Howell, Alan

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Harding School of Theology

Harding UniversityScholar Works at HardingBible & Ministry Faculty Research and Publications College of Bible & Ministry2-2011Review of Richard A. Horsley, CovenantEconomicsAlan HowellHarding University, ahowell@harding.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.harding.edu/bible-facpubPart of the Christianity Commons, and the Missions and World Christianity CommonsThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Collegeof Bible & Ministry at Scholar Works at Harding. It has been accepted forinclusion in Bible & Ministry Faculty Research and Publications by anauthorized administrator of Scholar Works at Harding. For moreinformation, please contact scholarworks@harding.edu.Recommended CitationHowell, A. (2011). Review of Richard A. Horsley, Covenant Economics. Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Praxis, 2 (1).Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/bible-facpub/1410/3/2019 Missio Dei Journalmissiodeijournal.com/issues/md-2-1/authors/md-2-1-howell 1/2RICHARD A. HORSLEY. Covenant Economics: A Biblical Visionof Justice for All. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,2009. 193 pp. $25.00.In his book Covenant Economics, Richard Horsley, author of twenty books in the field ofNew Testament studies, examines how the economic principles of the biblical covenantcould apply to US society today. Horsley begins by stating his conviction that the nation’sfounders desired to set up a society that was rooted in the biblical covenant. Over time,though, an ideology of freedom and individual self-interest pushed the covenant principlesto the margins, which then “gave license to entrepreneurs in nascent capitalist enterprises”(xii). Corporations were formed, grew, and began to be treated as entities; eventually theywere given stronger “rights” than individuals. Bankruptcy laws meant to protect familiesexperiencing hardship were revised to provide less protection for the family and moreprotection for the corporation. Recalling the recent economic crises, the author notes that“there are huge government bailouts for corporations, but not for families” (xv). In contrastto living a life defined by the imperial economy, we are reminded that the people of Godare called to create covenant communities concerned with economic rights.Horsley’s book, which is divided into two sections, examines the arc of the biblical storythrough the lens of economics and highlights the interconnectedness of religion, politics,and economics. The first section looks at “Economic Justice and the Common Good” in theHebrew Scriptures. Horsley moves chronologically, examining Israel’s socio-economicsituation under the Egyptian imperial economy and the subsequent establishment of acovenantal society, and then considering how that society changed throughout themonarchy and the time of the prophets. He looks carefully at the roots of the Mosaiccovenant and how it established “a relationship between the people and Yahweh . . .patterned after international treaties that were also inseparably political-economic-religious, enforced by the gods and ceremonial blessings and curses” (23). Yahweh’s idealis spelled out clearly: families should have a right to their land in order to produce enoughto live on, and the poor should be protected. Ultimately, “in Israel’s Covenant the society orbody politic . . . is charged with responsibility for guaranteeing the economic rights of themembers of the society to an adequate living” (48–49).In the second section, Horsley examines “The Renewal of Covenantal Community” in theministry of Jesus and the Apostles. Horsley examines how Mark and Matthew use insightsfrom the Qumran community to contextualize Jesus’ call for the renewal of the covenant.He carefully explores the economic circumstances of Jesus’ day, describing the levels ofeconomic exploitation—the multiple “layers of rulers simultaneously making demands on[the people] for tithes, taxes, and/or tribute” (88). Horsley believes that “Jesus wasconcerned directly and in a primary way with economic issues” (113) and that “if anything,he intensified the covenantal demands for communal cooperation and mutual aid, to loveenemies, do good, and lend liberally, despite or perhaps precisely because of the[economic] pressures” (114). He also looks at how Paul worked to establish Messianiccovenantal communities across the Roman Empire.10/3/2019 Missio Dei Journalmissiodeijournal.com/issues/md-2-1/authors/md-2-1-howell 2/2In his final chapter Horsley looks briefly at some possible applications of the economicdimensions of the biblical covenant to contemporary society. He argues that today’scorporations are the new transnational empires, wielding political influence and growingunchecked as they feed off their subjects through powerful marketing tools based on fearand through high interest rates (168–69). And only in the book’s final two pages doesHorsley offer categories of practices for communities of faith to expand the economicdimension of their witness: (1) serve the community (homeless shelters, food pantries,etc.); (2) speak prophetically against corporate abuses and educate the public; and (3) takeeconomic action as a group against injustice (179–80).Overall I found his description of the historical situation of the New Testament to behelpful, but some of his assumptions about the make-up of the early church were puzzling.He assumes, for example, that only poor people were among Jesus’ early followers,ignoring references in the biblical text to wealthy supporters of Christ’s ministry. He saysthat “virtually all of those who joined the assemblies of Christ, including both slaves andthose who may have been heads of households, thus would have lived around thesubsistence level. There is simply no evidence that any were wealthy” (139). Then later hesays that “the picture in the book of Acts of a few well-off members is historicallyunreliable” (142). His decision not to see any wealthy people in the early Messianiccommunities is problematic, because it limits who then belongs to the covenantcommunity. Assuming that all of the early church was exclusively poor distorts the pictureof the early church and keeps us from appreciating and realizing the kind of transformativeand inclusive covenant community that God desires—where both rich and poor love andbless each other.Horsley’s examination of the economic situation of Israel and the early church isenlightening, but my major critique of his book is that he ignores a biblical text, the book ofRevelation, that could have strengthened his case for the impact of covenant economics onfaith communities. It would have been helpful to see how the Christian communities afterJesus and Paul tried to apply the covenant ideals in their urban environments. Thosecommunities were clearly being squeezed by an imperial economic superpower, and thattext could provide valuable insight for his final chapter, where he looks quickly at howcommunities of faith today can position themselves as a godly alternative to the political-economic powers. While I believe that Horsley could have made a stronger case for aneconomic vision of justice throughout the whole biblical text, I would still recommend thisbook as a valuable resource for those who are interested in the economic situation of Israeland the early church and how those faith communities tried to respond to the economicsystems of their day in godly ways.Alan HowellMissionary serving the Makua-Metto peopleMontepuez, Mozambique

Review of Richard A. Horsley, Covenant Economics

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Review of Richard A. Horsley, Covenant Economics

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