Stephen K. De Silva

If you havn't read this type of book before - now is you chance. I've come to the conclusion that I read too much (so says my mother and I'm starting to agree with her (sigh!), Is there nothing new under the sun? I've re-written this review a dozen times in the past without posting - so this is it -

This book would probably be a good cornerstone for you to use as a unit study. As always, look up the referenced scripture so you can see for yourself what God is trying to teach you. There is alot of information in this book to meditate on.… (más)

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Library Thing in exchange for a review.

Had I realized what was in store for me on its pages, I would have read this book much sooner. Stephen De Silva writes the truths I have been needing to find, confirming some things I have understood but haven’t seen or known how to set in motion. He makes it very clear about prosperity and the lack of it – and why – especially dealing with the spirits of Poverty and Mammon.

Chapter titles are:
Purpose
Trouble With Money
Spirit of Poverty
Trust and Faith
Dreaming
Bound in Spirit
Spirit of Mammon
Dominion
The Art of Purpose

This is an excellent book, easy to read and understand. Stephen De Silva teaches biblical truth in a comfortable, sincere manner, explaining the spiritual problems that underlie financial ones. It is not the secret to immediate gratification, but lays out the steps to understanding the financial benefits explained in the Bible and how to get there.

For anyone struggling to handle their finances, or simply wanting to know how to live in the provision of God, this book shows the way. Money and the Prosperous Soul is also very suitable for group study.… (más)

Disclosure: Several years ago I was carrying a burden of debt in a line of credit and two VISA cards. Friends and family helped me get free of that debt but I recognized that I needed to learn about money management, financial planning, and stewardship, otherwise I would fall into the same predicament again. In recognition of that need I requested this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewer program and was fortunate enough to win a copy.

I had decided beforehand that if this book advocated a prosperity gospel that regarded God as the equivalent of a giant ATM that it would end up in the garbage. The same fate would also befall the book should it veer into "name it and claim it/believe it and you will achieve it " territory.

This book avoids those two heretical mindsets by providing teaching that exposes the underlying beliefs that make them heretical. It also takes aim at the roots of the recent financial crisis and collapse and challenges the Church to rethink the way it regards finances and money.

This is not a guide for evaluating and determining the most profitable investments in which to put your money. Instead, it examines the true biblical nature of prosperity and helps the reader recognize the barriers that have prevented them from having the resources to bless others.

De Silva points out that there is a counterpoint to the idolatry of money, that being the spirit of poverty, which is not what most people imagine it to be. SImply stated, it is a belief that there is never enough. This is a belief that gave rise to and continues to be the basis for our current system of economics, military strategy, and world view. It is also one of the foundational assumptions of the theory of evolution, courtesy of Thomas Malthus.

Da Silva maintains that the corrective for this false belief is to develop a prosperous soul, one that places its trust in God and not mammon, one that is open to dreams that will align with our life's purpose to give us direction for our lives as we glorify God through our work, rather than glorifying ourselves or our own selfish dreams of wealth, possessions, leisure, and comfort. The distinction between work and toil, and the need for a Sabbath are valuable insights that need to be understood and lived out. Also valuable are the teachings on the spirit of mammon and dominion which appear in the latter portion of the book.

As noted by Max Weber, the protestant reformation set high standards of accountability and conduct for Christian businessmen that, in turn, established trust and confidence in the economic systems of the time, giving rise to capitalism. Those standards have been lost or compromised in the name of profit and this book has the potential to instigate a much needed reform of our economic systems by calling Christians to once again take the lead in re-establishing trust and confidence, and true prosperity in business affairs.… (más)

My husband and I are currently taking a Crown Financial class at our church, and this book fits in nicely with what we're learning there. It isn't one of those books that tells you all you have to do is believe and claim what you want and the universe will provide. Rather, it gives a different perspective on prosperity as more of a spiritual circumstance than a spiritual one. It makes sense to me, in keeping with what I'm learning in my class, that it's easier to be a good steward of the resources God gives us if we're in a state of mind that yes, there is enough, and yes, God will meet our needs, instead of in the mindset that we are constantly lacking. I'm going to go back and read it again, maybe several times, because it really spoke to me.… (más)