Final Thoughts

The basic premise of this book is both simple and profound. It is simple because it sought to interpret the Gospel of Luke through a first-century management lens. After describing the basic contours of such a lens (i.e., the hallmarks of conventional first-century oikonomia, chrematistics, and benefaction/patron-client relationships), the content of the Gospel was examined to see what it said about management. The message throughout Luke is quite consistent: goods and services producing organizations should be designed so that everyone is treated with dignity (with special attention to including former outcasts), money should be managed to nurture community consistent with sustenance economics, and external relationships should be characterized by benefaction. Using this same lens to look at some broader themes in Luke showed that the kingdom of God is often enacted and manifest in goods and services producing organizations, that salvation often involves being freed from oppressive organizational practices and embracing redemptive alternatives, and that the Holy Spirit plays a key role in facilitating the development of such inclusive radical oikoi. Finally, embedded in Luke’s Journey Narrative is four-phase process model, a veritable “how to guide” explaining how to transition from conventional to countercultural oikos practices. While these ideas are nuanced and elegant, they are also is some sense simple. Indeed, once equipped with a first-century management lens, it would be difficult for readers not to see these basic principles in the Gospel of Luke.