Praise for ‘just wealth’ but report leaves God bankrupt
-28/02/05
The major Christian denominations in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales are today called into a major debate about the ethics of affluence, as their chief ecumenical body, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, launches a report saying that poverty must be attacked using wealth creation through market economics. But questions are being raised about whether its approach makes God ‘bankrupt’.
The Anglican Bishop of Southwark, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and free church leaders including the Methodist Church were at the launch of Prosperity With A Purpose in the House of Lords today.
The report, studied by Ekklesia, which has been trailed in the secular and church media, suggests that the fundamental principle of ënobody left behindí demands a new and wider sense of solidarity in modern Britain, together with a deep renewal of civil society.
Wealth creation is a continuation of Godís creative activity, provided that it is governed by a strong commitment to social justice, says the study, which is accompanied by a set of essays from major commentators.
The first considered response to ‘Prosperity With A Purpose’ will be launched tomorrow morning by Ekklesia, the UK theological think tank. Its director, Jonathan Bartley, is welcoming the ecumenical report as ìan important contribution to Christian thinking about how wealth is handled in an unequal and divided world.î However, Mr Bartley says that Ekklesiaís analysis will suggest that the report also has ìsignificant theological weaknessesî in its approach.
ìProsperity With A Purpose rightly includes stark warnings on environmental protection, rampant consumerism, the failure of existing poverty programmes, and the need for spiritual and moral capital in society,î says Mr Bartley. ìBut it is uncertain in its specification of what constitutes just wealth creation. It also contains nothing to suggest that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus makes any substantial difference to the way we generate and deploy wealth.î
Ekklesiaís response will say that, in line with previous ecumenical reports such as the headline-grabbing Unemployment and the Future of Work in 1997, there is often a failure of nerve in Christian thinking about social ethics.
ìThe historic churchesí language is about moderating principles rather than radical reformation,î says Mr Bartley. ìThe sensible ideas in this report will impress some, but how will it change their minds?î
He goes on: ìThe report also raises crucial questions which must be put to the churches themselves. Can faith in the God of Jesus make any real difference to the way we do economics? Or is God bankrupt without market economics? Costly love of neighbour is central to the Gospel, but is being respectable in the public policy arena more important to churches that are themselves losing money, members and influence?î
Prosperity With A Purpose claims that there is a ìnew Christian consensusî in support of a market economy and the positive role of business and industry. It says that it is the responsibility of those engaged in politics to reconcile the outcomes of the market to the demands of the common good.
It also declares that social justice is about more than government action and money. It is also about a culture of responsibility, confronting spiritual malaise, and building networks of social obligation.
The reportís chief author, respected Catholic writer Clifford Longley, says that ìthis is how we make poverty history in practiceî, referring to the broad coalition of voluntary agencies for justice through international debt relief, aid, and fair trade supported by the churches, Christian Aid, Ekklesia and others.
The Ekklesia response will suggest that Prosperity With A Purpose ìsays many sensible things.” But will ask “is common sense enough to dig ourselves out of the hole we are in as a world?î.
ìThe Gospel of Jesus is about repentance, putting the last first, and a new life in a community of equals. It suggests that the problems we face have much deeper roots than a new-found enthusiasm for markets.î
And referring to the cover of the new report, which humorously shows a camel going through the eye of a needle, the Ekklesia response suggests that the Gospels are realistically tough about the way we are easily choked by affluence.
It goes on: ìJesus declared that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter Godís realm. It qualifies this by saying that all things are possible for God. But the question we have to face is ëon whose terms?í At the moment we spend far more on luxuries each year than on aiding the 24,000 people who die of poverty each day.î
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is simultaneously launching an internet debate about the Prosperity With A Purpose report on http://www.ctbi.org.uk/pwap. CTBI is the official ecumenical body bringing together Anglican, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, African and African-Caribbean Christian traditions.