Theology and Economics: Vision, Mission, Ethic and Call

Based on what I have addressed so far, here is a summary of elements I think are central to a theology of economics.

The Vision and Mission of God

Visio Dei (Vision of God) - The triune God existing in prefect shalom with all creation, dwelling in perfect community with His animate eikons as they fill the earth and fulfill their call to be stewards of creation.

Missio Dei (Mission of God) - Reclaim and renew all creation by calling into community broken eikons, filling them with His presence and transforming them into imperfect but compelling exhibits of the visio dei, until shalom is fulfilled at Christ’s return.

Two Great Commandments

Without describing it as such, over the last three posts, I have been writing about Jesus' two great commandments, the ethical heart of the body of Christ.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” We are individually and corporately to have the mind and heart of God, thinking His thoughts and feeling His emotions, in all we do. We worship God primarily through the conformity of our being and action with His being and action.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” By being other centered within the social structures of our particular contexts, we subvert “the powers” and infuse them with God's love.

The Triune Call

With all of the above in mind, I am ready to introduce another important element to the mix. Borrowing heavily from R. Paul Stevens, I want to suggest that individually and corporately, we are called by God in three interrelated ways. (1) A call emanates from each person of the trinity, yet so integrated are they that each may be seen as emanating from all the trinity.

Call to Creation Stewardship - Father

God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (Genesis 1:28)

Call to Kingdom Service – Son

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Call to Exercise Gifts – Holy Spirit

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Some see an explicit expression of this triune call in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.  (TNIV)

Spirit – Gifts
Lord – Service
God – Works

Why Economics?

I will flesh out "Why Economics?" more in my next post, but I invite you to consider two things for now. First, of the three calls God has given us, which came first and which will always remain? The community we call the Church will exist eternally, but after Christ's return, will there be evangelism? Healing? Funerals? When "the dwelling of God is with humanity," will our relationship to the Spirit and the gifts given remain the same? Creation stewardship is the only one of the three that existed before the fall of humanity and the only one that continues after Christ's return.

Second, the dictionary definition of economics is "The science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind." The word economy comes from the Greek oikonomia, which means "household management." Paul uses the Greco-Roman household as a powerful image of the Church. Based on the viso Dei I suggested above and the fact that only the call to creation stewardship preceded the fall, what should we conclude about the importance of economics?

(1) R. Paul Stevens. The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblcial Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, and Vancover, BC, Canada: Regent College Publishing, 1999. 118-123.

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Comments

[Dana Ames]

Mike-
Thanks for writing down all your good thoughts, especially these- too many people hold the free market system to be god, while too many others refuse to interact with economics because they can't conceive of anything good coming from it. There has to be a better way- you just might be pointing in that direction.

I've been in a PCUSA church (in Redwoods Presbytery!!!) for the past six years, mainly because its community is where I fit right now in my journey- I wouldn't call myself a Calvinist. Perhaps that is my failing and not Calvin's- NT Wright holds him in pretty high regard...

I am constantly finding out about Presbyterians who are "out there" ministering much good (Ken Bailey, Phil Johnson in Australia, Dan Clendenin, others whose names escape me now). I have to say I'm surprised and pleased when I find them. Surprised because most of what I have heard about Presbyterians has had to do with internal politics, not about how we have been helping people come to Jesus or deepen their walk with him. Pleased because I'm finding lots of Presbys who do actually do that.

I'm glad you're on the GAC. Most of the people in the pews couldn't care less about what goes on in the "managerial" echelons of the denomination, but those goings-on have an effect. From what I have read of your writings around the etherworld, it seems to me you are providentially situated there. I can imagine that it could be right burdensome at times. I hope you have people with whom you have good and true relationships.

And to your Ooze article, I say a hearty Amen, and well done. I hope people hear you. As someone who has come in from the outside, I see the current struggles in the denomination emanating very much from the "sociology of status" that some with power use to force their agenda on the denomination (I'm not any happier with The Layman crowd than I am with the More Light folks), instead of using the power they have to call and empower us all to be the reconciling and transforming body of Jesus in the world through the local congregations.

Thanks again, and God bless you.

Dana Ames
Ukiah, California

[Michael Kruse]

"Surprised because most of what I have heard about Presbyterians has had to do with internal politics, not about how we have been helping people come to Jesus or deepen their walk with him."

Ouch! But unfortunately all too true.

"Most of the people in the pews couldn't care less about what goes on in the "managerial" echelons of the denomination, but those goings-on have an effect."

I don't think people should have to be overly attuned to all that happens to denominational management and it is generally a good thing they are not. Our primary mission is to the world, not to the church. Yes, someone has to do the work but I think the higher governing bodies exist to support the mission of congregations and individuals as they minister to the world, not to suck people out of the world to service denominational structures.

"...using the power they have to call and empower us all to be the reconciling and transforming body of Jesus in the world through the local congregations"

There isn't a better description of my intention for these posts than this. Thank you for your kind words of affirmation!