Author to discuss 'God-centred economy'

"The God of abundance does want to give you your best life now," he says. But, he states, prosperity in God's economy is not about getting more money, a newer car or bigger house.

"God's abundance is more radical than many of us have dared to dream," he says. "We sell ourselves short if we think the joy of the Lord can be captured in a cosmetically whitened smile."

The good life, he adds, isn't about becoming richer. Instead, it's about making sure that everyone has access to what they need to survive.

"The whole story of Scripture seems to say that God's party isn't finished until all his children are gathered around the table, breaking the bread we have, passing the pieces to one another and living the beloved community that is communion with our Lord," he says.

Wilson-Hartgrove, an associate minister at the St. John's Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, will be in Winnipeg this weekend to talk about ways Christians can live according to what he calls a "God-centred economy" -- ways that make it possible for everyone to enjoy the good life on Earth.

His first presentation is tonight, 7:30 p.m., at Aqua Books, 274 Garry St., on the topic of God's Economy in the Economic Crisis. He will preach Sunday night, 7 p.m., at Saint Benedict's Table, the Anglican congregation sponsoring his visit. The church meets at All Saints Anglican Church at Osborne and Broadway.

He concludes his visit with a public lecture at the Ellice Theatre, 587 Ellice Ave., on Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. on the topic of the New Monasticism and the Resurrection of North American Christianity.

Wilson-Hartgrove puts his preaching into practice. Together with his wife and son, he lives in a community called Rutba House in Durham's downtown core. In addition to praying and eating together, members of the group also take in the homeless and are engaged in efforts to speak against militarism, racism and poverty.

"We direct our ambitions toward what we consider to truly be the good life," he says. "We want to be a place where everyone can flourish, especially those left out and marginalized."

The community bases its efforts on what Wilson-Hartgrove calls the five tactics of the God-centred economy: Service, eternal investments, economic friendship, relational generosity and living under occupation.

"They come from the teachings of Christ," he says, adding that he believes Christians should be "building relationships across dividing lines" like race, economics, education and whatever else keeps people apart.

He also believes that Christians need to share their wealth in ways that build relationships between people -- not just give to charity.

"We should use our money to make new friends," he says, not just to solve a problem or "assuage our guilt."

Instead, he says, giving should be a process where "the poor find bread and the rich find healing because we rediscover one another as friends."

As for the waning influence of religion in society, Wilson-Hartgrove says that North American Christians need to get used to not being movers and shakers in society.

"Jesus came into a world that lived under Roman occupation," he says. "His message was that we don't need to be in charge to change the system."

Wilson-Hartgrove is a leader in what is called "new monasticism," a way of life that draws on the rich Christian tradition of monastic living and practices. This ecumenical movement, which is not part of any order in the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizes sharing economic resources, showing hospitality, bridging racial divides, community, caring for creation, peacemaking and committing to a disciplined and contemplative life.

That all sounds pretty formal and serious, but Wilson-Hartgove says that they are just "a bunch of Jesus followers who have committed ourselves to a new way of life in community... we're a group of people trying to be the church together, trying to be the good news in our neighbourhood."

For more information about Wilson-Hartgrove's visit, go to www.stbenedictstable.ca.

jdl562000@yahoo.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 14, 2009 H13