A few weeks ago, when we were reading Miguel A. De La Torre’s Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, I audibly gasped when I read the following:
“In the name of Jesus Christ crusades have been launched to exterminate the Muslim ‘infidels’; women seeking autonomy have been burned as witches; indigenous people who refused to bow their knees to God and king were decimated; the kidnapping, rape, and enslavement of Africans were justified; and today, the pauperization of two-thirds of the world’s population is legitimized so that a small minority of the planet can consider itself blessed by God” (De La Torre, p. 24).
It wasn’t the category of events De La Torre listed that made me pause. Of course I knew of these things. What college-educated person could not have? What hit me hard about this quote was the very clear and direct comparison De La Torre made between those horrendous acts of our past and our own current convenient, or “inadvertent,” participation in events that may now, or could very well in the future, cause just as much human suffering as the crusades, the Salem which trials, genocide of Native Americans, or the African slave trade; that is, namely, global warming, third world sweat-shops, oil spills, deforestation, and the like.
Clearly, the crux of De La Torre’s quote is not to reference general atrocities committed by humans against humans; it is to examine the atrocities committed by Christians against humans in the name of Christianity. Further, while we may think that in the 21st Century such large-scale atrocities in the name of Christ have ended, De La Torre wants to remind us that they haven’t.
Many Christians, especially those enrolled at Claremont School of Theology, have their theology in order. They understand that being blessed by God is not a matter of material riches, but instead a matter of the peace, contentment, and pleasure inherent in a close personal relationship with Christ. The product of this peace is a deep desire and commitment to “love thy neighbor” by virtue of direct or indirect action; for example, reduced consumption of material resources, the boycott of products manufactured through inhumane working conditions, or the promotion of renewable resources.
I, however, happen to come from a Non-Denominational Christian tradition that often dips into what could easily be termed “prosperity teaching” – the notion that if you give (money, usually), God will bless you hundred-fold. This theology within the Non-Denominational context can, and has often led to, exactly what De La Torre describes in his quote regarding “the pauperization of two-thirds of the world’s population.” As Americans, we live in a country whose very prosperity was gained at the cost of other human beings; to subscribe to a theology that states that as American Christians we live at an unprecedented level of comfort and convenience because of our devotion to God is horribly misguided.
Some answers regarding the alleviation of this situation can be found in a renewed hermeneutics within some church contexts (Non-Denominational being just one). As Richard Amesbury and George N. Newlands state in Faith and Human Rights: Christianity and the Global Struggle for Human Dignity:
“We argue that while faith has much of value to contribute here, the world’s religions (including Christianity) will require vigilant hermeneutical reappraisal and critical retrieval if they are to function as genuine partners in the global struggle for human dignity” (Amesbury and Newland, xi).
Obviously, this renewed hermeneutic requires that we see all humanity – rich or poor, American or non-American, Christian or non-Christian – as precious and worth serving and nurturing. One such hermeneutic is offered by Catherine Mowry LaCugna in her book Freeing Theology.
While focusing specifically on a feminist theology, LaCugna’s doctrine of God proves useful for all of humanity. Stressing that God is equal with Christ in the Trinity, and therefore no hierarchy exists within our communion with God, all people, “Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female” (Galatians 3:28), are equal (and valuable) in the sight of God. As LaCugna writes,
“The life of Jesus Christ is at odds with the sexist theology of complementarity, the racist theology of white superiority, the clerical theology of cultic privilege, the political theology of exploitation and economic injustice, and the patriarchal theology of male dominance and control” (LaCugna, p.99).
In summary, those American Christians who subscribe to the notion that as Americans we have been, or will be, blessed because of our devotion to God need to recognize the imbalance that has occurred due to our own greed and gain a new theology that stresses the reality that when we have, someone else “has not,” and when someone “has not” we should share in their pain and work to alleviate it; otherwise, we are doing little else than repeating the worst mistakes of our Christian history.
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Your conclusion reminds me of the popular quote by Augustine of Hippo:
ReplyDelete"The bread which you keep belongs to the hungry; the coat which you preserve in your wardrobe to the naked...that gold which you have hidden in the
ground, to the needy. Wherefore, as often as you are able to help others, and refuse, so often did you do them wrong."
It also reminds me of the practice of many early monastics of giving away all they had because they believed that if they died with money it was money stolen from the poor.
I am not saying we should own nothing or give everything away, though if one feels called to I wouldn't necessarily discourage them, but I am pointing to a tradition of Christian thought that recognizes that hoarding goods and extravagant living is essentially stealing from the needy. I believe there is some real truth to this sentiment in today's globalized world.
I think this is an accurate appraisal. Right now in my life if I still feel called to Christianity at all it because of its great potential for social justice. Though it seems that presently Christians in America suffer from a lack of interest in the poor and the needy, this has not always been the case. It seems to me that it is time to awaken that deep rooted need and call to service that Christianity has historically fostered.
ReplyDeleteNow is the time to act. There are more people among us suffering terribly from this economy than ever before in my (long) lifetime. Now is the time to share what little abundance we have as freely as we can and in whatever ways we can. Enough of words! Act.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes...Judy, your short response is a call to action - and so is the original post by Steven. I believe there are many who think that they are acting when they write a check to support a missionary or tell someone in need that if they only pray with more faith, everything will be alright. Seth, I'm not sure there's really a "lack of interest" in the poor and needy; rather, I think there may be a lack of conviction regarding what is to be done about it, even for many who actively seek to help. There may be a fear that even as they reach out in love, they may be "enabling" someone else's dysfunction; or even a fear that they may be being taken advantage of. I wonder if perhaps what is lacking is a sense of trust in our fellow human beings, creating a barrier to our ability to love as Jesus loved. Act! Yes! But we must continue the words, if only to encourage both ourselves and our fellow Christians in strengthening our trust in others; and if not in others, then certainly in God.
ReplyDeleteOn the other part of the discussion, that of our complicity in the "pauperization" of the majority of the world's population - well, this hearkens back to the first post response I wrote on this blog, in response to Sinnamon's post regarding vegetarianism. By virtue of a sort of free association, I found myself writing about the difficulties of following an idealistic ecologically sound lifestyle. Due to the cost of recycled, natural or organic products, I am "forced" to purchase cheaper, easier and therefore more ecologically damaging products....or am I? Due to the higher cost of fair trade products, I'm "forced" to purchase what sits on the shelves of the local big-box discount store...or am I?
These readings in ethics have posed difficult problems, and not in a general or theoretical manner. We are being challenged to reassess our own behavioral motivations. As we reassess, we are most definitely being challenged to discover where we are in the life of this organism we call Christianity. I am grappling with these and other issues every day in a way I have never before experienced. Aren't we all?
~Suzanne Jacobson, Phoenix
I affirm fully the calls to action. Too long we as Americans have sat back waiting to be served. We have grown lazy in our wealth and have become sedentary in our relationships with our fellow humans. In our wealth and greed - understanding that even the poorer among us are wealthy by many standards - we hoard that which we have in a Scrooge-like fashion.
ReplyDeleteAnd what do we do when we are asked to participate in assisting those in need? We, like that same Ebenezer Scrooge, wonder if there are still prisons. We wonder if there are still workhouses. We relegate people to the homeless shelters so they might not muddy up our pretty cities. We send them off to the food pantries so that we don't have to hear their pleas.
And so the action to which we are called? I'm a firm supporter of social action and social justice. I don't think our purpose as humans or even Americans is to hoard enough wealth so that we can be served by a mob of underlings. I think we are called to serve all who are less fortunate.
And bringing faith back into the equation, isn't that precisely what we are asked to do? Shouldn't we treat "the least of these" persons with dignity and respect? Shouldn't we show complete and selfless love? And when we have done this, shouldn't we ask what more we can do?
Steven -- As I read your posting, I thought of my little home church and all that it does to serve in the areas of social justice and mission and also its attempts at being eco-minded.
ReplyDeleteIt has used and sold fair-trade coffee for years and, of course, quit using styrofoam products and began putting out recycling bins before I moved there almost ten years ago. (Perhaps your church makes similar efforts which you hadn't considered.)
And I could not begin to list what the services locally, state-wide, nationally, and globally are in which the church participates -- from providing necessities for those in need close to home to mission trips and church sponsorship in Ethiopia -- this small church is deeply committed to "love thy neighbor."
It is an excellent example that there are myriad ways to serve and make a difference right outside our doors. It's not hard.
The world around us is laying bare problems that have existed for ages but are magnified in the complexities of greater population, more draining of resources and a global realization that these problems exists. Instant technology and living under microscopes are giving us greater opportunities to be instantly exposed to troubles of all sorts.
ReplyDeleteWe are often offered rewards now to become healthier or if you contribute to this cause we will send you this and often in the back of my mind is where is the money going. To help the oppressed our to pay the overage?
What I am experiencing myself as a vocational pastor is the request to do more and more. Parishioners, strangers, social justice groups, etc.
What I am hoping is we will bring to all these staggering problems the true motivation of being urged by God to do what is correct action for each individual and then get up and do it. I am hoping that we all take time to discern and then act. Not because we are expecting a reward, or not because it is the lastest cause but because we feel God has called us to a specific ministry.
But by all means get up and do something.
My only ammendment to my position is if you do not feel an authetic calling. Then get out and do something. Sometimes that is the motivation needed to unlease God's calling for each of us.
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ReplyDeleteYour post made me think of the situation of Korean Christianity. In Korea, many Christians leave from the church, and many people don’t like Christianity. The biggest reason for this situation is that they think that most of Korean churches be indifferent toward the needy. Korean Christianity has been only interested in growing their memberships and having big-scale buildings. Churches in Korea are failing to be the light and salt of the world. Although Christianity encourages its believers to you’re your God and your neighbors, it is stingy with practice of love. As Judy said, now is time to act our love for God and our neighbors, since Christianity is a religion of love.
ReplyDeleteSteven--thanks for your thoughts on a topic near and dear to my heart!!
ReplyDeleteYou write about the "prosperity teaching" in the Christian churches you are familiar with. I see this kind of thinking so closely aligned with the American concept of success--that money and material wealth are the be-all-and-end-all goals of our capitalist society and the more you have the more successful (or blessed) you are.
At the risk of sounding callous, i do see an upside to the economic disaster we find ourselves in currently. I grieve for those in deep pain, but I wonder if perhaps we as a society might begin to understand that we are caught up in a materialist delusion and now when we are able to buy less, perhaps people will start to reassess what the true meaning of success and happiness is.
Awhile ago I read a book "Your money or your life"--the title pretty much says it all. Just like power, the "haves" are loathe to give up wealth easily, but perhaps this economic crisis will force people to lift up their heads and see the pain of those around them. Personally I seek to live my life according to what Gandhi said: May I live simply so others may simply live.
It is true that the role of hermeneutics within the Christian tradition is significant. The message I hear most clearly in this article is that if the hermeneutic Christians have now changes so will the way that Christians address world affairs. But, I wonder how the “renewed hermeneutic” that “requires we see all humanity-rich or poor,-American or non-American, Christian or non-Christian- as precious and worth serving and nurturing.” is different from what Christians profess to believe with their current hermeneutic? While the reference to LaCugna’s conception of God (non hierarchical) is intriguing, it is not feasible for the masses. Many believers don’t know of LaCugna and others don’t have a problem with hierarchy…
ReplyDelete