Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
Alternative Globalization Addressing Peoples and Earth
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to the forces of death <strong>and</strong> destruction. It draws its power from agape, the<br />
love of the Triune God that permeates all creation.<br />
This focus on agape underlines that earth <strong>and</strong> all life have their origins in<br />
God <strong>and</strong> belong to God. They are not the property of humanity to be<br />
commodified (Lev. 25:23; Ps. 24:1). Creation does not belong to humans,<br />
but humans belong to creation, <strong>and</strong> creation is God’s. Agape relationships<br />
reflect that all life has its common root in God’s free grace <strong>and</strong> life-giving<br />
love. Grace is God’s power to sustain <strong>and</strong> renew creation, <strong>and</strong> to turn us<br />
from death to life. Discrimination, exclusion, <strong>and</strong> an unequal distribution<br />
of wealth <strong>and</strong> power deny the values of the agape community <strong>and</strong> violate<br />
the comm<strong>and</strong>ment to love God <strong>and</strong> neighbour.<br />
Agape relationships affect all dimensions of life. Life includes having food,<br />
clothing, shelter, education, work, <strong>and</strong> health. It includes social belonging,<br />
relationships, social tasks <strong>and</strong> care. It includes: self-consciousness <strong>and</strong> selfrealization,<br />
experiencing <strong>and</strong> celebrating community as well as the gift’s<br />
participation. Fullness of life - the abundant life offered by Jesus -<br />
encompasses these. At the same time, agape emphasizes the value of<br />
resistance <strong>and</strong> the search for alternatives, whenever <strong>and</strong> wherever<br />
meaningful life is reduced to profit <strong>and</strong> economic growth at the cost of the<br />
necessary requirements of the earth community <strong>and</strong> its relationship to<br />
God. The world is an icon of God. Every cry of the earth <strong>and</strong> its suffering<br />
people challenges churches to seek God’s loving transfiguration of<br />
humanity <strong>and</strong> creation.<br />
2.4 The centrality of transformative justice<br />
Every form of power is tempted to constitute itself as absolute, without<br />
accountability to those affected <strong>and</strong> in denial of the manifold relationships<br />
that constitute the web of life <strong>and</strong> need to be respected <strong>and</strong> recognized. 11<br />
The biblical tradition includes some safeguards designed to prevent <strong>and</strong><br />
correct accumulation of unjust power <strong>and</strong> the misuse <strong>and</strong> abuse of creation.<br />
One of the preventive laws is the prohibition against taking interest.<br />
Corrective laws particularly relate to the three aspects of the Sabbath <strong>and</strong><br />
Jubilee vision concerning periodic rest:<br />
• the Sabbath as a day of rest;<br />
• the sabbatical year; <strong>and</strong><br />
• the jubilee year.<br />
Jesus presents his own mission as jubilee justice when he reads the Isaiah<br />
scroll in Capernaum (Luke 4). The Jubilee tradition advocates access to<br />
resources in favour of just relationships with other humans, animals <strong>and</strong><br />
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The search for alternatives attempts to restore the original life, affirming function of<br />
power that is accountable to the Creator.