The eCrozier

This is the second in a series of Ecroziers on the practices of the Christian Faith

Household Economics

When considering household economics, we may think of the old high school home economics class – baking, sewing, & cleaning (yes, I took such a course). The word economics actually comes from the Greek word oikos meaning household. In Scripture oikos refers both to a place where people live (Mk 2:11; Lk 1:23) and to the people of a particular household (Lk 10:5; Lk 11:17). In the Bible, to be part of a household was to know that you belonged and that you had responsibilities in your belonging. Household economics today is still about the same thing. Who belongs in the household? How do we provide for those who belong? How does the oikos use its resources?

Such questions can make us uneasy because they refer in part to how we use money. In the Bible, we hear stories like the rich young man where Jesus tells him to sell all his possessions if he wants to be his disciple. This story hits us hard. Plus, there’s the biblical standard of giving, the tithe (2 Chronicles 31: 4-10). Giving everything away, or just giving ten percent, can be daunting in our consumer culture. Our anxiety implicitly shows just how attached we are to money and other material things.

Household economics, however, is about more than money. Household economics is how we order our households. Who is welcome? Who makes the decisions? Who and what is considered when making those decisions? Does our household stand alone or is it connected to others? Our individual households are part of a larger household, our planet. How we care for this larger household will directly effect how we care for own household. So, our individual practice of household economics impacts the larger household, the earth.

The Bible tells us that in God’s oikos, God has reordered things. As Jesus teaches us about God’s oikos, we learn the first will be last and the last will be first. We learn that the poor, the lame, the tax collectors, and others on the margins of society eat at the same table with everyone else. Jesus tells us that in God’s oikos lepers, orphans, and aliens are especially welcome. We learn in the Biblical witness that in God’s oikos gifts are given so they can be shared, not hoarded. The household economics of God call for a spirit of giving and a practice of hospitality. God’s economy is one in which there is enough for all of God’s creatures. God’s household is not just livable, but hospitable – a place in which all of God’s creatures can truly dwell. Thus, our practice of faith calls us to be intentional about the stewardship of our oikos that it may reflect the oikos of God.

+Scott