SHREWD FINANCES
Here is a remnant that never got used in our Stewardship issue in September of 1989… In Luke 16, Jesus relates the parable of the shrewd manager who, having been fired, blatantly cheats his master in order to provide a future living for himself. According to author David Burnett, Sir John Thynne of 16th century England was just such a steward. Thynne began as Chief Clerk to the Royal Kitchens for King Henry VIII and was so aggressive and ambitious that he was hired as steward for the Earl of Hertford, the brother-in-law of Henry VIII. Dealing shrewdly he soon lined his pockets and those of his employer. The fruit of his shrewdness survives in the form of Longleat, an 11,000 acre estate in England’s southwest, which is still a popular tourist attraction. Longleat features a massive stone house which Burnett calls “the most perfect expression of High Elizabethan architecture still standing.” Thynne’s shrewdness made its keenest showing when both he and…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
