Old Testament and Economics Colloquium
Eric Mitchell, associate professor of Old Testament and archaeology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary sponsored an Old Testament and Economics Colloquium on September 17-18, 2015. An initial gathering at Acton University in 2014 recognized the need to encourage evangelicals working in the Old Testament to teach, interact, study and write in the area of Old Testament, work and economics.
Sixteen scholars from the fields of Old Testament, economics, ANE literature and Old Testament archaeology gathered to foster a cross-disciplinary discussion. Fourteen papers were presented with a time for questions and discussion following. The goal was to use this colloquium to build relationships and to provide a core of material for a book, which would make a contribution to the larger discussion and be useful in the classroom.
The papers that were presented at the colloquium included:
- “Work and the Edenic Economy” by Anne Bradley, Institute of Faith, Work, and Economics and Georgetown University
- “Person and Property in the Pentateuch: An Economic Exploration” by David Baker, Ashland Theological Seminary
- “The Economics of Stealing and Coveting in the Decalogue and the book of Deuteronomy” by Michael Matlock, Asbury Theological Seminary
- “Positive Sum Games: How the Means of Wealth Creation Correlate with the Blessings or Curses of Yahweh” by David Kotter, Colorado Christian University
- “The Year of Jubilee and the Ancient Israelite Economy” by John Bergsma, Franciscan University of Steubenville
- “Discovering the Infrastructure of Social Welfare in the OT” by Archie England, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
- “International Trade in Iron Age I-II (1200-900 BC)” by Eugene Merrill, Criswell Bible College
- “Limited Government and Taxation in the Old Testament” by Eric Mitchell, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- “The Righteous Rich” by Art Lindsley, Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics
- “Land Grabs, ‘Raw Deals’, and Bribes: Understanding Economic Opportunism in Ancient Israel” by Edd Noell, Westmont College
- “Work & Wealth in Proverbs” by Bob Yost, Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary
- “Work & Wealth in Ecclesiastes” by Tremper Longman, Westmont College
- “Economic shifts from the Iron Age through the Persian Period,” by Eric Welch, University of Kansas
- “Were the Prophets Successful in Enacting Land Reform: Another Look at Morris Silver’s Hypothesis” by John Lunn and Barry Bandstra, Hope College
John Taylor, associate professor of New Testament and research fellow in faith and work at the Land Center, previously coordinated a New Testament and Economics Colloquium at Southwestern in 2014. We are in the planning stages for a combined Old & New Testament and Economics Colloquium at the Land Center for the Spring of 2017.
Launching the AGTS Discipleship Network Site
Charlie Self, professor of church history, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary
With the long-awaited launch of its website, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) continues its journey toward greater whole-life discipleship, and the integration of faith in all of life, including work and the economy. Overseen by Randy Walls and featuring content from several professors, the new site will disseminate insights from AGTS network leaders from across the nation. The topics will be organized according to the five dimensions and forty outcomes of our revolutionary resource, the Discipleship Dynamics Assessment™.
Along with curricular integration, publishing articles, books and co-curricular activities, this new site will allow for dialogue among clerical and lay leaders concerning the Sunday-Monday connection. As Walls has said, “Discipleship is not an add-on to our mission – it is the mission.” Empowering believers for 24/7 missional living is a central concern of the website.
With this new platform, AGTS hopes to highlight the insights of evangelical and Pentecostal leaders committed to integrating faith in the areas of work and the economy. Evangelical leaders from Oikonomia Network seminaries and Made to Flourish churches are welcome to contribute short blogs, longer essays or provide links to their resources; contact Dr. Walls at WallsR@evangel.edu for more information.
