Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers

“I didn’t want to read this book. Money can get me too nervous. Then, once I stepped in, I enjoyed its biblical clarity and reach, even extending to questions about college majors, school loans, and investments. The book helped me, it will help my adult children, and it prepared me for important conversations with friends.”

“I’ve read plenty of books on finances, from both Christian and secular perspectives, but I’ve yet to encounter one that combines sound biblical wisdom with down-to-earth practical advice in the way that Jim Newheiser’s Money does. I wish it had been available to me in my early 20s, as a newly married university graduate, but even now it has helped me reassess my stewardship of the monetary resources that God has provided for my family. Whatever your current financial situation and stage of life, you’ll benefit from reading this book. You can take that to the bank!”

“I am very grateful to Jim Newheiser for this work. Jim clearly lays out from the Scriptures that we are managers and not owners of the resources that the Lord has given us. This resource will help you understand how to be a good steward not only in your giving, but also in your work, spending, and savings. I highly recommend this book, and I will refer to it often.”

“The combination of Dr. Newheiser’s background in business, ministry, and counseling makes him well qualified to discuss difficult financial issues. He deals with broad topics, such as the blessings and dangers of wealth, the importance of work, and preparing for the future, including retirement. He also discusses very practical issues, such as laziness, creating a budget, avoiding debt (or getting out of it), and different kinds of investments. Many scriptural principles are woven through the book, and when Scripture is not entirely clear on a matter, that is also pointed out. No matter what your current financial situation is, you will benefit from this book. If you know people with financial troubles, they will certainly be helped by the practical wisdom in these pages.”

“I love reading books, but I shout out loud when I’m reading a book by a seasoned author whose wisdom has been forged in the trenches of real life, sitting across from people in desperate need of godly counsel. The book in your hands is that kind of book. Pastoring and counseling for over thirty years now has afforded me the privilege and pain of seeing the fallout from foolish financial decisions that often haunt people for decades. Jim brings practical and biblical clarity to the financial land mines that people keep stepping on as he addresses credit cards, debt, insurance, student loans, cosigning, investment strategies, the temptation of wealth, and more. You’ll love this book and likely find yourself saying, ‘I wish I’d read this years ago.’ Read it, live it, recommend it to others.”

“Jim Newheiser believes in the sufficiency of Scripture. I have known Jim for nearly twenty-five years, and I have learned much from him. He is a trusted guide. Everything Jim writes is deeply biblical and wonderfully practical, and this book is no exception. In my opinion, this is now the go-to book for biblical wisdom on finances. It is God-centered. It is biblical. It is wise. It is comprehensive. It is arranged so that you can go straight to a topic. But it is also designed so that it could be used in small groups or Sunday school classes. Jim writes so that God’s people would glorify God in their work and their finances. May God be pleased to use this book to help sanctify the church by disabusing us of society’s money myths and by renewing our minds by the Word of God.”

“Any Christian book on the subject of money faces a challenge: it must deal with both timeless principles and contemporary applications— issues that transcend time and context and those that are inexorably bound to a particular time and a particular context. Jim Newheiser’s Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers strikes just the right balance. It carefully distinguishes between what the Bible says to all people in all times and what it says to a certain people at a certain time. For that reason and many more, I am glad to recommend it.”

“Jim Newheiser has done an excellent job in writing Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers to address the challenging issues that face most of us on our sanctifying journey as believers. Jim has devoted a lifetime to collecting information on these topics, not only from Scripture but from his experience as a pastor, a businessman, and a biblical counselor. I heartily recommend this book to anyone seeking God’s answers to these critical and common financial questions.”

“Who knew that a seasoned pastor, seminary teacher, and biblical counselor had so much to say on the topic of money! By answering forty-one practical questions, Jim Newheiser explores the astounding relevance of scriptural principles on spending, budgets, poverty, work, debt, gambling, giving, vocation, wealth, and the intriguing-but-overlooked connection between our heart and our finances. It’s difficult to imagine any reader’s having unanswered questions after reading this comprehensive guide!”

“It is always a pleasure to read a book by Jim Newheiser, and Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers does not disappoint. As a physician, I am painfully aware that doctors are well known for playing golf badly and doing a worse job of managing our money. This book is on the list that I wish I had read when I was starting out. It offers a wide variety of biblical principles by which to govern our use of money in forty-one concise chapters. I found this book helpful in ordering my own finances. I highly recommend it for those who are looking for guidance on how to honor God with the resources he gives us.”

“Newheiser provides a comprehensive, biblically driven resource— strewn with practical suggestions—on how to view money and how to gain and spend it, when to borrow or lend it, and how to save and invest it, always with a consistent, explicit aim to honor God, who owns all our possessions. My new starter guide about money both for me and for those I disciple and counsel.”

“Many books, programs, and financial gurus will tell you what to do with your money, but God’s Word is the ultimate source of financial wisdom. First and foremost, it gives us our goal as Christians—not to be debt-free or to get rich, but to glorify God in all things. All other financial principles in Scripture flow out of this high calling. In an accessible Q&A format, biblical counselor and former financial consultant Jim Newheiser presents financial wisdom that is grounded in faithful biblical exegesis and rooted in sound theology. What are common misunderstandings about money? How can you create and balance a budget? How can you get out of debt? What insurance do you need? He answers these questions and more, providing a go-to resource for laypeople and those who counsel them.”

“I always knew that the Bible spoke a lot about money, but I never realized how much until I read this wonderful new book by Jim Newheiser. With a commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture, and with remarkable depth and wisdom, Newheiser shows us that the Bible provides essential guidance on a wide range of financial questions. I highly recommend Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers.”

“Jim Newheiser’s book on money is a must-read. You need this book to know what money is, how to think about it, what the Bible says about it, and how to honor God with it. On every page I found myself educated and edified. I am praying that this book finds its way into many hands!”

“This will be my go-to book when counseling Christians about finances. It is excellent, based on biblical principles, and highly practical. It should be very helpful for young and older Christians. It will be useful for counseling people who are irresponsible in money matters. And it would be a great textbook for teaching a class. I will recommend it often. It covers a plethora of important money matters.”

“Books on money and personal finance are, ironically, a dime a dozen. This one by Jim Newheiser is worth its weight in gold. Not only does Jim get into the practical nuts and bolts of how to acquire, spend, save, and invest money (as well as manage debt), he also addresses the ways that finances reveal the idols of our hearts and how the gospel can wean us off such cheap God-substitutes. Jim shows us that stewarding our financial resources wisely is not just good for us; it constitutes a significant aspect of a life of worship, lived in grateful obedience to our Savior. Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers provides hope for those who have already met financial ruin, as well as further wisdom for those who are already making good choices. Jim’s book will become the first resource I pass out to those who need mentoring in this crucial area.”

“Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers is an amazing book combining biblical principles and very practical advice. It will answer all your questions about money and God’s perspective. I like this book a lot and plan to give it to all our children and adult grandchildren. I wish my husband and I had had it when we were young.”

“Jim Newheiser masterfully applies biblical principles and values to the dozens of important money decisions that Christians must make today. His book is one of the few that connect the big question of how to glorify God with the myriad money questions faced in daily life. The result is a veritable ‘Wikipedia’ of godly money guidance. Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers charts a course around the many financial minefields for youth, college students, young couples, middle-agers, those in business, those approaching retirement, the struggling, and the wealthy. This is the most thorough money guide for Christians in print today.”

“Without doubt, one of the significant challenges that many people face is financial pressure, and Christians are certainly not immune. To add to this challenge, many questions are regularly raised about the use (and misuse) of money. This subject is heightened even further when you consider that Jesus himself said that ‘where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matt. 6:21). Given this critical truth from our Lord, Jim Newheiser has applied his considerable skill in answering forty-one different questions related to this incredibly important topic. If you, like me, have struggled to carefully understand and practically apply what the Bible teaches about money, this is just the book for which you’ve been waiting.”

“People need discernment—biblical discernment. This is expressly true when it comes to money. What Dr. Jim Newheiser does here is to provide the church with an exceptional resource for developing biblical discernment about money. His book is useful to disciples of Jesus Christ who want to glorify God through their understanding and use of money. Built on faithful exegesis, Jim’s volume provides biblically sufficient, practical guidance for the people of God to think rightly about money and use it wisely for the glory of God.”

“In his wonderful book Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers, author Jim Newheiser shares both biblical and practical wisdom about virtually all areas of finances. In a world in which even many Christians struggle with financial bondage, stress, and pressures, this book offers solid principles that, when applied, can lead to true financial freedom. Given that money conflicts in marriage are one of the leading causes of divorce, Money will serve as a valuable resource for the Christian counselor who wants to know how to counsel—through the lens of biblical stewardship. I highly recommend this book to every Christian counselor and to everyone else who wants to learn biblical and practical principles that lead to wise stewardship and financial freedom.”

“A guide full of important information for those who want to apply God’s Word to their financial life. It not only discusses the many financial roadblocks that we face today, but leaves readers with answers that they can begin to reflect on. It equips them to go deeper than just getting out of debt: it encourages them to become financial disciples. I look forward to using this book as a reference to answer the many questions that we receive.”

“Stewardship of money and resources is a frequently recurring subject for most experienced counselors because it is a persistent problem among Christians. Mark Twain sarcastically remarked, ‘The lack of money is the root of all evil,’ because everyone knew that it was not true. As Scripture says, it’s the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim. 6:10)! Jim Newheiser’s book Money, Debt, and Finances: Critical Questions and Answers is a carefully written analysis of how a Christian should handle the financial resources that God has provided. The amount of money one possesses is not nearly as important as its stewardship. This book is packed full of very practical counsel, using God’s Word as the standard and guide for some of the most important and difficult financial decisions that you will face in life. The biblical backdrop for handling money must be understood if you plan to bring glory to God, and this book very effectively unveils that backdrop. I believe it will benefit Christians around the world for a long time to come!”

“This book is a wonderful blend of solid biblical principles and practical application to the way we handle the money that God has entrusted to us. Jim Newheiser is a seasoned pastor, professor, and biblical counselor, and he is also a trusted friend. Readers will learn solid truths that will guide their use of money, but more importantly will be drawn into a more fulfilling relationship with Jesus as they find him to be their greatest treasure.”

“In all my years of studying, teaching, counseling, and training others to do the same with the biblical principles of handling God’s money and possessions, I have always wanted a reference book like this one. A plethora of books have been written by godly businessmen who have studied God’s Word and have written about God’s ownership and our stewardship as well as practical subjects on budgeting, getting out of debt, giving, and operating a business. But very few books so thoroughly deal with dozens of the most common financial problems that show up in the counseling room (and in all our lives as believers) in such a thorough theological and scriptural manner. I plan to use this book heavily in my future teaching and counseling activities.”