28: Matt Tebbe: Money, Power, and Abuse in the Church

Sep 27, 2023

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Why have we spiritualized so much of Jesus’ teaching on poverty, money, and forgiveness? It is the only way we could make sense of his teachings while wearing the insulation that power provides us. But what does Christ say about money and power? How have we harnessed what Jesus calls the god of mammon into our methodologies of modern church growth tactics?

Today I talk with Matt Tebbe, an expert voice in the areas concerning mammon, which is the Bible’s word for the worship of the economy, colonial empire, authoritarian abuse, and patriarchy. Matt says hard things, but good things. His voice is honest and succinct. Matt Tebbe. holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, has been featured in the pages of Leadership Journal and Shattered Magazine. Matt's insights are also featured in the book 'What Pastors Wish Their Congregations Knew,' authored by Kurt Fredrickson and Cameron Lee. He's also been a prominent voice in thought-provoking platforms such as Missio Alliance and The V3 Movement. Matt's collaborative spirit shines through his co-authorship of 'Having the Mind of Christ' alongside Ben Sternke which won the IVP Reader's Choice Award.

Matt is more than just a writer and thinker. He's a practitioner of transformational leadership as the co-founder of Gravity Leadership, and he serves as the co-rector of an Anglican church plant known as 'The Table,' nestled in the northeast suburbs of Indianapolis. Join us today as we dive into Matt's journey and how he balances it all with his life alongside his wife Sharon and their children, Deacon and Celeste.

To see Matt’s work, please visit his website: https://www.thetableindy.org/, https://gravityleadership.com/, https://substack.com/@matttebbe,

Time Stamps for the episode:

00:52 Introductions
03:58 Climbing Mt. Whitney
08:56 Facing Internal Demons on the Mountain
14:04 Spiritual Roots in Catholicism
18:33 Grace in Community & Abuse on Church Staff
23:57 Abusive Leadership Embraces Power and Causes Trauma
30:18 Using Your Voice with Clarity and Humility
34:36 Spiritualizing the Poor is a Hermeneutic Mistake
40:17 The God of Mammon, Power, Money, and Economy
46:45 What “Love of Money” Actually Looks Like
51:47 Exposing Undercover Idolatry
57:08 Mammon’s Weapon is Fear of Death
1:00:50 What Really Causes Inflation
1:06:27 Gatekeepers of the Bible Don’t Actually Like the Bible
1:13:14 Mammon “Works” and Why We Can’t See It.
1:18:40 How to Love our Neighbor
1:21:11 Conclusions

All Music for this episode is provided by Axeltree

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