In a world ravaged by extreme inequality and ecological crisis, many Christians struggle to reconcile their faith with economic systems that seem to contradict Gospel values. The Kingdom Economy offers a bold and compelling alternative: Christian socialism grounded in biblical wisdom and theological tradition.
Drawing on extensive experience teaching and living in developing countries across Asia, Daniel Payne demonstrates how capitalism's fundamental assumptions about human nature, social relationships, and creation directly oppose core Christian teachings. Through careful biblical exegesis, historical analysis, and contemporary examples, he shows that the radical Jesus who proclaimed good news to the poor calls followers toward economic arrangements based on justice, equality, and mutual care rather than competition and accumulation.
Payne traces a rich tradition of Christian socialism from early church communalism through liberation theology to contemporary voices like Pope Francis, revealing how believers throughout history have understood their faith as requiring economic transformation. He addresses common theological and practical objections while providing concrete guidance for building alternatives through cooperatives, community organizing, and prophetic witness.
Neither abstract theology nor partisan politics, The Kingdom Economy offers a practical roadmap for Christians seeking to align their economic lives with their spiritual commitments. It challenges comfortable assumptions while providing hope that another world is possible-a world where economics serves human flourishing and environmental sustainability rather than wealth concentration and ecological destruction.
This is essential reading for anyone wrestling with the relationship between faith and economics in an age of crisis, offering both prophetic challenge and practical wisdom for the work of transformation.