The Church and the Economic Sphere 3 – R. Ward Holder

Beyond the issue of philanthropy, and beyond the issue of considering our economic systems critically, stands a third issue.  The church has turned a blind eye to the effects of the present economic reality, a reality that brings a crisis to the poor and vulnerable around the world.  But frequently, we in the church either claim that this is economic reality (and thus unchangeable, like the law of gravity), or make a “realist” claim that the church must live in the world as it is, not as it could be.

But this “caution,” may just be a façade to camouflage the present satisfaction with the economic sphere as it is.  Further, it seems too flimsy to cover ugly truths when faced with the example of secular actors who recognize the toxic effects of the economic realities under which we labor.  A good example comes from the recent action of the Nobel Prize Committee in granting the 2014 Nobel Prize in Economics to Jean Tirole, of Toulouse 1 Capitole University, France, for his work on the regulation of cartels and monopolies. Tirole, hardly a bleeding heart liberal who doesn’t understand the nature of economic realities, still grasped the fact that in some industries, a small number of firms were able to corner the market, becoming monopolies or cartels.  These monopolistic phenomena have to be regulated, if in a manner unlike that of regular corporations that do not hold monopolies, to protect the public.

The shame comes from an academic theorist realizing what churches should have grasped long ago.  To give just one example, why does it take years of effort for a small denomination like the PC(USA) to divest from a corporation or industry that its own Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee has repeatedly found to fall short of the standards the church has set for its investments?  Why haven’t churches been angrily marching against the manners in which various monopolies could harm consumers, producers, and exploit both the creation and the vulnerable?

But surely the example of Tirole is an outlier!  There cannot be other secular figures who have grasped economic truths that have escaped the reach of the Christian churches.  How about former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich?  Reich has been a tireless campaigner for the interests of the most economically vulnerable members of the American society.  In response to Timothy Geithner’s new book on the success of the Wall Street Bailout, Reich pointed out that of course, it succeeded – for the banks.  But when considering the lives and futures of middle and lower class people, a different narrative appears.  “The bailout helped the banks but did little or nothing for the tens of millions of Americans who lost billions of dollars in home equity and savings, and the millions more who lost their jobs. The toll was greatest on the poor and the middle class, who still haven’t recovered their losses, even though Wall Street has fully recovered (and then some). Nor have reforms been enacted that will help the middle class and the poor the next time Wall Street implodes.”

My point is this – to be the church of Jesus Christ means being called to stand out against the culture, not to morph into the structure of its most comfortable realms.  Bernard of Clairvaux, writing in the 1130’s, noted that humanity lives by necessity in a “regio dissimilitudinis,” a region of ill-fittingness or region of dissimilarity.  Bernard meant that the Christian necessarily fits badly in this world, since he or she has been formed to fit a different kingdom.  Why are we so unwilling to accept the reality that our true sovereign has set before us?

Or if church history is not your métier (eyes glaze all at once), then what about the claims of Jesus in Matthew 5?  Christians are called to be different!  “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men and women in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5.13-16

Salt – different from the mass it seasons.  Light – bringing a new clarity into view.  But what have we become?  Christian churches have engaged in a destructive affair with the economic sphere because we loved what it brought us.  We turned our backs on the ill effects, and on those who were ground under the weight of a system that by nature was designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many.  Jesus sought out the world, and called to it saying “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  As Søren Kierkegaard wrote in Practice in Christianity, the amazing thing is that the one person who can give rest is actively seeking those who so desperately need to receive it.  The question that faces the church is whether it wants to continue to hinder Jesus Christ’s efforts, or seek to assist him.

R. Ward Holder is a historical and political theologian, and professor of theology at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.  He is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and serves as moderator of the Presbytery of Boston.  He writes on John Calvin, biblical interpretation, and the manner in which religious convictions shape modern politics and political theory.  His most recent work was co-edited with Peter B. Josephson, The American Election 2012: Contexts and Consequences (Palgrave – 2014). He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell College, a master’s in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate in theology from Boston College.