Introduction to Sabbath Economics
Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:00 PM - Sat Oct 16, 2021 5:00 PM EDT
Online, Zoom
Description
Introduction to Sabbath Economics
with Ched Myers and Susan Taylor
A TWO-DAY VIRTUAL EVENT, OCT 15-16, 2021
Friday, 10/15/21 from 3pm ET to 6pm ET;
and Saturday, 10/16/21 from 2pm ET to 5pm ET
OVERVIEW
Every day, each of us faces economic choices, from where we live, work, and bank to what we eat and throw away. Those decisions can lead us deeper into anxiety and alienation, or they can lead us toward wholeness and community. The Bible is not silent on these choices, but offers much to consider about how our decision to follow Jesus will shape our personal and collective economic lives. Economic and social justice are woven into the warp and weft of the Bible. Weaving them into our daily economic lives is what Sabbath Economics is all about.
This two-day online event will introduce Sabbath Economics as a practice grounded in the biblical economic values of rest, jubilee, forgiveness, redistribution, and abundance.
In the Friday session, theologian Ched Myers will overview the Sabbath Economics tradition in the Bible and offer an in-depth reading of Luke 16:1-13 as an evocative analogy for our own entanglements in a dysfunctional economic system.
On Saturday, Ched will facilitate a conversation about how we inhabit the Biblical vision through concrete engagements, supported by covenant groups; economist and author Susan Taylor will add the voices of people who are creating the Sabbath Economy through their daily economic practices, to inspire participants’ imagination of what is possible.
The event will end with an invitation to join a Sabbath Economics Covenant Group. These small groups of 8 to 10 members will meet online monthly for eight months following the workshop with an experienced facilitator to support one another in practicing Sabbath Economics in their households.
SCHEDULE
Friday, October 15, 3pm ET to 6pm ET
- Intro to Sabbath Economics
- Footprints of Sabbath Economics in Both Testaments
- A Deeper Dive: Jesus’ Parable of the “Defect-ive Steward” (Luke 16)
Saturday, October 16, 2pm ET to 5pm ET
- No step too small, no step too big: Sabbath Economics at the Intersection of Self & Society
- Household Practices: Creating the Sabbath Economy in Daily Life
- Becoming a Covenantal People
PRESENTERS
Ched Myers, author of The Biblical Vision of Sabbath Economics, is an activist theologian who has worked in social change movements for more than forty years. With a degree in New Testament Studies, he is a popular educator who animates scripture and issues of faith-based peace and justice. He has published more than 100 articles and a half-dozen books (go to ChedMyers.org). He and his partner Elaine Enns co-direct Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, in the Ventura watershed of southern California on unceded Chumash land. Their latest book is Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization.
Susan Taylor is a partner at Just Money Advisors, an investment management firm that helps clients integrate their money and their values (justmoneyadvisors.com). Susan writes about issues of money and spirituality and shares her expertise and energy with a couple of non-profits that equip people to connect their money and their faith. She also serves on the Investment Committee of the Mennonite Education Agency.
VENUE
The workshop will be a completely virtual event, presented online via Zoom. To participate, you’ll need to have access to an Internet-connected desktop computer or laptop with a video camera.
PREPARATION
Once you’ve registered, we’ll send you some pre-event “homework.” You will receive links to suggested readings, podcast episodes, and videos that will introduce you to basic concepts and terms.
REGISTRATION
Registration is $100 for individuals and $150 for up to five members of the same household. (We encourage families, couples, and those in group living arrangements to take this workshop together!) Scholarships are available; to request a scholarship, email Faith and Money Network Executive Director Mike Little.
SPONSORS
Introduction to Sabbath Economics with Ched Myers and Susan Taylor is a collaborative effort by Faith and Money Network, Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, Just Money Advisors, and the Festival Center.