The model of the Jubilee underlies Jesus proclamation of the gospel and becomes central to the economics of Christianity. A podcast of this presentation may be found at www.economicdisciple.org . A video based on this presentation may be found https://vimeo.com/vivgrigg/jubilee

1. Jubilee & Cooperative
Economics: Towards a Third
Way Between
Fracturing Capitalism and
Collapsed Marxism.
Jewish tradition
First Christian Community
Manila Slums: When a Community Has no Money
Liberty Trust: Disempowering the Banks
Kenya: Jubilee & Land Ownership
Viv Grigg
Urban Leadership Foundation 1

2. Directing Anger into New Systems
 There is a common sensing of the urgency of the
times to rectify the drift from the Christian roots
of people's capitalism to increasing exploitation
by globalized corporate capitalism. This is
reflected in the deep anger of a people suffering
through global mismanagement by banks, and
governments of the increasingly complex
economic systems. The prophetic expression of
that anger is being expressed in the OccupyLA
context. But after protest, where does such anger
drive us? There are positive directions that need
to be considered.
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3. Jubilee & Cooperative Economics: Third Ways Between
Fracturing Capitalism and Collapsed Marxism.
Many groups dealing with ethics and economics
from Popes to Amish have proposed a third way
between Capitalism and Socialism. Experiments
have been tried, some succeeding. There is an
understanding that the ‘ism’s have built on a few
economic principles but ignored others. The
Jewish Jubilee gives a basis for examining 9 core
principles of emerging grassroots cooperative
economic processes.
Principles and Scaleable Models
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4. 1. The Jewish Jubilee (Lev 25:8-55)
Every 50th year
A time of equalizing.
I. SLAVES ARE SET FREE
II. DEBTS ARE TO BE
CANCELED.
III. CELEBRATION.
IV. REDISTRIBUTION
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5. The Jubilee (Lev 25: 8-55)
– Principles from an Ancient Custom
 8. Count off… 49 years, then have the
trumpet sounded everywhere…proclaim
liberty throughout the land to all its
inhabitants…The fiftieth year shall be a
jubilee for you; do not sow and do not
reap what grows of itself or harvest the
untended vines…eat only what is taken
directly from the fields…
 13. In this year of Jubilee everyone is to
return to his own property.
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6. Jubilee – Economic Redistribution
 49 Years Free Market, one year
Redistribution – Dealing with
Inflation: 14. If you sell land to one of
your countrymen or buy any from him do
not take advantage of each other. You are
to buy on the basis of the number of years
since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you
on the basis of the number of years left
for harvesting crops. When the years are
many, you are to increase the price and
when the years are few you are to
decrease the price, because what he is
really selling you is the number of crops. 6

7. Jubilee – Freedom from bondage
 Stewardship of Land: 23. The land must
not be sold permanently because the land
is mine and you are but aliens and
tenants...
 Migrant & Debtor Amnesty: 39 If one of
your countrymen becomes poor among
you and sells himself to you, do not make
him work as a slave. He is to be treated as
a hired worker or a temporary resident
among you; he is to work until the Year of
Jubilee. Then he and his children are to
be released…
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8. 2. Christian Message of Jubilee
 Jesus describes it as
 a proclamation of freedom
 a release from oppression
 the coming of a special year.
 Not a year but an age of Jubilee
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9. 3. MODELS: ECOLOGICAL JUBILEE
 In rural contexts, land is the
basis of economics
 Jubilee: Every family has a right
to own their own home
 The Jubilee involves the
redistribution of the land
 Half the world is dispossessed: work
with slum dwellers to gain land rights
 In the US, the necessity for young
couples to have their own home
 Bank controlled “free” markets do not
enable poor people to own their own
homes – hence???
Raineer Chu – Philippines
Lawyer rescues
communities in land
conflicts
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10. 4. A RECONCILING JUBILEE
 The dispossessed people of the land
 The excluded migrant
 In NZ, nationally we have worked on
restoring injustices in land rights issues
for Maori – 735 violations of the treaty,
worked through huis (2-3 day stays and
debates) on maraes (meeting houses)
involving apology, forgiveness,
reconciliation, restitution.
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11. 5. Jubilee/Cooperative Economics in the
First Christian Community (Acts 2:42-44)
FIRST PRINCIPLE:
CELEBRATION
SECOND PRINCIPLE:
COOPERATIVE
ECONOMICS
THIRD PRINCIPLE:
FORSAKING
FOURTH PRINCIPLE:
MEETING NEEDS
FIFTH PRINCIPLE: PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP WITHOUT
POSSESSIVENESS
SIXTH PRINCIPLE:
VOLUNTARY GIVING
SEVENTH PRINCIPLE: THE
EQUALIZING GOSPEL
Rich 5%
Middle Class 10%
Labouring Poor 45%
Destitute Poor 40%
AN EQUALIZING GOSPEL
A RANGE OF JUSTICE & EQUALITY
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12. 4
3
2
1
Common
Fund
Models: Cooperative Economics: Savings in the Slums
 II. Credit Cooperatives
 Savings: 10 people contributing
$1 per week into a common fund
 Given to one person to capitalise
a small business
 They repay week by week,
others keep contributing
 Trains people to save, do basic
bookkeeping
 III. Microfinance
 Only viable after 1-2 years of
savings and credit cooperatives,
only works with the proven
 Too high a level of management
for most poor
 Some are subverting it into
building banking systems
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13. 6. Grassroots Economics:
Disempowering the Powerful
 Creating small
grassroots
organizations
 Spiritual
 Social
 Political
 Economic
 Environmental
 Example –
Cambodians
owning breadshops
 This pushes the
decision-making
and accountability
to the lowest levels
to those with the
highest investment
in consequences.
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14. The ideal of self-sufficient local economies?
 What happens to
businesses when the
mall comes to town?
 Ownership in the
community by the
community
 Control on the
means of production
into the hands of the
people = local small
businesses
Critique
 It’s a pipe dream
 Economies only
survive through
trading
 Conclusion: Keep
pulling/pushing
ownership
downwards
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15. Models: Mortgage Cooperative – Liberty Trust
 What would happen if the church paid
each other’s mortgages and cut out the
moneylenders (Banks = credit
providers=moneylenders)?
 What if twenty families paid in $40 per
week to a common fund?
 What if the common fund was then
used to pay off one mortgage…
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16. Models: Jubilee and Land Rights in Kenya
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17. 8.International
Jubilee &
Redistribution
Sacrificial
Simple
Lifestyles
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18. Models: Lesson from International Devt:
Education at Locus of Production
 Aim of education is not to push papers for
a bureaucracy
 Swiss/German models of trade training for
all within businesses
 European Model: Education is not a
commodity to be bought and sold, but an
investment by society in productivity
 Indemnifying a generation at the age of
22 is a wonderful bankers dream.
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19. Addenda: Sources of 9 Principles of Jubilee Economics
Principle Genesis/ Jubilee Jubilee
1. Creativity God the creator
2. Work God works 49 years
3. Rest God rests Jubilee come
4. Productivity Good outcomes
5. Cooperative
Economics
Let us make Sharing
6 Redistribut’n
for Equality
No needy one
Jubilee –return
of land
Tithing
7. Management,
Savings & Debt
Manage the earth Jubilee cancels
debts
8. Celebration It was good Blow Trumpet
9. Ownership Managers / Own family home
on behalf of (Levites)
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