Generosity reader

oxfordFebruary 2011

Brief overview: the story of God’s Generosity

the God who created a good and perfect world, but whose world turned from him, has brought restoration through gift: the Father loved the world and gave the son, and the Father and the son pour out the gift of the spirit into the hearts of humanity, bringing about praise, hope, and new creation. Those united to the Son by the Spirit then find their lives caught up with the glorious gift of God’s coming Kingdom.

in other words, the gospel is shaped by giving: God’s generosity buys us out of bondage and brings us into all the blessing of belonging to him. But the good news is not only that God has made us to be recipients of his grace but also participants in the movement of his divine generosity.

Living in God’s gifts we are free to give ourselves. and so the cross and resurrection of Christ now come to reshape this new life of faith, hope, and generosity—a life that is best lived not in isolation but as a community. By placing the practice of giving within the larger story of God’s generosity, [we are encouraged] not simply to “give more,” but to step into the powerful current of God’s great gifts to the world.

Kelly Kapic with Justin Borger, God so Loved He Gave: entering the Movement of divine Generosity, (Zondervan, 2010), excerpt taken from front flap.

READINGSGod’s Ownership and Our Stewardship

“Chapter One: All Things Belong to God” in Kelly Kapic with Justin Borger, God So Loved He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity, (Zondervan, 2010), 15-29.

“Chapter Two: God and Money: A Biblical Theology of Possessions” by Craig Blomberg in Wesley K. Willmer ed., Revolution in Generosity (Moody, 2008), 45-60.

“Recognizing God’s Ownership” and “Responding to God’s Grace” in Timothy Keller, Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes us Just (Dutton, 2010), 88-96.

“Chapter Two: Compounding Joy” in Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle (Multinomah, 2001), 22-35.

Participating in God’s Generosity

“Chapter Two: How Should We Give?” in Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (Zondervan, 2005), 55-64.

“Sharing Possessions: A Challenge to the Church” in Richard Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament (Harper Collins, 1996), 464-468.

“Chapter Ten: Following a Crucified Lord” in Kelly Kapic with Justin Borger, God So Loved He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity, (Zondervan, 2010), 147-162.

“Chapter Three: Eyes on Eternity” in Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle (Multinomah, 2001), 36-45.

“Chapter Fourteen: Giving Life Together” in Kelly Kapic with Justin Borger, God So Loved He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity, (Zondervan, 2010), 201-210.

“Spirituality of Fund Raising” from an unedited transcription from a talk given by Henri Nouwen to the Marguerite Bourgeoys Family Service Foundation (September 16, 1992).