FNC-108

God and Money: Biblical Perspectives and Principles

Description

Money is an important topic in the Bible with more than 2,000 references. Jesus spoke about money more frequently than any other subject. Why? It is because money is closely related to our faith in God. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21). He also said, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Mt 6:24). As Randy Alcorn says in his book, “our handling of money is a litmus test of our true character. It’s an index of our spiritual life.” In this course, we will explore several important principles on how to view money in a biblical perspective and also how to manage our personal finances in ways that please God.

Course Objectives

A large portion of your lifetime is devoted to making money by working, and revolves around spending, saving and giving money. So you can’t just brush aside money as unspiritual or unimportant. We need a sound, biblical understanding of money and how to deal with it for a healthy Christian living. There are three main objectives for this course. First, we will develop a biblical view of money and wealth. Second, we will explore how we can overcome greed, materialism, consumerism, and debt so that we may rule over them, not be enslaved by them. Third, we will learn biblical ways for financial planning, faithful stewardship, and joyful giving, with an eternal perspective of storing treasure in heaven. It is hoped that, upon completion of this course, you will be a better steward of God-given resources.

Required Texts and Materials

* Alcorn, Randy, Money, Possessions, and Eternity: A Comprehensive Guide to What the Bible Says about Financial Stewardship, Generosity, Materialism, Retirement, Financial Planning, Gambling, Debt, and More; (rev. ed. 2021); Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN: ‎978-0842353601

* Cortines, John, and Baumer, Gregory; God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School; (2016); Rose Publishing. ISBN: 978-1628624731

* Online materials (a list to be provided by the instructor)

Course Evaluation

Student performance will be evaluated based on attendance, presentation, course participation, and final essay.

Language

English

Course Schedule

Please be aware of time zone differences!

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Jun 10 (10:30 AM) Jun 17 (10:30 AM) Jul 01 (10:30 AM) Jul 08 (10:30 AM) Jul 15 (10:30 AM)

Week 1 - Jun 10
10:30 AM

Topic
Is Money Evil? What Does the Bible Say about Money?
Week 2 - Jun 17
10:30 AM

Topic
Watch Out for Greed
Week 3 - Jul 01
10:30 AM

Topic
Financial Planning and Faithful Stewardship
Week 4 - Jul 08
10:30 AM

Topic
Tithing and Giving
Week 5 - Jul 15
10:30 AM

Topic
Store Treasure in Heaven

Instructor

Dr. Daniel Y. Lee

Missionary at Shippensburg UBF (in central Pennsylvania)

Emeritus professor of economics at Shippensburg University

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Pittsburgh

President of Pennsylvania Economic Association (1999-2000)

Families of his three children (Daniel James, Sarah, and Esther) are serving the Lord in State College and Washington

He and his wife (Deborah) enjoy spending time with their seven grandchildren

13 / 15
Applied / Capacity