Practicing the King’s Economy: Honoring Jesus in How We Work, Earn, Spend, Save, and Give — Michael Rhodes and Robby Holt with Brian Fikkert
A radical, life-changing exploration of King Jesus’ economy and what it could mean for our lives as Christians
“Our economic lives aren’t evaluated by outputs but by the effect our economic actions have on our neighbors.”
I feel that as the church, specifically conservative southern churches, we often gloss over or even ignore the economic aspects of God’s kingdom. We read in our Bibles and see Jesus talking about caring for the poor, but we tell ourselves he was speaking in metaphors and really means something different. We read about the year of Jubilee in the Old Testament and think “well isn’t that a quaint idea for the Israelites back then” but we don’t ask what principles God wants us to learn from it. I was 26 before I remember hearing or reading Jesus first sermon expounded upon. His first miracle? I knew about that at like five. Water into wine. Even though it’s sort of controversial in Baptist circles, you hear about it all the time. But Jesus’ first sermon? Nah. Here’s what it says:
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”
There is more, but I feel like this is enough. Jesus is saying that he is bringing His kingdom to earth. It is already here, but not yet fully realized. Parts of that kingdom include: preaching good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freeing the oppressed, and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor (Jubilee). All of these qualify as social justice, and they all at the very least have some economic dimension to them. If we want to help usher in God’s kingdom, this is what it looks like. Rhodes and Holt are aiming at this purpose of ushering in God’s kingdom with their new book, Practicing the King’s Economy.
The book is structured into six “keys”, each of which has two chapters devoted to it: The Worship Key, The Community Key, The Work Key, The Equity Key, The Creation Care Key, and The Rest Key. The first chapter of each pair has a primary focus on what the Bible says, while the second chapter in the section unveils real-life stories and ideas to practice the Bible’s principles in your life. The authors are clear that they are not providing a list of do’s and don’ts but instead are providing practical ways to make our economic lives more resemble God’s economy.
And let me tell you, if you don’t see it as just a list of things you should do… this is a terrific book that shifts the paradigm of your economic life. I have heard my entire life how much American society is hyper-focused on money above all else, but I didn’t understand the extent of it until I read the first set of chapters on worship. Now I see all the places in my life where I am worshipping money instead of my God. I thought soup kitchens were the pinnacle of serving the poor until I read the set of chapters on community. Now I am looking for ways to turn my one-way soup kitchen service into a potluck community (and I want to do a follow-up read of Brian Fikkert’s When Helping Hurts). The third set of chapters on work changed the way I think about hiring people for odd jobs and puts me on the lookout for ministry opportunities that don’t involve traditional visions of doing everything for someone else. That is part of economic service, but there are so many different ways to build a community and serve others within it. That is the message of Practicing the King’s Economy: get out of the rut that is the way the American church has traditionally answered questions about money and ask yourself what God says. Even in the Old Testament, his principles shine through and should impact our lives.
If you let it, Practicing the King’s Economy will impact your life dramatically with seemingly small shifts. This is not because the authors themselves have special insight (they never claim to) but because they have found others who have let God change them along with their families, jobs, communities, and churches. “The Rest Key” is one that has already impacted my life. As a practice of one of the suggestions for incorporating a day of rest, I tried not to get on my phone Sunday except to call or text my wife. I failed a few times, so I guess I need more practice, but it still made a dramatic difference in the restfulness of my day. Today I feel more focused and refreshed than usual, because I took one step towards actually following God’s prescription for human life.
I’ll say it again, this book is not a list of do’s and don’ts. The authors love the metaphor of a potluck, and their book is truly a potluck of ideas. Choose some that you can implement in the next couple of weeks, pray on your decisions, and draw one step closer to King Jesus. Because God’s kingdom is at hand, even if you can’t see it. Put down the phones, put down the money, put down your reliance on how you have always done charity. King Jesus is better, if you will let him show you His way.
I received this book as an ARC courtesy of Baker Books, but my opinions are my own.
