$ Introduction to Sabbath Economics (Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries)

Every day, each of us faces economic choices, from where we live, work, and bank to what we eat and throw away. Those decisions can lead us deeper into anxiety and alienation, or they can lead us toward wholeness and community. The Bible is not silent on these choices, but offers much to consider about how our decision to follow Jesus will shape our personal and collective economic lives. Economic and social justice are woven into the warp and weft of the Bible. Weaving them into our daily economic lives is what Sabbath Economics is all about.

This two-day online event will introduce Sabbath Economics as a practice grounded in the biblical economic values of rest, jubilee, forgiveness, redistribution, and abundance.

In the Friday session, theologian Ched Myers will overview the Sabbath Economics tradition in the Bible and offer an in-depth reading of Luke 16:1-13 as an evocative analogy for our own entanglements in a dysfunctional economic system.

On Saturday, Ched will facilitate a conversation about how we inhabit the Biblical vision through concrete engagements, supported by covenant groups; economist and author Susan Taylor will add the voices of people who are creating the Sabbath Economy through their daily economic practices, to inspire participants’ imagination of what is possible.

The event will end with an invitation to join a Sabbath Economics Covenant Group. These small groups of 8 to 10 members will meet online monthly for eight months following the workshop with an experienced facilitator to support one another in practicing Sabbath Economics in their households.