"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine ..."

"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine ..." Within the Godhead, Jesus says, all things are held in common. There is no ownership as everything is shared or continually and mutually exchanged. This is, at least, part of what it means for the Father and the Son to be one."

That is how the latest Gospel Reflection by Jonathan Evens for the Mission in London's Economy website begins. To read the remainder, which suggests some contemporary economic applications that derive from this understanding of the Trinity, click here.

FiLE update

Emerging from FiLE's autumn seminars were two proposals for further action.

 

The first involved participation in the Finance Innovation Lab, an open environment in which people can come together to explore, innovate and evolve the financial system so that it sustains people and planet (http://thefinancelab.ning.com/). Jonathan Evens has recently joined the Finance Innovation Lab (and, in particular, Peter Challen's 'Faith & Philosophy influencing Finance' group) and will aim to input from a FiLE perspective.

The second was for a centre blending social enterpreneurship, spirituality and work as part of the Olympics legacy, an idea that is being taking forward by a Development Group. As a FiLE representative, Jonathan Evens is now part of the core reference group for this new initiative which has been named Sophia Hubs. Sophia Hubs are intended to be incubators and catalysts for new social and economic enterprises harnessing the wisdom and energy of spiritual traditions. If you would be interested in exploring further the idea of Sophia Hubs please contact the Development Group at tel: 0207-766-1129 or email: sophiahubs@yahoo.com.

 

Jonathan Evens, as FiLE Chair, has also agreed to be a signatory of a letter to the Independent Commission on Banking, initiated by Peter Challen. The letter argues that "without radical reform our banking system is likely to fail again and again with various dangerous social, environmental and political consequences including, not least, ceaseless magnification of the gap between the rich and all others." A basic sense of self-preservation requires that we tackle the root of this problem, that is, the processes of money creation and the letter urges the Commission to take another hard look at proposals that address the fundamental question of how and by whom and for what purposes money is created.

 

Finally, Jonathan Evens has been asked to speak at a Taste of Religion event organised by the Employers Forum of Belief and KPMG which will cover religious festivals. Other speakers include Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer, Khola Hasan, Shaunaka Rishi Das, Dr Satinder Singh and Simon Webley. More details can be found at: http://www.efbelief.org.uk/events.php/31/taste-of-religion.

Faith in Business features seminars

The Renegotiating 'value' seminar series is being featured in the Faith in Business quarterly. The current issue includes a summary of the Profit v Prophet seminar, while the next issue may summarise the Bonus v Pro Bono seminar. A previous issue of Faith in Business included a copy of the shared faiths response to the credit crunch facilitated by Faiths in London's Economy.

The Faith in Business Journal aims to:

• help readers discover a fuller sense of God's purpose and hope in their working lives, integrating their faith, their work and their worship
• highlight the necessity and value of wealth creation within God's creative and redemptive purposes, while bringing the processes of wealth creation under careful scrutiny
• encourage individuals to apply Christian values in their work, and help them to resolve the moral dilemmas they often face
• persuade the leaders of industry, commerce, finance and public services to operate within the framework of Christian principles and values.
• assist church leaders in understanding key issues in the changing economic environment, so that where challenge is called for it is based on an informed and up-to-date appraisal
• urge the churches to support people in their daily work and to declare the value of all honest work in generating wealth for the common good.