Economics: What's the Bible got to do with it?

When the Lord told Adam and Eve to "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:28)," he was giving humanity the cultural mandate to rule his creation.  As part of that mandate, we Christians have the responsibility of building and maintaining a social order that reflects God's glory. The Lord did not leave us without principles to be good stewards all the resources available to us.  And although we can rightly say that the Bible is not an economics textbook, we should not deny that God's word reaches the totality of life, including economics.  R. C. Sproul, Jr. wrote:

"The philosophical, moral, and ethical side of economics can easily be overlooked.  That the Bible is not an economics textbook does not mean that it is totally useless for understanding economic issues.  Economics - in theory and practice - touches heavily on, and at times rudely collides with, biblical ethics.  Where ethics touches economics, the Bible is relevant. . .The Old Testament helps us understand the proper function of government and law, both important issues in the study of economics.  In the New Testament, Jesus dealt with the problem of the poor, the question of wealth, and the role of government.  The apostles often dealt with similar questions.  In the study of Christian economics, therefore, we do not turn first to Smith's Wealth of Nations nor to Marx's Das Kapital, but rather to the Word of God and the principles therein."  (Biblical Economics, p. 16)

In the coming months, I will be blogging through R. C. Sproul, Jr.'s book (cited above), as we discuss such topics as money, inflation, prosperity, debt, poverty, the government's role, and more.  I am excited about sharing what I learn from Dr. Sproul.  Many of us, unfortunately, have fallen victim to unbiblical thinking and ethics regarding the use of our money and resources. . .as well as the money and resources of our fellow citizens.  Please feel free to weigh in on any topic.  I hope this will be a valuable learning experience for all.