The Maker vs. the Takers

A close reading of the Gospels, taking history and archeology into account, demolishes the myth of a socialist Jesus.

Theologians virtually ignore the economic commentary in the Bible. In the few cases where it gets any attention, economic commentary in the Gospels and other New Testament writings tend to lapse into simplistic class warfare nostrums. Liberation theologians import Marxism wholesale (but they try to sell it retail) into theology.

Academic historians of first century Palestine/Judea have been pushing an account of a poor peasant Jesus leading a poor peasant's revolt based on the idea of mass displaced workers in Lower Galilee. The problem is the actual archeological findings paint a picture of an industrious and entrepreneurial economy during Jesus's time there.

Reading the Gospels in light of archeology and history, which are now available to us, gives us a very different picture than the one you’ve been told regarding what Jesus taught about work and money.

"This is how biblical theology should be done. Jerry Bowyer mines the New Testament for all kinds of usually overlooked details that help explain the time, traditions, and most importantly, the economics of first century Jerusalem and the surrounding culture to understand the heart of what Jesus was actually teaching." --Gary DeMar

Paperback, 160 pages