Wealth and Piety: Middle Eastern Perspectives for Expat Workers

Your supporters consider you saintly and self-sacrificing. Your Middle Eastern friends might beg to differ. So might God. In this book, Dr. Shaw tackles the elephant in the room. Wealth and Piety explores biblical and Arab cultural expectations for getting, using, talking about, and giving money.

This book contains hundreds of verbatim observations about local and foreign wealth by thirty-five Middle Easterners from nine countries, representing all major religious groups. These comments are a mirror in which workers can see their own status and moral reputation as people of the region see them. Combining biblical commentary, cultural analysis and practical advice for expats, Wealth and Piety is designed for both new and experienced workers, as well as mission leaders, administrators, supporters and donors. Although focused on the Middle East, much of the wisdom of this book is valuable for workers anywhere in the Muslim world or in societies characterized by patronage or an honor/shame orientation.