Economy of Love: Creating a Community of Enough

by Shane Claiborne, Relational Tithe Inc

America thrives on a simple message-that what we currently have is not enough. Not big enough, not nice enough, not fast or hip enough.The American dream is based on wanting more. But does God's dream for the world look like the American Dream?In this five-week study, unpack what the patterns of God's kingdom look like compared to the patterns of our world. What is the value of enough, and how do we become more like the God who is close to the poor, the hungry, the meek, and the merciful?Economy of Love will challenge individuals to join in community, journeying together as they begin to consider a new standard of living-a personal economic threshold oriented not around the size of a monthly paycheck, but around the value of enough.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Faith, Religion, Spirituality, Christianity, Theology

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty.

Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, his classic The Irresistible Revolution and his newest book, Executing Grace. He has been featured in a number of films including "Another World Is Possible" and "Ordinary Radicals." His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame.

Shane speaks regularly at denominational gatherings, festivals, and conferences around the globe.

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set up as a five-week individual/group study on how we are called to create an economy that accounts for and aids one another, this text asks tough questions, poses pithy reflections, and challenges both capitalism and the prosperity gospel. Fine work, highly recommended for conversations and studies on stewardship and social justice, especially in christian communities. (In non-christian communities, it can be a touchpoint text for consideration of what one's own faith tradition teaches, and where love, mercy, and responsibility for one another show up in the various traditions.)

[Nick Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a workbook than a novel. But I think the points are important. It’s sad to feel so alone or see such defensiveness towards radical giving. Our American culture has been poisoned with consumerism and hoarding I. Ways that even those of us who live “minimally” are guilty of. I am the rich young ruler.

[Reid Mccormick · Rating 1 out of 5]

To call this a book is a stretch. I feel like the "authors" spent more time designing the look and feel of the book than they actually did on the words inside.

Stick to "Irrestible Revolution." It's a much better book by the same author Shane Claiborne.

[Janet Jonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provided another affirmation that it takes relationships, rooted at the core, branching outward with many leaves of support, including money, time, and gifts, to build heaven on earth for all.

A similar effort of support has rebuilt our community after a natural disaster. Relations built from within and without have provided funds, supplies, goods, talents, and many hours of labor to help those in great need. This is a testimony that many hands make light the work, but also nourish the soul.

I have just two challenges to this... How to keep the good work going when the focus evolves, and how to avoid feeding a sense of entitlement. Perhaps that's also part of feeding the relationship side of the equation

[Ariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a much more practical application type of a book. Instead I feel like it primarily was focused on providing the theological groundwork for lives of sacrificial giving. It was good in that regard, directed at an audience who needs to be convinced that giving in this way is worth doing. However, I feel like most of the people who pick up books with Claiborne's name on it now are those who already are in sync with a lot of the new monastic, Simple Way type of teachings and what many are in need of is much more practical examples and handbooks on how to work out the logistics of something like a Relational Tithe.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an accompanying DVD and is better read with it.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking study guide about economic justice for the poor in our churches

[Jt]

okay