The Economics of Neighborly Love - by Tom Nelson (Paperback)

About the Book

What does the good news of Jesus mean for economics? Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, pastor Tom Nelson presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members and pushing us toward more nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty.

Book Synopsis

What does the good news of Jesus mean for economics? Marrying biblical study, economic theory, and practical advice, pastor Tom Nelson presents a vision for church ministry that works toward the flourishing of the local community, beginning with its poorest and most marginalized members and pushing us toward more nuanced understandings of wealth and poverty.

Review Quotes

"For several years I've watched this book being born, growing out of Tom Nelson's remarkable work as a pastor in Kansas City and increasingly as a teacher to the wider world. The Economics of Neighborly Love makes this simple argument: the everyday world is an economic world, and there are implications for who we are and how we live. Drawing on years of pastoral experience with people at work in the world, social analysis from across the political spectrum, relationships with good people doing good work in cities all over America, and, most profoundly, a commitment to biblical and theological reflection, this is a book for everyone who cares about the moral meaning of the marketplace."

"I don't think I've ever seen the words 'economics' and 'neighborly love' in the same sentence. With winsome intelligence and a natural storyteller's gift, Tom Nelson reminds us that faith, economics, and work-rightly understood-help create the conditions for neighborly love to exist and flourish."

"I have many books on Christianity and economics in my library. Tom Nelson's The Economics of Neighborly Love will be shelved among the best. It represents an optimal combination of solid theology, sound economics, and specific applications. If you've already read Sider, Corbett, and Fikkert, Nelson's book will be a valuable complement. If you've not yet read them, start with Nelson. You will be challenged, instructed, and edified. Not many books on economics can pull off this hat trick."

"I'm delighted to see this insightful book by Tom Nelson hit the streets! Tom connects work and economics with theological skill, biblical acumen, and a pastoral heart. He rightly sees how economics is intimately connected to our ability to flourish as human beings, our mandate to be productive in the world, and our obligation to love our neighbors. When reading this book, you will feel as if you're sitting down with Tom over a cup of coffee for a conversation about some of life's most important matters, and thankfully you don't have to be an expert in economics to follow the conversation. Tom is a great guide through this material, since it comes out of his lived experience, both personally and as a longtime pastor. This is a book about why economics matters-how personal compassion and economic capacity both are important."

"I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I first heard that Tom Nelson was writing on economics. Now that I've read the book, I'm deeply grateful and excited to share it with others. It's hard to imagine a book that is more urgently needed in our time of history. And it's hard to imagine a more incisive, compassionate, biblical, and relevant discussion of economics and Christian faith. Nelson combines scriptural wisdom, cultural awareness, pastoral sensitivity, and practical expression to guide us into a deeper understanding of how our faith must be lived in the complex realm of economics. He anchors everything in Scripture, whether drawing from the creation account in Genesis, the example of Nehemiah, the wisdom of Proverbs, the prophecy of Amos, or the parables of Jesus. The Economics of Neighborly Love holds together what we have so often and so wrongly put asunder: faithfulness and flourishing, productivity and justice, compassion and creativity, wealth and love. The result is a book that should be read by pastors and church leaders, to be sure, but also by all followers of Jesus who seek to live faithful and fruitful lives in today's world."

"Money, spirituality, and responsibility are rarely put together side by side in a balanced way. The Economics of Neighborly Love takes you there in a way that will encourage the practical understanding and development of resources, leading to flourishing. I highly commend this book."

"There is no secular/spiritual divide. Every Jesus-follower who labors in the marketplace has a ministry just as significant as those who labor in the pulpit. In The Economics of Neighborly Love, Tom Nelson points the way to a genuine biblical worldview that grasps the powerful spiritual interconnectedness between what happens in the marketplace, our churches, communities, nation, world, and our walk with Jesus. I highly recommend it."

"This desperately needed book shows that a concern for fruitfulness-relational and vocational-is a deep pattern running through Scripture, literally from beginning to end. Fruitfulness in all our work and relationships is essential to discipleship to Jesus Christ, which is at the heart of the identity and mission of God's people. Tom Nelson has done both the church and the world an extraordinary service by giving it the fruitful gift of this book."

"Tom Nelson's new book is a great contribution to a growing and needed literature that helps churches connect to their parishes and neighborhoods and serve not only individuals, but the public good. There is an emerging awareness of the importance of this, but few volumes are as practical as this one in describing the way forward. I recommend it!"

"With characteristic winsomeness and clarity, Nelson covers a wide range of topics from poverty to jobs and justice to entrepreneurship, providing a highly readable overview of biblically informed economic life. This pastor has taken the time to learn about the capacity that makes genuine compassion possible. Implicit in the book is a much-needed correction to the church: we've far too long avoided the work of thinking well about economics, as though somehow that sphere is detached from our spiritual life. Nelson shows us the Bible talks about economics through and through-it's just that too many pastors haven't been paying sufficient attention. Nelson has given us an accessible introductory textbook for understanding what makes for flourishing people and communities."

"For several years I've watched this book being born, growing out of Tom Nelson's remarkable work as a pastor in Kansas City and increasingly as a teacher to the wider world. The Economics of Neighborly Love makes this simple argument: the everyday world is an economic world, and there are implications for who we are and how we live. Drawing on years of pastoral experience with people at work in the world, social analysis from across the political spectrum, relationships with good people doing good work in cities all over America, and, most profoundly, a commitment to biblical and theological reflection, this is a book for everyone who cares about the moral meaning of the marketplace."

--Steven Garber, principal of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation & Culture, author of Visions of Vocation

"I have many books on Christianity and economics in my library. Tom Nelson's The Economics of Neighborly Love will be shelved among the best. It represents an optimal combination of solid theology, sound economics, and specific applications. If you've already read Sider, Corbett, and Fikkert, Nelson's book will be a valuable complement. If you've not yet read them, start with Nelson. You will be challenged, instructed, and edified. Not many books on economics can pull off this hat trick."

--Kenneth G. Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics, University of Virginia

"I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I first heard that Tom Nelson was writing on economics. Now that I've read the book, I'm deeply grateful and excited to share it with others. It's hard to imagine a book that is more urgently needed in our time of history. And it's hard to imagine a more incisive, compassionate, biblical, and relevant discussion of economics and Christian faith. Nelson combines scriptural wisdom, cultural awareness, pastoral sensitivity, and practical expression to guide us into a deeper understanding of how our faith must be lived in the complex realm of economics. He anchors everything in Scripture, whether drawing from the creation account in Genesis, the example of Nehemiah, the wisdom of Proverbs, the prophecy of Amos, or the parables of Jesus. The Economics of Neighborly Love holds together what we have so often and so wrongly put asunder: faithfulness and flourishing, productivity and justice, compassion and creativity, wealth and love. The result is a book that should be read by pastors and church leaders, to be sure, but also by all followers of Jesus who seek to live faithful and fruitful lives in today's world."

--Mark D. Roberts, executive director, Max De Pree Center for Leadership

"Money, spirituality, and responsibility are rarely put together side by side in a balanced way. The Economics of Neighborly Love takes you there in a way that will encourage the practical understanding and development of resources, leading to flourishing. I highly commend this book."

--Darrell Bock, senior research professor of New Testament studies, executive director for cultural engagement, Dallas Theological Seminary

"There is no secular/spiritual divide. Every Jesus-follower who labors in the marketplace has a ministry just as significant as those who labor in the pulpit. In The Economics of Neighborly Love, Tom Nelson points the way to a genuine biblical worldview that grasps the powerful spiritual interconnectedness between what happens in the marketplace, our churches, communities, nation, world, and our walk with Jesus. I highly recommend it."

--Larry Osborne, author, pastor, North Coast Church, Vista, CA

About the Author

Tom Nelson (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is president of Made to Flourish (MTF), a network that seeks to empower pastors to lead churches that produce human flourishing for the common good. He has also served as senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Leawood, Kansas, for almost thirty years. A council member for The Gospel Coalition, Tom is the author of Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work, Five Smooth Stones: Discovering the Path to Wholeness of Soul, and Ekklesia: Rediscovering God's Design for the Church. He speaks regularly on faith, work, and economics, and he has served on the board of regents of Trinity International University and is on the leadership team of the Oikonomia Network. Tom and his wife, Liz, have two grown children and live in Leawood, Kansas.