“Occupying” Genesis 1–3: Missionally Located Reflections on Biblical Values and Economic Justice

Abstract

Chronic economic disparities are painfully evident throughout the world, and in this context challenging questions of missional hermeneutics, formation, and practice arise. This article seeks to tease out some noteworthy economic implications of Gen 1–3, implications that are both theologically and missionally evocative and often at odds with widespread anthropological assumptions, market-centric values, and conceptions of socio-economic justice. Drawing together insights from Gen 1–3, the Babylonian Enuma Elish Creation Myth, neoclassical and contemporary economic perspectives, and Catholic Social Teaching, the article highlights key anthropological and socio-economic values that can contribute to a biblically authentic missional hermeneutic.