Practicing the King's Economy

     When I got this book I expected it to be about spending and managing your money in a way that pleases and glorifies God. It was that and more. It wasn't inapplicable and boring like I expected. Different avenues discussed are job creation, equality, potluck vs soup kitchen, giving and tithing, and more. They are things I've never given much thought to. For instance, in potluck vs soup kitchen, the authors bring out the difference in operation, feeling, and effectiveness. Soup kitchens hand out labels, even without meaning to. There are those manning the kitchen, the well-to-do. Then there's the recipients, the destitute and needy. Potlucks, on the other hand, allow everyone to contribute and take pride in the meal. Everyone is equal; there are no labels. The relationship is everyone give and take, rather than one or the other giving or taking. But of course not every circumstance is going to be able to produce a potluck, and lets not discredit that soup kitchens are doing amazing work.
     The different avenues of this book are each given two chapters, the first to outline it, and the second to make it practical and practicable in real life. The authors are real and honest about what they are doing or not doing with the practices in this book. It is written in an interesting and profitable way. Much can be learned from it that doesn't even have to do with money. One thing that stuck out to me in the first chapter, about worship and giving, is this quote from C. S. Lewis:
          "I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them." 
And one from the author :
          "We are often told we ought to be willing and ready to suffer for Jesus' sake. What we've forgotten in the West is that this doesn't just mean being ready to declare Jesus with our lips if anti-Christian terrorists come charging in with AK-47's in hand. It means declaring Jesus with our lives, not least by willingly entering into the suffering of the world's poor, taking some of their economic burdens onto our own backs. If we want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, then costly generosity will be one way we share in the fellowship of His and His Church's sufferings. Indeed, in a day when most of us in the United States will never face actual suffering for our faith, embracing voluntary suffering through sharing may be one of the most Christlike acts we ever commit." 
     I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone.

   I received a copy of this book from BAKER BOOKS and was not required to write a positive review.