentoring are all the “gifts of love” that will facilitate the transformation of poor communities.

This level of redistribution cannot be achieved in slum communities if exploitation of the poor by criminal gangs continues unabated. The domination system of Governments is blind to the domination system of violence used by gangs to exploit the meagre resources of the poor. “Once the spiral of violence has begun, comments Andrew Schookler, ‘No one is free to choose peace, but anyone can impose upon all the necessity for power’”. 27. Revival has the power to change social structures quickly and radically. Good egalitarian government, fair and just laws, and infrastructural development of essential services will also assist the transformation of poor communities.

Dependency to Freedom

The kingdom of God advocates help for the poor through freedom. Freedom is a reality when the poor escape the powers of exploitation. Walter Wink in his book ‘The Powers that be’ advocates the end of the ‘Domination System’ He says that “‘Jesus challenged the ‘Domination System’’ of his day right where it affected men and women in the routine of their lives, in the push and pull of relating to the institutions that shaped their times”. He quotes Luke 22: 24-27 as an example. Economic inequities are based on domination. Jesus said “You cannot serve God and wealth” Matt 6:24. The words and deeds of Jesus reveal that he is not a minor reformer but an egalitarian prophet who repudiated the very premises of the “Domination System; the right of some to lord it over others by means of power, wealth, shaming, or titles. In his beatitudes, his healings, and his table fellowship with outcasts and sinners, Jesus declared God’s special concern for the oppressed (page 65)”. 28. Amartya Sen winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Economics titled his famous book “Development as Freedom”. Sen advocates measuring our human achievements not by the measure of wealth but by freedom. Years of seeing development used as a tool of oppression has given him the insight to seek a new paradigm for measuring human progress. 29. In New Zealand we need to urgently seek new economic models that measure our national progress not by the number of welfare dependants our Government can “Dominate” but by the success we can achieve in granting freedom to our poorer citizens from dependent poverty. God made us for freedom. We can only worship Him from the heart when we are free to choose to do so. He wants us to express our love for him without coercion or obligation. Let us advocate for a kingdom worldview that will change the direction of our nation from the “Domination System” to the “Freedom System” where everyone has access to land, resources, capital, training, markets and mentoring.

TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR

Bryan Johnson <ulftrainer@yahoo.co.nz>

Endnotes

1. B. Myers, “The Biblical Story” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

2. Matt 6:1-4; 13:1-52; 17:24-27; 18:15-21-35; 19:16-30; 20:1-16; 22:12-17; 33-45; 22:15-21; Mark 4:1-20; 30-33; 10:17-30; 11:15-23; 12:1-17; Luke 12:14-33; 16:19-31; 20: 9-26; 21: 3-4.

3. Mark 6:7-12

4. L. Newbigin, “The dichotomies of the modern worldview”, in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

5. St. Jerome, “Quite openly and unhindered”, in “Bring Forth Justice”, Waldron Scott, (Paternoster Press, 1980)

6. C. I. Scholfield, “Structural Change” in “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”, Ronald J Sider, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1977)

7. R. J. Sider, “Institutionalized Evil Today” in “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”, Ronald J Sider, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1977)

8. R. P. Stevens, “One God, One People” in “The Other Six days”, R. Paul Stevens, (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999)

9. C. J. H. Wright, “The Economic Angle” in “Living as the People of God”. Christopher J H Wright, (IVP, 1983)

10. P. Freire, “Dialogics” in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, Paulo Freire, (Continuum, 1970)

11. W. Esterly, “Tales of Increasing Returns; Leaks, Matches and Traps” in “The Elusive Quest for Growth”, William Esterly, (MIT Press, 2002)

12. New Zealand Herald, Business Section C6, “Celebrities add sparkle to boardrooms”, New Zealand Herald, The Economist, (3^rd April, 2010)

13. P. Collier, “Falling Behind and Falling Apart – The Bottom Billion” in “The Bottom Billion”, Paul Collier, (Oxford University Press, 2007)

14. V, Grigg, “Economic Discipleship”, in “Kingdom Economics”, Viv Grigg, (Unpublished)

15. M.J. Dawn, “Preface”, in “Truly the Community”, Marva J Dawn, (Wm B Eerdmans, 1992)

16. R. P. Stevens, “Doing the Lord’s Work” in “The Other Six days”, R. Paul Stevens, (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999)

17. M. Yunus, “Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty” in “Banker to the Poor”,  (Public Affairs, USA, 2003)

18. _________, “Inclusive Capitalism” in “Business Today”, August, 10^th 2008, (India, 2008)

19. B. Myers, “The Biblical Story” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

20. W. Baumol, R. Litan, C Schramm, Unleashing entrepreneurship” in “Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism and the economics of growth and prosperity”, William J. Baumol, Robert E. Litan, Carl J. Schramm, (Yale University, 2007)

21. B. Myers, “Three important theological ideas – the kingdom of God” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

22. A. Eldersheim, “Commerce” in “Sketches of Jewish Social Life”. Alfred Eldersheim, (Hendricksen Publishers, 1994)

23. B. Myers, “Jesus died alone on a cross” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

24. B. Myers, “Who are we?” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

25. B Armendariz, J Morduch, “Group Lending” in The Economics of Microfinance”, Beatriz Armendariz, Jonathon Morduch, (MIT Press, 2007)

26. J D Wolfensohn, “Creating better lives for poor people – 14th January, 2002” in “Voice For the World’s Poor”, (The World Bank, 2005).

27. W Wink, “The Domination System” in “The Powers that be – Theology for a new Millenium”, Walter Wink, (Doubleday, 1998)

28. W Wink, “Jesus Answer to Domination” in “The Powers that be – Theology for a new Millenium”, Walter Wink, (Doubleday, 1998)

29. A. Sen, “The 29. A. Sen, “The Perspective of Freedom” in “Development as Freedom”, Amartya Sen, (Anchor Books, 1999)

Rediscovering a Vision for Kingdom Transformation

May 6, 2010

In a particularly gripping scene in Mel Gibson’s powerful film The Passion of the Christ, we see Jesus being aided by his mother after stumbling as he struggles to carry his cross up the Via Delarosa. As Mary looks into her son’s blood stained face, Jesus says with an aura of victory, “Look mother, see how I make everything new.”

These words are indeed found on the lips of Jesus, not in the Gospel accounts of the passion, but in Revelation 21: 3-5:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Many of us in the international ministry community long for unity. Yet unity requires a common vision—and a common vision is precisely what we lack. Many in the missions community are driven by a vision of spreading the gospel and planting churches in the last unreached pockets of the globe. Many Christian relief and development workers are motivated by a vision of aiding poverty-stricken communities through various projects aimed at meeting basic human needs.

It is my belief that these visions are laudable, but incomplete. What ought to be our vision? Read Revelation 21:3-5 again. Here is the answer in a word: Transformation. A vision of a world made new. Of “no more death, mourning, crying or pain.” Of no more disease, corruption, hunger, poverty, injustice or war. A vision of completely and utterly transformed individuals, families, communities, and nations. Surely this is the vision for which Jesus lived, labored, suffered and died, and which He entrusted to His disciples and the church.

In fact, evangelizing, planting churches, and doing projects to help the poor are all means to this greater end, and here is where a central problem lies. People tend to accomplish what they set out to accomplish. If our goals are limited to planting churches or implementing development projects, we can do that—but we are in real danger of not pressing on towards the ultimate goal of transformation.

Some will undoubtedly argue that such transformation will only come on the other side of Christ’s return. Until then, things will only go from bad to worse. There is truth in this. Paul starkly warned Timothy, “there will be terrible times in the last days” (2 Ti. 3:1-9). But is this the whole picture? No! Jesus overcame Satan on the cross. He appeared to His disciples before his ascension as a victorious King—the supreme authority of heaven and earth. He taught them, and us, to pray for His Kingdom to come on earth—now—as it is in heaven.

In the words of J.I. Packer, “The Kingdom of God is present in its beginnings though future in its fullness; in one sense it is already here, but in the richest sense it is still to come.” Francis Schaeffer put it this way: “Christians who believe the Bible are not simply called to say that ‘one day’ there will be healing, but that by God’s grace, upon the basis of the work of Christ, substantial healing can be a reality here and now.” The word “substantial” is key. Not full or complete healing, but real and substantial. This must be our vision.

For real, substantial healing in every life, family, community and nation here and now, and full, complete healing when Christ returns. Do we long for unity within the church and within the mission community? Unity requires common vision. Scripture provides us with a common vision. A definite goal to work for, live for and die for. We must lift our eyes to a farther horizon. One that goes beyond evangelizing, planting churches and doing relief and development projects. A vision that understands these to be means, and not ends. Our vision must be Jesus’ grand vision of global transformation. His vision of the world, and everything in it turned right side up through Christ’s shed blood on the cross.

An Inside-Out Process

Our vision determines our purpose. If we have unity of vision, we can share unity of purpose as well. As Christians, our purpose is to advance God’s Kingdom on earth, here and now, as it presently exists in heaven. It’s to see the truth; beauty and goodness of Jesus replace the lies, ugliness and evil in this world—in every heart, family, community, and sphere of society.

This revolution happens from the inside out. It begins inside human hearts and minds, transformed through faith in the living Christ. Someone once said, “God’s law must be written on the individual’s heart, then later on the stone tables of the institutions of society.” If this is true, then our primary means of advancing the Kingdom is by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. Transformed people then transform the world—beginning with their families. Transformed husbands and wives raise godly offspring, and such children will truly shape the future.

As transformed families band together, they form communities called local churches, and local churches are the Holy Spirit-powered engines that drive Kingdom advancement. Not just any church however. Kingdom-advancing churches are ones that congregate to worship, pray, learn from the teaching of the Word, receive the sacraments, and meet each other’s needs. Then, having been equipped for works of service, they disperse into the community where they proclaim the Gospel, minister to the poor, and bring truth, beauty and goodness into every sphere of society by means of their vocations.

The Root Problem

Why do we see nations that have been evangelized still trapped in a web of poverty, corruption, violence and brokenness? In evaluating the results of the global missionary enterprise over the past 200 years, we are forced to conclude that saved souls and transformed hearts are essential—but not adequate—for true Kingdom transformation. Minds must be transformed as well.

This is a fundamental truth that has been neglected by both those in mission and relief and development communities alike. For the Kingdom to advance—for true transformation to occur—we must get to the root of the problem. Yet roots, by their very nature, are below the surface and thus often neglected. What is at our innermost core? It is our mind—our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. These “roots” drive our emotions, feelings and values, which in turn shape our decisions and choices, and these determine the kind of lives we will lead. They also shape the kinds of societies we will live in.

For nations to be transformed, churches must be transformed. For churches to be transformed, families and individuals must be transformed—and this transformation must go all the way to the root. Human brokenness and misery then, is not only rooted in lost souls, but equally in darkened minds. Dallas Willard describes the problem this way:

Christian spiritual formation is inescapably a matter of recognizing in ourselves the idea system (or systems) of evil that governs the present age and the respective culture (or various cultures) that constitute life away from God. The needed transformation is very largely a matter of replacing in ourselves those idea systems of evil (and their corresponding cultures) with the idea system that Jesus Christ embodied and taught and with a culture of the Kingdom of God. This is truly a passage from darkness to light.

This brings us to the topic of worldview. Worldview is simply another word for the “idea systems” spoken of by Dallas Willard. Our worldview—and we all have one—is the sum total of all the assumptions that we hold about life which forms our view of reality. These assumptions are so pervasive and essential to how we think and how we approach life that we often do not even know they are there or understand when and how they are at work. They form within us from earliest childhood from the teachings, expectations and behaviors from family and community members. Humans are social beings. We develop our mindsets—our way of seeing the world—from our culture. We tend to think what our culture thinks and value what our culture values. This is part of what it means to be human.

The Solution

However, when we accept Christ as Savior, our mindsets need to be renewed. The word “repent”—from the Greek word metanoeo—literally means to change one’s mind. Repentance results in seeing the world the way God created it, then living within that framework. Those who are saved must put on the mind of Christ. They must repent from the “hollow and deceptive philosophies of this world, which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8). They must “no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [the] mind” (Rom. 12:2). They must “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Co. 10:5). It is important that we understand that this means more than simply assenting to certain key biblical doctrines. It means seeing the world and everything in it in a whole new light, and then living accordingly.

The error of the relief and development community is in not digging deep enough, and not getting to the root of the problem. Does the community lack clean water? Let’s do a water project. Do people lack an adequate, balanced diet? Let’s do an agriculture project. And if we are Christians, then let’s do these projects “in the name of Christ” and hand out Gospel tracts on the weekends. But what if the lack of clean water or food is the result of poor choices, which in turn, are rooted in false, destructive beliefs? Then clearly these projects will have little or no impact.

The error of the mission’s community is quite similar. Evangelizing and planting churches is essential to, but not adequate for Kingdom transformation. They are means to an end—not ends in themselves. New believers, unless they are carefully discipled down to the level of their mindset, or nations, at the level of culture, will continue to be trapped in many of the false, destructive beliefs they had before coming to Christ. Being converted doesn’t automatically entail a complete shift in beliefs. The transformation of the mind is a lifelong process that is central to sanctification, and sanctification is central to Kingdom advancement. Here is precisely where many missionary efforts have failed.

Too often, their vision ends with numbers of conversions, numbers of churches planted, or the size of church growth . When this is the case, there is little motivation for discipleship. There is little or no vision to see these precious new churches operate as engines of Kingdom transformation. Many missionaries either don’t care that these things happen, assume someone else will do it, or that somehow it will happen automatically.

A Case Study in Transformation

The following is a true story.

The Pokomchi Indians are among the poorest people in the poorest state of Guatemala. A generation ago, missionaries came to evangelize and plant churches. Many Pokomchi accepted Christ, but their communities remained desperately poor. The young Christian converts gained hope for the future, but no hope for today. In fact, they were literally waiting to die, so they could leave their miserable existence on earth and go to be with Jesus in heaven. After awhile, several relief and development organizations came to work with the Pokomchi, interested in helping them overcome their physical poverty.

They brought in large amounts of outside money and completed many projects, labeling them successful. Now, there were latrines, but they were largely unused. There were school buildings, but very few children attended or graduated. Many of the projects intended to improve the physical condition of the Pokomchi were completed, but there was no transformation in the lives and communities of the Pokomchi. The people remained desperately poor.

This began to change when Arturo, a young Peruvian pastor, began to work among the Pokomchi in the early 1990s. Unlike earlier missionaries and relief and development workers, Arturo understood the importance of the biblical worldview for individual and community transformation. Likewise, he understood that authentic Christian ministry is to be wholistic—reaching out to every area of brokenness in the community. He began to work with illiterate Pokomchi pastors. He prayerfully took them through a comprehensive study of the Bible, in hopes of challenging their mindsets. Arturo understood that true repentance involves more than spiritual belief. It also requires a completely transformed frame of mind.

As Arturo taught them from the Bible, he used everyday illustrations to teach concepts, like God’s intention that mankind exercise stewardship over creation. A common problem among the Pokomchi was the lack of proper storage facilities for harvested crops. Often, peasant farmers harvested a good crop, only to have rats eat it before their children could be fed. Arturo asked the farmers, “Who is smarter, you or the rats?” The farmers would laugh and say, “The rats.” Arturo asked, “Do you have dominion over the rats, or do the rats have dominion over your lives?” The farmers reluctantly acknowledged that, in a real sense, the rats had dominion over them and their families.

Then, Arturo pointed out the truth contained in the Bible—that men and women were given dominion over creation. He pointed out that God had blessed them with creativity because they were made in His image. With their God-given creativity and a proper understanding of their role to subdue and care for creation, they could overcome this problem.

Gradually, the mindsets of these Pokomchi pastors were transformed. As their mindsets were transformed, the church was impacted. Through the church, the community began to be transformed. Children started to go to school because the people valued education, particularly education in God’s Word. Women learned to read because they understood that God cares equally for men and women. Men began to try new farming techniques because they wanted to be good stewards of what God provided. Women built stoves in their homes so their children would not fall into open cooking fires and get burned. Women also began to create small pantries to keep insects and vermin out of their food supplies because they understood their responsibility to exercise stewardship and provide for their communities.

A seminary professor from the United States visited Arturo. He witnessed how the lives of the Pokomchi had been transformed and tears welled up in his eyes as he said, “This is the coming of the Kingdom of God to the Pokomchi!”

The Pokomchi communities in this story are representative of millions of communities all over the world. Churches exist, but are making little or no transformational impact. The same can be said for relief and development projects. Hopelessness, fatalism, poverty and despair still reign. Yet here we see a spark of real transformation! What can we learn from this story?

What Was Needed?

In this case, the agent of transformation was not a project, but a person. Not just any person, Arturo was a pastor whose life had been radically transformed by an understanding of the importance of worldview and the power of the Biblical worldview. Arturo had the right vision. As for the earlier missionaries, they had come and gone. Churches were planted. Mission accomplished. Check it off the list and on to the next frontier. The same can be said for the relief and development workers. Projects completed. Photos taken. Check it off the list and on to the next community. But Arturo was looking for something far beyond churches or projects. He was looking for transformation. It hadn’t happened yet. There was still much to be done.

The comprehensive transformation that Arturo envisioned required a comprehensive response—or as some might say—a wholistic response. The “whole” is transformed lives leading to a transformed community. The “parts” are spiritual, physical, social and mental needs being addressed in a seamless, integrated manner. Arturo’s vision demanded a wholistic response. Simply addressing one of these needs while neglecting the others would not get the job done.

Furthermore, Arturo was trained to think “worldviewishly.” He correctly recognized that the root problem was not a lack of resources, or even lack of churches (which already existed), it was the beliefs; assumptions and ideas held by the Pokomchi themselves. Or more accurately, false, destructive ideas and beliefs that were still intact and operating.

For Arturo to recognize these problems took time. Short-term missions wouldn’t suffice. It required him to deeply acquaint himself with the community; its history, beliefs, and values. This necessitated him living within the community—becoming part of it. This is what it means to work “incarnationally.”

Arturo relied on the whole council of God’s Word, both its breadth and depth. The breadth comprises the flow of Biblical history: Creation – Fall – Redemption – Consummation. The depth is the Biblical worldview, the basis and standard for Kingdom Culture of truth, beauty and goodness. With these firmly in mind, he was able to evaluate local beliefs and values and determine which ones were true and wholesome and which false and destructive. He was then able to effectively counter false beliefs with the truth. This was done in the context of informal and formal teaching using local illustrations. Yet for the truth to bear its fruit, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit was required. At the deepest level, transformation is only possible through the direct power of the Holy Spirit translating, convicting, opening eyes, and empowering people to change their beliefs, values and behaviors. It is a work of grace. Genuine Kingdom transformation is always done by God’s power and for His glory.

Arturo built on the foundation that already existed. He started with the Christians in the community—the church pastors and leaders—because he correctly understood that the church is the key engine of Kingdom transformation. If a church hadn’t existed in this community, then Arturo would have needed to work towards planting one as an essential first step. Arturo first challenged the Christians to live out these beliefs in the context of their families. Husbands needed to see their wives in a new way. Parents needed to see their children in the light of God’s revealed truth. Families are the most basic of social units. If Kingdom transformation can happen within families—then it can spread to the entire community and beyond. That is exactly what happened in the Pokomchi community.

Equally instructive is to consider what wasn’t needed for transformation in the Pokomchi communities. It happened without large infusions of money, outside resources or technical knowledge. With the exception of Arturo, all the resources needed were already in place—eyes simply needed to be opened to seeing them. This is not to say that money; resources and technical knowledge are bad, just that we must be careful not to put our hope in them, and they must be introduced only if appropriate and then with great care.

Conclusion

Can this case study be replicated? Yes! In fact it must be. Our hurting broken world is crying out for transformation. Here we find real hope and vision for the broken nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as for the confused, lost nations of the developed west. What is required? God’s vision combined with a clear understanding of the root problem and the inside-out process of Kingdom transformation.

http://rediscoveringthekingdom.info/blog/community-transformation/rediscoverng-a-vision-for-kingdom-transformation/

SCOTT D. ALLEN is President of Disciple Nations Alliance, Inc. DARROW L. MILLER is Disciple Nations Alliance co-founder and author of Discipling Nations, the Power of Truth to Transform Culture

For other resources and articles visit Disciple Nations

Greatest Potential for the Christian Movement rests on the Shoulders of Christian Business People

The greatest “unrealized potential” in the Christian movement for the next 20 years probably rests on the shoulders of Christian business people. That’s great news for every Christian person who loves business. Talk about a life of adventure. What more could you ask for when your faith and your love for business intersect?
The marketplace is the only institution that touches virtually every person on planet earth. Pastors are very limited in their direct exposure to the marketplace. At the same time, the marketplace in general terms doesn’t look to professional church staff for guidance on managing their business.  They do look to their pastors to help disciple them on how to live out their faith, but most haven’t showed them how to connect it to the marketplace.
Here is the $70 billion question.  What is our strategy to reach this world for Christ? Do we try to hire another 600,000 pastors, missionaries, worship leaders,etc??  Or do we unleash 6 million business people to take the Christian movement to the next level?

For too long, many faithful Christians have “out sourced” their responsibilities as believers.  They give generously to the church and then allow the “organized church” to do the work. Honestly, it’s easier. You can live your life in compartments.  There’s your task driven, results oriented, hard charging business world.  Then there is your church world.
But what happens when you are asked to combine your sacred activities and your spiritual activities?  Have we been indoctrinated to believe that oil and water do not mix?  No wonder many successful entrepreneurs and business owners can’t wait to “cash out” when they are 50 or 55.  For them, perhaps business was all about business.
There is a new generation of business leaders who see the world differently. For them, God has called them into business.  Their company is to be used by God for His purposes. They are passionate about creating products or services. They love marketing and sales. They are always mindful of the bottom line. But there is a higher calling. Everything that the church stands for is actually expressed in “real terms” in their business.Most people today, don’t think this way but we need to see that more do. I’m convinced that we can discuss terms like Business as Mission and Marketplace Ministry and so many other subtleties until we are blue in the face but unless the bridge between our sacred spaces of Sunday morning is bridged with our work, then we’ll continue to struggle in living a segmented life.

Labels: Sacred and Secular Divide