how empire works v how a jesus-economy works

It is a lie that we cannot understand how money works - how empires work - how alternatives to empire like the kingdom of god - an alternative which jesus talked about over and over again with his friends and anyone who would listen in his day - works.

economy - in its wide sense is a better word, these days, for kingdom - it has 3 components -

a guiding mechanism, 

a body  

an engine

old vested interests among the upper and middle classes in uk (the powers)- those rewarded by empire - have become colonised and in turn have taken their caste system, enclosure and the debt economy of the british empire (where clearances of people off land to increase profit as fast as possible was ultimate aim): 'landlordism' 'enclosure', and 'tenancy' - (rent, debt,) and unfortunately applied it to the body of christ over centuries and renamed them as: leadership, congregation/services (the sect) tithes from this popping of the hood we can see how states work: government nation tax economy where does this come from? if we turn back to ancient times- we see this 'way' played out in the temple economy across ancient roman empire (which infected the temple system at jerusalem in these 3 ways): priests (spiritual landlord) temple tithe/rent/offering economy ------------- jesus put a line under all this - right in his own back yard.. in his wilderness temptation, where he came face to face with the ancient intelligence behind empire (now at work in the temple) ...right until his death and after...until now..its as if he were saying - empire is finished! it stops here...with my own body and all those and creation in solidarity with me - we are the line in the sand.. 

we start anew.. from places of non-temple and non caesar, wild places where empire has no interests.. we build a test drive a new engine - and we'll call it God's kingdom; God's economy ...it is opposed to caesars economy by recasting all three components.. 1. priesthood of ALL gifts (jesus dislodges caesars default position at the centre of people's world) 2. ALL creation (jesus breaks down caesars walls that he uses to divide and conquer) 3. gift economy (no strings! - jesus strangles debt, the oxygen of empire)

in that light and with jesus verbal attack on jerusalem's pride and joy: the temple - '..not one block will be left standing..'

is it any wonder the powers that be moved to kill him... to shut him up!

and he warned if we followed in his footsteps same would befall us.. mmm?

will the 'powers that be' (and those that are rewarded by them) seek to do the same with us? here's an experiment...

point out that many of edinburgh's church buildings are built by proceeds from slave ships and plantations during the british empire.. they are a stumbling block to the rich -stolen from the poor, obscenely wasteful of time energy and resources and they are all coming down baby! .. see what happens..

compare the meerkat dot com: which is self-serving, which is releasing?

cost of Ps and Gs episcopal church glass bit built on to the side - £9 million

cost of releasing 35 small projects across edinburgh to make it a better place - £120,000

you can repeat this budget test with all kinds of things - you get the picture..

the poorest were cleared from the land long ago and much of middle class now have too - we are all working class, we are all debtors now.  So perhaps its time for all of us to draw that line in the sand like Christ - and do what he did.. and kickstart a jesus economy - as a direct challenge to empire in our time..

gifts of the many (not few)  

locality focus, (not congregational or institution or tribe focus)

gift based economy (no strings)

from scratch - build in your back yard with friends - road test and give it a run...

all the best