An illustrated companion to Chapter 7 of Beyond Stewardship: New Approaches to Creation Care. To view main webpage, click here:

Market economies value certain parts of God’s nonhuman creation for their direct utility to humans. They do not value elements of the creation that have no monetary usefulness to humans or the supporting ecosystems that are necessary for holding all the parts together."

Jackson smiled when he said “the Kingdom of God” because he was joking, but in all seriousness. He was joking because he knew that we can’t build the Kingdom of God or a human economy that mirrors it. Jackson was perfectly serious, though, because he knew that the creation will fully flourish only when God’s comprehensive Kingdom arrives.”

To read more about Wes Jackson, click the following link:

We should think of stewardship as seeking first the Kingdom of God, trusting that God’s grace covers our failures and that God will complete the good work begun in us by creating a new heavens and a new earth."

The market economy creates these vast networks of relationships around the globe. It also obscures, or hides, those relationships through market exchanges. As the market economy grows in space and complexity, so does consumer ignorance."

Humbly cultivating the ancient Christian process of confession and renewal creates the patterns and practices we need to identify our failures and to press on in humble confidence, faith, and hope.”

We need to confess, for example, that our economy causes enormous harm to people and to the nonhuman creation. It creates wealth for some people, while others go hungry. It yields examples of ecological restoration and yet continues to stimulate utter destruction. Confessing both systemic sins and our complicity in them does not necessarily require that we reject the capitalist market economy. It does require, however, that we acknowledge the very real suffering it causes. We confess. We seek forgiveness. We seek wisdom to navigate economically.”