A Shared Future
A Review of
Jubilee Economics: The Purpose, Practices, and Possibilities for a Better Future
Kelley Nikondeha
Paperback: Orbis Books, 2025
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Reviewed by Justin Lonas
Poverty is a cruel reality of our world, trapping billions in its grasp. Stories of suffering and loss from those crushed by it move us to compassion. Yet, even after decades of work by NGOs and development agencies, poverty seems as intractable as ever. What if we understood that the fundamental goal to break down poverty should be not just to reduce suffering but to see people restored to participation in the economic life of our communities?
In her new book, community development practitioner Kelley Nikondeha demonstrates that this is the purpose of the ancient (and biblical) practice of jubilee—the cancelling of debts and restoration of lost assets. She argues that it is not just a moral principle but good economic practice, because its goal is to bring people back into the life of communities and countries, rather than pushing them to the margins.
Nikondeha appeals to Christian readers with a stark reminder that debt is the opposite of loving our neighbors. Inescapable debt restricts hope and economic life, and accepting the indebtedness of some to finance the wealth-building of others misses a key principle of life in God’s economy—that God owns it all (Ps. 24, Lev. 25, etc.).
She spends much of the first half of the book exploring jubilary decrees and traditions in the Ancient Near East and through the Scriptures. Mesopotamian kingdoms left records of blanket “clean-slate” debt cancelations to celebrate the transition of rulers transition or milestones in a king’s life, predating the biblical provisions for jubilee in the Pentateuch.
Teaching on the jubilee in Leviticus and Deuteronomy enshrines this re-set button into the rhythms of life for God’s people. God offers them a break with the relentless profit-maximizing toil of Pharoah’s Egypt. Tracing this thread through the exilic prophets, Nikondeha shows how Isaiah used the jubilee both to interpret the causes of exile and to anchor the rebuilding of society in the return.
In the New Testament, Nikondeha sees Jesus’ ministry as grounded in jubilee and the church’s call to follow his example as central to the faith. Even the Lord’s Prayer carries this forward, as we pray week in and week out for God to forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. She finds this focus still visible in the rabbinic traditions of second-temple Judaism, which prescribe ways to practice jubilee while still lending money ethically.
Because so much biblical teaching on jubilee points out that there is no record of Israel observing it as commanded, Nikondeha takes great pains to demonstrate jubilee in practice. She dovetails her research with real-time observations she and her husband Claude make through their development work in Burundi. This work and the stories of the people they have walked with through hardship and hope are the soul of the book. In the second half, it becomes the proof that jubilee is not just workable but critical to any holistic economic system.
Throughout the book, the banking enterprise the Nikondehas started (Kazoza Bank—meaning “good future” in Kirundi) is an ongoing case study in whether jubilee can work in a modern economic system. They focused their bank’s activities on those with incomes below the threshold of traditional banking but in need of larger capital amounts than offered by microfinance lenders. She describes the ways they have innovated jubilee practice while still maintaining their banking certificate from the government. They can’t just cancel loans and stay legal, so they work to renegotiate loans, arrange creative payment plans, and provide financial literacy and business development classes to support potential borrowers before they become customers. They even operate radio programs highlighting entrepreneurship and financial stewardship. If participation is key to jubilee, then pathways to enter economic life at a young age (and to re-enter after setbacks) are critical. Sometimes generous giving from others in the community or partners abroad is key to keeping the process of jubilee rolling.
She reminds us that jubilee is costly. It costs something to the lender even as it blesses the borrower. She calls for a mindset shift for lenders or those with wealth more generally to see forgiving debts and creating pathways to participation as investments in community life that pay vast non-financial dividends.
There are consequences of refusing jubilee as well. Many biblical stories speak of judgment when we refuse to honor God’s commands to practice jubilee (e.g. King Ahab stealing Naboth’s vineyard). Truthfully, we all lose when not everyone maintains a stake in prosperity. Jubilee is not just for prevention of generational poverty but also for protection against the corruption of our souls that generational wealth brings about.
And jubilee includes more than just financial implications. It should shape our whole approach to life. Nikondeha encourages us to let jubilee lead us to lament the parts of life where we don’t see justice and mercy flowing. She asks us to work hard for it, to put in the time and energy to learn how to apply a jubilee mindset to the areas where people are most squeezed out of participation in community life. She invites us to see land and the ways it creates both belonging and provision for people groups as central to our modern practice of jubilee as well.
Jubilee Economics reminds us that life is better when we remember that some things are not for sale. Jubilee is about ensuring peace and rest for us all in light of God’s blessing. And, though the way is hard, every act of jubilee is a step of faith toward the new city that God is preparing for us. We wait in hope but live now as if that future is our true reality. Nikondeha calls us to dream and be courageous with our efforts to help people flourish.
I’ll let someone I’ve never met, but who is living proof of jubilee, have the last word. I’m familiar with the banking models Nikondeha describes in the book, as I work with an organization promoting church-centered savings groups as a key tool in the fight against poverty. These groups reach individuals and families at levels even lower than traditional microfinance institutions, and lower still than the types of banking services Kazoza bank provides. But the principle of participation is the same. Aritame, a savings group facilitator in rural Togo, describes the hardship she and other women faced in growing enough crops to feed their families, let alone sell to provide for other needs. Through putting their resources together, they were able to buy fertilizer and then to buy livestock and start other businesses through their increased yields, reclaiming their place in the life of the community. “I didn’t know how to grow cassava before,” she said, “but now I am the Queen of Cassava. Praise the Lord.”
If that isn’t the voice of jubilee, I don’t know what is.
Justin Lonas
Justin Lonas is a poet, writer, cook, hiker, and amateur theologian. He holds an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife Rachel live in Chattanooga, Tennessee with their four daughters. By day, he serves churches and ministry organizations around the world through the Chalmers Center at Covenant College. His writing often explores nature, literature, and the church's ongoing struggle to live out the way of Jesus. Justin's website is jryanlonas.com.
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