A Letter to Jay
Neil Macdonald, 16/9/2001
In the past decade, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, many people have come to believe that market systems are neutral. They are not. There are clear winners and losers, and as with history itself, the defining experience is that of the people who are in control of events. We find it all works rather well for us, so we tend not to question. Christians in the developed nations have been as guilty of this as anyone else: indeed, many of us have benefited greatly from the prosperity of recent years. Yet the Bible’s rules of economics are very different - think how capitalism would fare under the Jubilee system for example!
“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine” (Lk 4:5-7). Yet it is not only in the politics of nation states that the Devil makes himself so readily available. He is present in each and every one of our little private fiefdoms, where we seek to establish our own petty controls. In this I am not untypical. I own and drive a car. I have a nice home, which is properly heated in winter. I enjoy good food, and trips to the theatre. I value my freedom to travel wherever I wish. I have a great choice in how I organise my time and resources. Yet my freedom to do all this will inevitably have consequences for others.
The losers in the economic process are all around us, and Christians – and others – have felt called upon to come to their aid. In this locality, the work of the Christian Care Association is well known. Yet there is a greater challenge before us, which will involve our taking action before the damage is done. There is now clear evidence of world climate change. If the scientists are right in their predictions, within the next half century ocean levels will rise world wide, and weather conditions will become increasingly unsettled. Many thousands – maybe millions of people – will be at risk of losing their homes and maybe their lives. They will be victims of inertia, not of terrorism. There is, of course, no proof that this disaster will happen, but the chances are that by the time we have that evidence, it will be far too late. It seems unlikely that we are willing at the present time to make the necessary concessions to avert this. Recent attempts to get the developed nations to agree reductions in fuel emissions in order to reduce atmospheric pollution have met with little support, and attitudes to refugees are hardening.
Jesus reminds us constantly that excessive concern with material things can be a real impediment to both ministry and witness. He clearly sees being rich as a potential barrier to salvation: “hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”(Lk 18:23). The issue is also one that demands resolution in this world: “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed”, Abraham tells the rich man, “so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Lk 16:26). Yet it is not really wealth itself that Jesus is criticising: his target is the material comfort that it provides, and which divides us from one another. It limits the scope of our love. And this is something that challenges all of us in the developed world.
It would be wrong for us to blame the inertia on our politicians, for it is our own attitude as individuals that will create the necessary conditions for their effective action. Each of us is called to make those adjustments to our lives as will enable not only the “Body of Christ” but the whole of humanity to function more effectively. This analogy extends beyond us as people to the whole environment that sustains us. We are the stewards of our planet, and we are under clear warning as to the consequences of our failure to face up to this responsibility. “What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do?” asks Jesus. “He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others” (Mk 12:9). Many of us know that following the way of Jesus may bring surprising results. Not to do so will almost certainly end in disaster.
For too many Christians, the church remains a Noah’s Ark; a vessel of protection in a crazy world. There is plenty of cosy imagery – unless one is unlucky enough to have uncovered a mediaeval “doom” painting – and some jolly tunes to sing along to. There is often a fear that the “faithful” might be challenged and be found wanting. Or that they might simply leave altogether. Mrs Grope “from the church” is less likely to be engaged in the vigorous pursuit of devils, than in a rearguard action to exorcise woodworm from an ancient or not so ancient building. Yet even as the last pair of animals have clumped up the gangplank, there must remain at least some concern for the spiritual and material needs of those outsiders who are about to die. There is certainly a need for security, especially for such people who need time for the healing of their damaged bodies, minds, and souls, but there comes a point when we are once again called to engage with the needs and claims of a fallen and bewildered world.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). Christians are called upon to be radically compassionate: their faith challenges them to go much further in love than a strict sense of social responsibility may demand. Ultimately, they are called on to satisfy this challenge with their own lives. The young men who flew the planes that killed so many people in the United States were engaged in a terrible mission, yet although they were horribly misguided, their dedication was absolute. They were prepared to give up all their worldly goods, and to die for their cause. Are we as Christians prepared to take a lead in making the relatively small concessions that are necessary now to save so many future lives? How many of us really have the “faith which worketh by love?” (Gal 5:6).
