A Short Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

Abstract

An important question motivating this book is whether there is any new insight to be gained from using a first-century management lens to interpret the Christian scriptures about the life and teaching of Jesus. In particular, will such a lens lead to interpretations that are qualitatively different from conventional twentyfirst-century interpretations? Or will they simply reinforce the ideas that Max Weber associated with the “Protestant ethic,” which he argued provide the moral underpinning for modern-day capitalism and conventional management theory and practice? If a first-century understanding of these scriptures provides support for a different approach to management, then they may represent an important response to Weber’s call to escape the “iron cage” via a “rebirth of old ideas and ideals.”¹