Faith, Life, and Wealth
R. Paul Stevens
Clive Lim
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
© 2021 R. Paul Stevens and Clive Lim
All rights reserved
Published 2021
ISBN 978-0-8028-7751-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Stevens, R. Paul, 1937– author. | Lim, Clive C. H., 1958– author.
Title: Money matters : faith, life, and wealth / R. Paul Stevens, Clive Lim.
Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “A guide to navigating money and matters of economics from a biblically informed, faith-driven perspective”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020028359 | ISBN 9780802877512 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Wealth—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Money—Religious aspects—Christianity.
Classification: LCC BR115.W4 S74 2021 | DDC 241/.68—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028359
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
To Michelle (Clive’s wife) and Gail (Paul’s wife),
blessed companions for whom we thank God, who have
accompanied us on our life journeys, especially as they relate to
money, spirituality, and everyday practice
1. Growing Up without Money—Clive’s Story
2. Growing Up with Money—Paul’s Story
3. Holy Money—a Brief History and Why It Is So Complicated to Handle
4. Giving to God and Caesar—the Complicated End of Dualism
5. Grappling Shrewdly with Capitalism
6. How to Buy Forever Friendships
7. Why Money “Talks”—the Social Value of Money
9. The Health and Wealth Gospel
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
The gods we worship write their names on our faces, be sure of that.… We may think that our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of the heart—but it will out. That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our life and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we are worshipping, for what we are worshipping, we are becoming.
Gates of Prayer,
a Reform Jewish prayer book1
Why is money so central, so ubiquitous, so engaging, and so powerful that people say “money talks”? That is what we must find out, and specifically we must discover how we are to use money wisely and even redemptively. But why do two authors take on this assignment?
This is an East-West book. Clive Lim comes from Singapore, works as a ...
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About Money Matters: Faith, Life, and WealthA guide to investing in heaven and being “rich toward God” Christians often hesitate to talk about money in spiritual contexts, but in the gospels Jesus talks more about money than about “religious” topics like prayer and heaven. Money Matters advocates following Jesus’s lead in engaging with matters of economy and finance in a faith-driven way, in both our individual and our corporate lives. The authors draw on their contrasting life experiences to offer a well-rounded look at money in the twenty-first century. Paul Stevens, who grew up well-off in Canada and worked as a carpenter, a banker, and later a pastor and professor of theology, finds a complementary voice in Clive Lim, who grew up without money in Singapore, and now works there as an entrepreneur and head of a family investment firm. With frequent scriptural references, Stevens and Lim offer insight into navigating the economic systems of today, aiming to help individuals, churches, and societies become faithful stewards who store up “treasures in heaven” by investing in the kingdom of God. Money Matters is a comprehensive yet accessible guide to integrating one’s faith with one’s approach to money. Just as the Bible variously treats money as a blessing, a sacrament, and a problem, so do Stevens and Lim approach this matter judiciously—avoiding the prosperity gospel on one side and the demonization of material wealth on the other. Capitalism is treated as what it is: a system that has created widespread opportunity and relieved poverty for millions while also exacerbating the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The authors’ wisdom is at turns theological, historical, and practical—and always focused on what it means to live with faithful integrity in our contemporary global economy. |
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