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Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers is the latest release by pastor, author, and biblical counselor, Jim Newheiser. I had the privilege of hearing Jim give a sermon at the college group I attended about ten years ago. Jim was the mentor to my pastor and I really enjoyed learning from him and have been following him online ever since. I am familiar with and own his book Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage and was excited to learn that he was releasing a book about finances.
Money, Debt, and Finances is similar to the marriage book in format. The book is organized as a series of common questions that Christians have about finance and answers directly from Scripture. Jim also offers wisdom that he’s obtained in his work as a biblical counselor and pastor. One of the aspects of Money, Debt, and Finances that I really appreciate is that it helps readers understand that their righteousness is in Christ, not the state of their finances. Understanding this makes me want to obey Christ and makes giving and stewardship delightful tasks rather than burdensome duties. In the book’s preface, Jim wrote this incredibly helpful encouragement: “Our goal is not to be debt-free or to be wealthy. Our goal is to glorify God in all things, including our finances.” I went back and re-read these sentences multiple times and my heart found so much freedom in this reminder. Prior to reading this, I had felt like somewhat of a failure as a Christian in the area of finances because I hadn’t perfectly completed all of the baby steps in the Dave Ramsey method.
Although I appreciate the practicality of the Dave Ramsey method, I haven’t found it to be very realistic at times and it seems to me that it lacks grace and doesn’t emphasize trusting God. Jim’s book does encourage many principles that the Dave Ramsey method includes but does so in a manner that is gracious. It digs deeper into Scripture and into overarching biblical themes including God’s sovereignty. Since the book is a question and answer format, the chapters are on the shorter side. I love that the book can be read from beginning to end like a traditional book or it can be used as more of a reference for those who are looking for biblical answers to specific questions.
I really enjoyed learning from Jim’s wisdom and gaining a deeper understanding of the world of finance. If you are looking to learn more about how to approach finances through the lens of Scripture or are hoping to counsel individuals in the area of finance, I highly recommend reading this book.
I received Money, Debt, and Finances compliments of P & R Publishing in exchange for my launch team participation.
