Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
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4<br />
race against race, <strong>and</strong> country against country. Its concern with material<br />
wealth above human dignity de-humanizes the human being <strong>and</strong> sacrifices<br />
life for greed. It is an economy of death.<br />
Confronted with such massive concentration of economic, political,<br />
military <strong>and</strong> ideological power, we are encouraged not to lose hope. We<br />
must not give up the struggle for an economy of life. This is God’s challenge<br />
to us. Our faithfulness to God <strong>and</strong> to God’s free gift of life compels us to<br />
confront idolatrous assumptions, unjust systems, the politics of domination<br />
<strong>and</strong> exploitation in the current world economic order. Economics <strong>and</strong><br />
economic justice are always matters of faith as they touch the very core of<br />
God’s will for creation.<br />
An economy of life reminds us of the main characteristics of God’s<br />
household of life:<br />
• The bounty of the gracious economy of God (oikonomia tou theou) offers<br />
<strong>and</strong> sustains abundance for all;<br />
• God’s gracious economy requires that we manage the abundance of<br />
life in a just, participatory <strong>and</strong> sustainable manner;<br />
• The economy of God is an economy of life that promotes sharing,<br />
globalized solidarity, the dignity of persons, <strong>and</strong> love <strong>and</strong> care for the<br />
integrity of creation;<br />
• God’s economy is an economy for the whole oikoumene - the whole<br />
earth community;<br />
• God’s justice <strong>and</strong> preferential option for the poor are the marks of<br />
God’s economy. 7<br />
1.3 A call to the churches to become transformative<br />
communities<br />
Paul describes the world system of his time (the Roman Empire) as<br />
characterized by “idolatry <strong>and</strong> injustice” (Romans 1:18). All people <strong>and</strong><br />
peoples are locked in this prison of greed (Romans 1:24ff.) under the power<br />
of sin leading to death <strong>and</strong> decay of the whole creation. Even if they wish<br />
to get out, they cannot (Romans 7:14ff.). But God’s grace creates a new<br />
humanity out of all peoples (Romans 5:18), through the spirit of Christ<br />
(Romans 8). The whole creation groans to enter this freedom (Romans<br />
8:19). No powers <strong>and</strong> rulers of any empire can separate those communities<br />
in the spirit from God’s agape (Romans 8:31-39).<br />
7<br />
Four of these five characteristics reflect the “Criteria towards economic policy-making”<br />
presented in the WCC study document on Christian faith <strong>and</strong> the world economy today,<br />
Geneva: WCC, 1992, p. 29 ff. This document was an important step in underst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
that economic matters are indeed matters of faith.