Eden’s Bridge: The Marketplace in Creation and Mission

By David B. Doty

Eden's Bridge: The Marketplace in Creation and Mission explores a biblically based theology of the marketplace implicit in the creation narrative of Genesis 1-2. The thesis validates the calling and ministry of all marketplace Christians. David Doty invites readers to rethink and redirect the purposes of vocation, trade, and profit toward the purposes of God's Kingdom, as they were revealed in the beginning and are to be restored in Christ's reign. This book is eye-opening and inviting as it explores how God is moving to reclaim the marketplace for His Kingdom, and His redeeming purposes for the world of commerce. The marketplace holds untold potential if business is conducted according to God's plan: poverty can be eradicated, abundant living can be shared among all people, and shalom can prevail. Eden's Bridge offers hope for recovering from the recent collapse of the global economic system by envisioning a new view of how wealth is made and how the marketplace is yet to serve God's purposes in His mission to the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jan 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781621891536

David B. Doty

David Doty, an independent organizational management consultant, has thirty years combined small business ownership, management, and institutional administrative experience across multiple industries. He received an MA degree in World Mission and Evangelism from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2006.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your abundant grace and mercy.

I owe deep gratitude to my wife, Teresa, and children, Rhea and Hudson. They have suffered long as I have worked on my thesis on marketplace theology. I also want to recognize my parents, Don and Edith (deceased) Doty, who challenged me to explore life through study, travel, and general curiosity, and for endowing me with the discipline of hard work.

I am deeply grateful for the community of God’s church that has surrounded and prayed for me along the way, including Dr. Les and Pat Hearson, Drew and Debi Koss, Monte and Suzanne Thompson, Mike and Carol Stewart, Johnny and Carla Booth, Rod and Leann Curran, Jeff and Sue Lucas, Arv and Judy Metcalf, Diane Munoz, Rick and Jody Boyd, Dick and Tana Shirar, Dr. Darryl Diddle, and the WFMC Tuesday Morning Men’s Prayer Group (you know who you are!). I want to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Don (and his wife, Robby) Joy, my spiritual mentor and priceless friend.

Thank you to all those who have challenged me intellectually in this course, especially Dr. George Plasterer for his intellectual pluck and Dr. Mike Rynkiewich, first among my many great professors. Mike has been a great friend, advisor, and mentor. Other influential professors include Drs. Darrel Whiteman, David Bauer, Chuck Gutenson, Terry Muck, Joseph Wang, and Ken Collins. Of special note of friendship and encouragement are Drs. Kenneth Cain Kinghorn, Jerry Walls, and Tony Headley. The Acton Institute and Fr. Robert Sirico have been invaluable sources of scholarly materials and encouragement.

Completing this manuscript would have been all but impossible if not for the gracious efforts of Dr. Howard Snyder. He took the time out of his busy, busy schedule to discuss the concept while the first draft was in process and to review the entirety of a late draft. His comments, challenges, and questions led to many of the nuances of the final product.

Finally, three seminarians have been especially close friends. David Treloar and Byron Skaggs have been challenging friends, spurring me on in personal holiness and intellectual integrity. The last, Rick Boyd, has been a best friend in both ways but to degrees too deep for words. He is truly a friend closer than a brother and to whom I can never adequately express my gratitude for his ministry to my life and my family.

Introduction

Missiologists and mission practitioners have embraced the marketplace as a vital component in wholistic¹ evangelism, as it ministers to the needs of the whole person in mind, body, and soul. Jesus ministered through preaching, healing, deliverance, and feeding the people of His surrounding culture as they came to Him in their real world needs. He spoke of the hope of economic justice to the poor, that the covenantal system was being re-established in the world. As indictment that they would be held to account for perpetrating selfish injustices, Jesus called the rich and ruling classes to repentance.

This book proposes that the marketplace was intentional in God’s original design. Due to the scope of the subject, time and space dictate presenting broad themes in a globalistic way.² The global view looks across disciplinary divides. Practice in the marketplace, politics, the arts, medicine, education and so on, move along a trajectory toward increasing specialization. Such narrowing disciplinary foci create blinders to the interconnectedness of diverse interests.

The treatment of specific material here is necessarily brief. Scholarly considerations of even one component could fill volumes and launch decades of legitimate discussion and development. The intent here is only to open the door a bit wider on a theoretical level and invite others to carry the conversation forward.

I came to this manuscript as a convergence of thirty years business management and administrative experience (fourteen as an entrepreneur starting and co-owning three small businesses) and eighteen years pursuing Christ, both spiritually and intellectually. It is also the culminating point of eight years’ research and reflection begun in 2003 while pursuing my Master’s degree at Asbury Theological Seminary. The early research was undertaken at the suggestion of my professor, mentor, and friend, Dr. Michael Rynkiewich, an anthropological missiologist.

Chapter 1—Proposing a Biblical Marketplace Theology is a brief statement (one page) of seven propositions supporting the central thesis of Eden’s Bridge—that the marketplace is an institution of God. Those propositions involve content of the creation narrative, filtering the biblical text through economic language and theory, the nature and character of God, Eve’s pivotal role, good and evil in commerce, and the missional function of business.

Chapter 2—An Economic Walk in the Garden is a reflective reading of the first three chapters of Genesis, the narrative of the creation and the Fall. This review is intentional in applying economic terminology to the narrative to illuminate the economic foundations in creation and the juxtaposition of the inherent goodness over against the moral corruption of the marketplace.

Chapter 3—Economic Models and Theological Concerns addresses relevant issues in theological and biblical perspective related to these propositions including economic models, God’s mission in the world (the missio Dei³), eschatology (the last things), teleology (the end, as goal or outcome), soteriology (salvation), and ecclesiology (the church).

Chapter 4—Engaging Relevant Modern and Ancient Terminology examines terms which, when understood in biblical and historic perspective and logically defined, help toward acquiring a Kingdom perspective of the marketplace. These include economic verbiage, definitions of business and the marketplace, and key biblical terms from the original Old and New Testament languages.

Chapter 5—Redeeming the Marketplace considers marketplace-related issues in God’s mission of redemption including the godhead and consecration (sacredness), and how these relate to scarcity, stewardship and debt, collaboration, competition and capitalism, eschatological vision, and the redemption of worldly wealth.

Chapter 6—Market and Mission reflects on a variety of Christian marketplace initiatives and socio-cultural concerns, the marketplace and evangelism, and possible pitfalls in current mission pursuits as the church explores reformative theories of commerce.

1. The specific spelling wholism is adapted as a linguistic means to distinguish Christian application of the term holistic from its general uses, especially in medicine and pagan religious appropriations. In Christian mission, wholism (or holism) has been predominantly used in two ways. The first references the whole ministry of the church, determining that evangelism and social action are inherently inseparable. The second recognizes that persons are whole in being, more than spiritual or temporal beings in isolation, and that Christian ministry should address all aspects of the person, including their temporal (psychological, emotional, intellectual, social, etc.) and spiritual needs in toto, as it seeks to make disciples.

2. Globalist was the term used by Thomas Friedman in The Lexus and the Olive Tree (2000, 23–28) to describe one practicing information arbitrage to span vast and divergent topics to reveal the bigger picture and the ecology between diverse parts.

3. Missio Dei is the Latin phrase for the mission of God, the redemption and restoration of all creation. See Vermuelen, Significance.

1

Proposing a Biblical Marketplace Theology

The marketplace is an institution of God to facilitate (by way of material provision) an enduring relationship between humankind and the godhead, to foster holiness within human experience and relationships, and to advance the plan of redemption of all creation. This thesis is based on seven propositions:

The marketplace is modeled implicitly in the creation narratives of Genesis 1–2.

This model and the principles and purposes of a just marketplace are revealed throughout Scripture when read through the lens of economic theory and language.

The marketplace, as an intended function in creation and ordered by the Trinitarian Godhead, when properly understood and practiced, reflects the nature and character of God as just, active, and co-operant.

The introduction of Eve as helpmate (`ezer) in creation establishes the division of labor, the cooperative, collaborative, and common cause foundations of market economics.

Like marriage, the marketplace has been corrupted deeply by sin (Gen 3).

The benefits of the marketplace and the evils of economic injustice have been documented side-by-side throughout the Bible and the annals of human history.

The redemptive function of the marketplace in God’s mission is toward the re-establishment of shalom, nurturing right relationships between God and humankind, within the human community (social and economic justice), and between the human family and the rest of creation (environmental justice).

2

An Economic Walk in the Garden

To reveal God’s intended marketplace—the place of material, intellectual, and spiritual exchange—in creation, it is helpful to catalog the economic components in the narrative of Genesis 1–3. These elements are essential to the functionality of the Garden as a means to support human life and productivity. These, in turn, facilitate the mutually-beneficial relationships between God and humankind (exchanging the value of companionship), relationships within the human family (improving communal well-being), and the relationship between humankind and the rest of creation (optimizing the role of the natural world). This review is important to appreciate the variety and impact these elements contribute to economic life.

Genesis 1 gives an order of the specific elements of the creation in a day-by-day chronology. Genesis 2 departs from the chronology of the previous chapter and focuses more on Adam’s relationship to God and his surroundings. Finally, Genesis 3 chronicles Adam and Eve’s fall from grace which explains the corruption of the human heart, the world, and all human institutions, including the marketplace.

2.1 Genesis Chapter 1—Systems and Roles

Genesis 1 offers a fairly straight forward chronology of the creation sequence and allows a step-by-step consideration of each created element’s relevance to human economic activity. The individual elements are the building blocks on which the marketplace, as it glorifies God and provides for human sustenance, is built.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (v. 1). Material creation is a product originating in the desire of the godhead. Astrophysics demonstrates that the earth placed appropriately in the heavens (in its particular solar orbit) creates the opportunity for a life-supporting environment. The heavens and earth were created together and ordered as the foundation for human temporal existence. As the discussion will bear out, the earth / sun ecosystem is the foundational means of production.

And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters (v. 2). The origin and sustaining power of the universe is God. The Spirit of God was active in the sequence and is easily understood as the impetus of creation. Water is foundational to sustaining organic life. As to economic value, beyond water’s role in organic life, history demonstrates the great importance of water in power generation, transportation, and manufacturing processes.

Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light (v. 3). Light is the foundation of a variety of energy forms, especially those used pre-dating the discovery and control of atomic energy, and is vital to sustaining life. Photosynthesis in plant growth and production results in light energy being transferred to plant eating organisms, thereby enabling animals to convert the energy stored in vegetable matter to kinetic energy (and to grow meat). Plant materials, to be introduced in verses eleven and twelve, have also been used to fuel fire for heat, light, protection, manufacturing, cooking, and medicines. Through plant photosynthesis and the ingestion of plant material, carbon-based life forms, energized by light, have contributed to the creation of fossil fuels, oil, natural gas, and coal, which have also proven useful in the manufacture of innumerable products, such as building materials, clothing, home furnishings, and a wide range of plastics and other composites.

And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day (vv. 4–5). The demarcation of time is useful in incalculable ways in production and planning. While the Genesis narrative here states simply the separation of day from night, the regularity of solar and lunar cycles lend itself to minutes, hours, days, months and years. Measurable time serves as a relevant constant in the physics of structural and other engineering applications, and allows for stabilities and consistencies in the design and function of instrumentation and processes.

Then God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (vv. 6–8)

Air, like light and water, is an essential component for life and is also instrumental in numerous manufacturing processes. A stable atmosphere allows rains to recycle water and facilitates humans taking flight with the birds (vv. 20–21). Water systems—streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans—support myriad life forms (vv. 20–21) that also contribute to the complex ecosystem of the world, though roles animals play and the eating of meat before the Fall is dubious.

Verse eight makes the second statement on the demarcation of time into days and establishes that the night / day revolution is a regularly repeating cycle. The separation of day and night is repeated five more times. The repetitive consistency of the daily cycle establishes its constancy.

Then God said, ‘Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear’; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good (vv. 9–10). The separation of land from the waters allows for fixed, stable, and widely variant places of habitation for wide varieties of organic life (see also, Acts 17:26b). Soil and substrata, as storehouses of minerals and elements, allow reasonable access (rather than diving under water for retrieval) to those elements for their use in plant production, tool-making, and construction.

Then God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (vv. 11–13)

Plant life and the regenerative, propagating nature of its seed allows for the long term dietary support of animal life and recycling carbon dioxide for atmospheric regeneration. As mentioned, plant life has a variety of uses as food, fuel, medicines, and even benefits as mundane as providing cool, shady protection from the sun (Jon 4:6).

Then God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. (vv. 12–19)

The demarcation of time is revisited in the creation of the sun and moon and specifying days and years, which hints of work cycles and growing seasons. The sun is the solar furnace for the earth and the source of light energy fundamental to sustaining plant life. Solar energy has been increasingly captured and converted to electricity in recent history for direct use in a wide variety of applications. Modern technologies utilizing solar polar are bypassing photosynthesis, to heat water directly, which in turn generates steam, turns turbines, and broadcasts generated electricity through distribution systems. Tidal cycles, the rising and lowering of coastal water levels, caused by the gravitational effects of the moon on the earth, are also being increasingly utilized as sources of sustainable energy.

Then God said, Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (vv. 20–21)

God filled the waters and air with animal forms for human consumption or as lower stations in the food chain. While not mentioned explicitly before the Fall, the presence of these animals as a food source after the Fall, like the presence of iron in the ground which facilitates tool making, illuminates the omniscience of God in preparing the earth for what He knew was coming. Animals and the presence of mineral resources were a redemptive stroke, anticipating technological development which would allow humankind to survive and flourish after the introduction of human sin.

And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day (vv. 22–23). God established procreative animal life and establishes generational life-cycles in perpetuity. To support all the generations and increasing numbers of the human family, the earth’s ecosystem is a regenerative, seemingly tireless base for the production of food, housing, tools, and an ever-broadening array of creature comforts.

Then God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (vv. 24–25)

Without question, animals have served humankind in numerous ways including protective covering (such as the product innovation of the covering of skins in Gen 3:21), as food, protection, companionship, and as beasts of burden for field work, transportation, and trade.

An interesting side note is that God designed creation such that every living creature and plant would produce after its own kind to all subsequent generations. We may sometimes wonder how it is that humankind inherits sin from generation to generation but after the Fall Adam and Eve were corrupted beings. They could produce no other kind and Adam, as our natural father, has passed that trait along to us in spiritual genetics. Jesus, progeny of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18), was born with that gene unaltered by sin and now we, being reborn in Christ, take on the nature of our heavenly Father rather than Adam.

Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’ (v. 26). God introduces humankind to the home place. The appointment of dominion includes the responsibilities and rights of appropriate use and conservatory coexistence. In the earth and its wide array of characteristics, God has created both a place of habitation and the primary means of production to support abundant life. Dominion over creation reaches beyond the creation care implied by tending the Garden (Gen 2:15). Dominion over creation is delegated authority to ensure that the earth is actualized in fulfilling God’s purposes for it.

¹

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (v. 27). God creates humankind in His own image, the aspects of which are innumerable and in part unfathomable. Traits imparted to humankind relevant to market functions by God include cognizance (self-awareness), rationality, emotion, and especially creativity, which can occur as rational thought connects ideas or material realities to convey emotive sensibilities or to resolve problems. The realization of morality does not occur until the Fall (3:7–13) when Adam and Eve, though shirking the responsibility of their rebellious act, are met with the guilt and shame of their disobedience finding themselves suddenly equipped to discern good and evil. The traits noted above contribute immeasurably to the advancement of economies. An important point here not to be missed is that the image of God is both male and female. This speaks to egalitarian roles. The treatment of woman inside and outside the marketplace throughout history has fallen far short of God’s glorious image.

²

And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have