Course Syllabus - SL-02 - Holistic Stewardship

By Sandy Lindahl

Course Objectives

Participants in the class will be able to describe the perspective that Christians are stewards of God's mysteries, and to introduce others to practices that can help shape a broad and deep understanding of how God is at work in our world today. Participants will examine their personal history with money and compare their attitudes and assumptions to their spiritual values.

Participants will be able to identify ways that wealth, compassion and community are addressed in Christianity and to apply those concepts in personal and congregational decision-making. Each participant will delve into one topic to deepen understanding through direct experience.

Practices

• Recognize stewardship as a vital spiritual and discipleship practice touching all aspects of life.
• Seek a vision of God's divine economy that includes many ethnic and cultural perspectives.
• Look toward a total response to the gospel that does not compartmentalize faith.
• Articulate how the inner and outer faith journey is shaped by the practices of healthy stewardship.
• Discern individual and communal gifts (time, talent, treasure) for many different settings
• Use diverse approaches to stewardship based on context, culture and generation

Materials and Expectations

Reading

Portions of two books will be used throughout the course, and those sections are required reading. It is recommended that participants read these books in their entirety.

• Money and Faith: The Search for Enough, Michael Schut, 2008, Morehouse Education Resources
• The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources, Lynne Twist, 2006, W. W. Norton & Company

Videos

Watch four instructional audio-graphic videos, accessible from the Virtual Classroom.

Projects

Two independent activities are required:

1. Write a "money autobiography" as described in Money and Faith, page 22. Post three insights from this activity in the Class Forum by November 2.
2. Select one topic from "Activity Options" under "About this Course" on the Course Homepage. Write a two-page paper describing your experience and conclusions and post it in the Class Forum by November 12.

Online Class Forum

Participants are asked to use the Class Forum weekly. Weekly postings will enable timely class discussions and instructor responses. Each person's post should include:

1. Response to assigned questions on the week's reading
2. Response to the week's video
3. Share project experiences, insights and conclusions
4. Optional responses to other students
5. Questions for the Instructor

Conference Calls

Four conference calls are scheduled for in-depth class discussion:  Monday evenings, 6 - 7 pm Central on May 1, 8, 15 and 22.

Schedule

Lesson 1: "Going All In"

1. Become familiar with the Course Home Page and the informational sections.

• Add yourself to the Class Roster
• Access  technical help
• Find details on required Projects and Videos along with optional reading materials
• See requirements for CEU credits

2. Bible Reading: Acts 17: 16-33

3. Watch Video 1, "Going All In"

4. Reading

Money and Faith

• "Welcome" and "Overview,"  Schut
• "Enough for All,"  Schut
• "The Liturgy of Scarcity and Abundance," Brueggeman
• "Scarcity - The Great Lie," Twist (From The Soul of Money, Part Two: "Scarcity and Sufficiency: The Search for Prosperity")
• "How to Use This Material," Schut
• "Money Autobiography,"  Schut

5. Projects

• Begin to write your money autobiography.

• Consider activity options listed under "About this Course" on the Course Homepage.

6. Class Forum

1. Michael Schut described Money and Faith: The Search for Enough as being "perhaps most fundamentally about how we experience and see the world."  How does that idea relate to your concept of stewardship?
2. The phrase "God's economy" was introduced in Schut's "Enough for All."  Share four possibilities for living out your understanding of God's economy: two practices for your personal life and two for a congregation or other church setting.
3. Walter Brueggeman wrote about our struggle with concepts of abundance and scarcity, calling this the "central problem of our lives." Give an example of how you've seen the Church struggle with this. What happened?
4. Lynn Twist suggested that three myths undergird the lie of scarcity: (1) There's not enough; (2) More is better; (3) That's just the way it is. How have you experienced these myths in your own life or in the Church, considering time, talent and treasure? What would be different if you gave up those myths?
5. Comment on one idea from the video that captured your attention.

7. Conference call on May 1.

Lesson 2: "What Must I Do?"

1.  Bible Reading: Isaiah 55

2. Watch Video 2, "What Must I Do?"

3. Readings

Money and Faith

• "Origins of Money," Boyle
• "Some Food We Could Not Eat," Hyde
• "The Call of the Rich Man and the Kingdom of God in Mark," Myers
• "Radical Acceptance," Schut

The Soul of Money

• Part Three, "Sufficiency: The Three Truths"

4.  Projects

• Keep writing your money autobiography.
• Choose your Activity and in the Class Forum state your choice and why you selected it. Delve in!

5. Class Forum

1. Boyle's contention that money was intended for "mutual recognition and facilitating human relationships" rather than to wield power over others and facilitate competition over scarce resources. What does that do to your understanding and experience of life?
2. Hyde described societies where money was designed "to always move" and was not meant to be saved up. Twist described this as "flow."  Can you recall a situation when you experienced money this way?  How might you change your views or actions to allow money to "flow" through your life in a new way?
3. Hyde wrote, "The consumer of commodities is invited to a meal without passion... that leads to neither satiation nor fire..." Isaiah similarly asks why "Spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?" When have you used money in ways that were deeply unsatisfying? Can you identify why did you take that action? Name one financial habit that you can change for a more satisfying outcome.
4. Do you experience church offerings as William Stringfellow describes, free of an idolatry of money and thus representing a dedication of "the totality of life to God" or a witness to your offering of "decisions, actions and words to God?" How is this similar, or different than, the way offerings are discussed in your experience?
5. Myers contends that redistributive justice is a primary practice for those following Jesus. Do you share his view that "the Kingdom of God is simply that social condition where there are no rich and poor"? Describe one opportunity where you live to take action toward economic justice.
6. In "Radical Acceptance," Schut poses questions about the three temptations related to self-justification. Which are you most susceptible to? If you can recall a time when you consciously resisted, do you recall a sense of freedom?
7. Share your Activity choice and why you selected that one.
8. Comment on one idea from the video that captured your attention.

6. Conference call on May 8.

Lesson 3:  "Our Economic System: A Given or a Choice?"

1. Bible Reading: Isaiah 6: 9-11 and Proverbs 30: 7-9

2. Watch Video 3, "Our Economic System: A Given or a Choice?"

3. Reading

Money and Faith

• "The Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla," Schut  
• "The Ecological Economic Worldview and the Ecological Society," McFague
• "Corporate Personhood," Schut
• "Breadbasket of Democracy," Nace

The Soul of Money

• Part Four: "Change the Dream"

4. Projects

• Take the next steps in your Activity.
• Write three insights for the Class Forum from completing your Money Autobiography.

5. Class Forum

1. "The Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla" describes externalities associated with our current economic system. Identify at least one negative externality to which you contribute during your daily routine and try to reduce your contribution for one day. Write about your insights and experiences. 
2. McFague describes a vision of the good life based on sustainability and community. The income gap has expanded further since she wrote this piece. Voices have begun to call out for distributive justice (ie, the 99% vs. the 1%). What role do you think the Church does/can have as a prophetic voice and actor as the neoclassical vision is being challenged publicly?
3. Choose one quote that caught your attention in each of these articles and briefly describe your reaction: "Corporate Personhood," "Breadbasket of Democracy."
4. Elizalde, in "Taking a Stand," says "Each financial choice you make is a powerful statement of who you are and what you care about." Write a statement made by the financial choices you made this past week.
5. Post three insights on writing your Money Autobiography.
6. Comment on one idea from the video that captured your attention.

6. Conference call on May 15.

Lesson 4: "Our Practices Matter"

1. Bible Reading: Luke 4: 18-19 and Isaiah 58: 6-7

2. Watch Video 4, "Our Practices Matter"

3. Readings

Money and Faith

• "Liberation Theology and Ecology," Boff
• "On Being a Jubilee Church," Lang
• "Practicing Abundance: Sabbath and Tithing," including:
• "It is Good," Muller
• "The Gift Must Always Move," Myers

The Soul of Money

• Chapter 4, "Sufficiency: The Surprising Truth"

4. Projects

• Begin a 2-page paper about your activity, describing your experience and your conclusions.

5. Class Forum

1. Consider the abundance and scarcity experienced by the Achuar indigenous people, the  Senegalese desert dwellers, and the Microsoft executive described by Twist. How does the abundance and scarcity in their lives compare with your own?
2. Boff wrote about the Catholic social teaching of "preferential option for the poor," and said that to "opt for the poor entails a practice."  Does your church have practices that embody this teaching? In what ways do you personally "opt for the poor?" How do you see, or when do you experience, yourself as poor?
3. Lang claims, "To be a Jubilee Church is a spiritually-based political action. But it is also a spiritually-based lifestyle of mutual aid... benefit... and blessing.... To live in this Faith is what it means to be a Jubilee congregation: an awesome sign of enlightened hope in the darkness of Empire."  What hesitations or fears might people have about becoming a Jubilee Church, and how would you address those as a church leader?
4. What do you think of Muller's opening statements about our actions in relation to whether we think life is fundamentally good or bad/flawed?
5. A practice of reintegration of life is outlined by Myers. In which area of life would you most like to begin reintegration: in your own practices: the land, the poor, your money, your possessions, your work?
6. Comment on one idea from the video that captured your attention.

Lesson 5: "The Path to Enough"

1. Bible Reading: Matthew 6: 25-34 and Psalm 23

2. Readings

Money and Faith

• "Moving Toward Jubilee - Investments and Retirement," including:
• "Investing, The Poor, and Social Change," Loving
• "The Ultimate Question: Where is My Security?," Noe
• "Making Trade Fair for Africa," Tarver-Wahlquist
• "When Women Decide to Be Unstoppable," Wilkes and Klobuchar
• "Retirement, Money and the Reign of God," Loving

3. Project

• Finish writing about your chosen activity and post it in the Class Forum by November 12.

4. Class Forum

1. How do you answer Loving's question, "Should maximum return be the only factor, or even the primary factor, in investment decisions?" Does your answer shift at all when addressing this individually vs. for a congregation or Church body?
2. What factors do you incorporate into decisions about giving money to the Church or charities? Noe connects tithing with the call to engage in acts of justice. Has concern for justice been a conscious and important part of your giving practice?
3. What might be gained through revealing at least a bit more about your finances with members of your family or faith community?
4. What connections do you see between your faith, the concept of Jubilee and the articles on investing, fair trade, and retirement? How do you feel about those connections?

5. Conference call on May 22.

May 22: End of Course

Recap of Required Reading

Book page count: 330 pages required reading

Money and Faith: The Search for Enough, Michael Schut, 2008, Morehouse Education Resources

139 required of the total 296 pages

• "Welcome" and "Overview,"  Schut (2)
• "Enough for All,"  Schut(1)
• "The Liturgy of Scarcity and Abundance," Brueggeman (7)
• "Scarcity - The Great Lie," Twist (From The Soul of Money, Part Two: "Scarcity and Sufficiency: The Search for Prosperity") (10)
• "How to Use This Material," Schut (3)
• "Money Autobiography,"  Schut (3)
• "Origins of Money," Boyle (1)
• "Some Food We Could Not Eat," Hyde (9)
• "The Call of the Rich Man and the Kingdom of God in Mark," Myers (13)
• "Radical Acceptance," Schut (4)
• "The Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla," Schut  (8)
• "The Ecological Economic Worldview and the Ecological Society," McFague (8)
• "Corporate Personhood," Shut (1)
• "Breadbasket of Democracy," Nace (13)
• "Liberation Theology and Ecology," Boff (6)
• "On Being a Jubilee Church," Lang (5)
• "Practicing Abundance: Sabbath and Tithing," including
• "It is Good," Muller (4)
• "The Gift Must Always Move," Myers (6)
• "Moving Toward Jubilee - Investments and Retirement," including:  ()
• "Investing, The Poor, and Social Change," Loving (7)
• "The Ultimate Question: Where is My Security?," Noe (9)
• "Making Trade Fair for Africa," Tarver-Wahlquist (6)
• "When Women Decide to Be Unstoppable," Wilkes and Klobuchar (9)
• "Retirement, Money and the Reign of God," Loving (4)

The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources, 2006, W. W. Norton & Co.

191 required of the total 257 pages (Resource section not counted)

• Part Three, "Sufficiency: The Three Truths" (76)
• Chapter 4, "Sufficiency: The Surprising Truth" (30)
• Part Four: "Change the Dream" (85)