Neither Poverty nor Riches - Craig Blomberg

[Gary]

A very good book on the Biblical theology of possessions is:

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  Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. (Proverbs 30:8)
  
  One of the most difficult questions facing Christians today is that of the proper attitude toward possessions. In wealthy nations such as Britain and the USA, individuals accumulate much and yet are daily exposed to the plight of the poor, whether the homeless on their own city streets or starving children on their TV screens. What action should we take on behalf of the poor? What should we do with our own possessions?
  
  In Neither Poverty nor Riches Craig Blomberg asks what the Bible has to say about these issues. Avoiding easy answers, he instead seeks a comprehensive biblical theology of possessions. And so he begins with the groundwork laid by the Old Testament and the ideas developed in the intertestamental period, then draws out what the whole New Testament has to say on the subject, and finally offers conclusions and applications relevant to our contemporary world.
  
  Neither Poverty Nor Riches is one book that all should read who are concerned with issues of poverty and wealth.

http://ivpress.gospelcom.net/cgi-ivpres ... /code=2607

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[Gary]

"Ronsvalle and Ronsvalle (1995: 45) have demonstrated that the amounts of money theoretically needed to eradicate world poverty could be amassed if all American Christians would tithe; every other existing Christian ministry could still continue to be funded at its current level. (This could be the reseach referenced http://www.emptytomb.org/potential.php )

"Obviously this does not take into account corrupt politicians, broken-down infrastructures and international obstacles to getting money into the hands of the most needy in ways that will help them over the long haul. But it does remind us that there is so much more that we could do without ever coming close to reversing positions with the poor."

Reference: Neither Poverty nor Riches - A Biblical Theology of Possessions by Craig Blomberg (page 252)

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