Regarding the dominant market-based economy we live in…well, I think we must still live in it. It won’t do to simply sequester ourselves in a sectarian manner, So, I think the challenge is to wrestle with the dynamic tension of “being in the world but not of it” and to “render unto ceasar that which is ceasar’s.” I think we should work intentionally to structure our lives around a gift posture, while navigating market economics. Most of us already do that (many of our social norms and customs are already very gift-based) but living a biblical life, I think, would mean taking increasingly progressive steps to integrate more of our lives under that ethic.

I’ve wrestled pretty significantly with the 501(c)3 question, especially since I’m in the midst of initiating a new church community (Ikoncommunity.com). Becoming a public charity can create a very real institutional calcification in churches. But again, there’s the dynamic tension. I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever structure best advances the mission is the best structure to employ. Hardly anybody in our new church cares about getting a tax write off on shared financial resources, and if we were talking about incorporation so members could get a tax write off, I’d refuse to incorporate. However, part of our vision includes the establishment someday of a community center (in lieu of a church building), and that mission would probably be best served by a 501(c)3 structure. So…we’ll probably incorporate at some point to advance that mission.

can local faith communities have a gift-economy as their basis rather than just going with the overwhelming current paradigm of tithes and offerings being “money/cash/annuities/fuduciary commodities”?

most church-plants from the get-go subsume themeselves under the State by having their organizing princple be the 501 (c) (3) corporation that is nessary to legitimize and deal with money (as a middle-man who also siphons off a portion for “costs” of the religiously-charitable organization) and so that parishioners can write their donations off on their individual tax returns to the local, state and National State…

can we possibly be talking about something that can overcome such a deeply-imbedded self-interest as to be able to write off money given on your taxes? subversive and scandalous thought…but i wondered what you thought? could it be possible…? dare we even embrace such possibilities…?

it’s quite good thus far, as early on he is doing a good job of piercing the veil of ancient society to understand and explain some of the paradigmatic underpinnings, in that ancient societies were not as fragmented (ala your comments on luther) and in fact the ancient civilzations that energed in mesopotamia were altogether “sacred”…the polotical-religious-economic-social-psychological life of the people were integrated wholly. for instance, temples and shrines – which we look back and see the obvious religious function – also served as banks and centers of wealth because they were storehouses for tithes and offerings as well. this is where people stored important documents, treasures and wills/last testaments. thus, typically kings were also chief priests (think roman emperors also being pontifex maximus) which made these kings the principle managers of the economy and politics, as well as interpretaers of what the gods wanted…to eventually becoming adopted as a demi-god themselves – enshrining them over the whole holistic system, via rituals of fear of the storm god or earth goddess through a media of mystification which manipulated the forces and structures of these societies. this is the understanding of the society YHWH creates in the covenant at sinai as well, all of life is integrated in the covenant, and yet we tend to ignore all of this from our present-day perspectives, because we want to only dig out and apply that which involves some privatized, individually-applicable reigio-moral nuggets, whereas in the actual covenant (and the 10 commandments as well) is whole-life oriented. for instance, as brueggemann as noted, the 10 commandments take on real depth when compared to the empire-system of egypt from which they have just been redeemed. the notion not to covet can be understood as a polemic against acquistive economics (see exodus 5 – meeting your quota only gives you increased quotas, and yet increased quotas are a punishment as well: what they reward you with and punish you with is the same thing!! hard labor breeds hard labor in the system…yet acquisitive economics also includes advertising that titulates and manipulates you into coveting something, whether your neighbors wife, stuff, or bright teeth!)

anyway, my question is: does entering into and partaking of a gift-economy, also in essence break our notions of a sared/secular divide as well? does a Kingdom-self takes us into a society of integrated politico-religious-economics instead of the division of economics and relion and governance (maybe the famous chocolate milk versus grapefruit anaology would be helpful in understanding this…?)?

and what of the acquisitive economics of our very present situation…how does gift-economies tackle and wrestle with this aspect?