The Baptist Union of Scotland

Public Issues

Fairness or Greed?

From time to time, we need to flag up again a contemporary issue for ourselves and our churches that will drive us to reassess the way we think and do things. It could be that clearly thought-out positive positions and conduct that we think we adhere to, have been worn away at the edges and need redefining and sharpening up. It could be, on the other hand, that some of our conduct has never been under the control of a clearly thought-out Christian position and something needs to be done about that to put it right.

Setting the Scene

We are sitting comfortably in front of the TV when on comes a report of yet another crisis in Africa, with pictures of distraught mothers holding dying children in their arms. In the background is a picture of withered crops or burnt and destroyed villages. What do we do about it?
We are standing in the supermarket studying the shelf in front of us where there is a range of coffee coming from different parts of the world and we are looking for the cheapest brand. Further over in the shop there are surprisingly cheap shirts for sale that were made somewhere in Asia. We wonder how it is that they could be made so cheaply. Is going for the cheapest option the right thing to do?
A leaflet is handed to us in the street telling us that a particular company is pushing its wares amongst poorer people in the world to the detriment of their health and well-being. Do we react by refusing to buy this company's products in our own country?
A newspaper prints a report about an international business which has a very poor record of paying decent wages to its workforce in some parts of the world. Do we try to make sure from that point on that no money of ours is tied up directly or indirectly in that business or do we purposely purchase a small share in that company so that we can give voice to our concerns as a shareholder?
Pictures appear in the media of an international round of trade talks or of the more exclusive get-together of Finance Ministers from the richest nations. Do we shrug our shoulders as and say – “there's nothing I can do about this”- or do we write to our own political leaders to press for decisions that rise above mere national self-interest and do we make this a matter for prayer within our churches.
Looking out of the window, we see a group of school-children passing by and we notice yet again that so many of them seem to be very heavily built and then not far behind them come their overweight parents. Are these families naturally “heavy people” or is their unhealthy body weight self-induced by over-eating or wrong eating?

Fairness

We know that God's love and concern is for “the world” and not just for a part of the world and that the announcement of the Good News of Jesus has to be translated into action. The values of the Kingdom of God need to be able to find an outlet through the Spirit of God working in us and guiding us towards a constructive response to the needs of the world. It is not surprising, therefore that we discover the principle of fairness and justice to be such a strong element in the Bible - ranging, for example, from specific instructions about fair wages that appear in the Book of Deuteronomy, (Deut 24:14-15), to how we relate to the “beggar at our gate” in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)

We recognise that all people in the world do not start off their lives on a level playing field. Take, for example, three of the Top Ten Facts listed by Christian Aid in their Trade Justice Campaign

Income per person in the poorest countries in Africa has fallen by a quarter in the last 20 years.
- The three richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million people living in the world's poorest countries.
- Nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion people) live on less than US$2 per day.
Putting it in a simplistic way, which is nevertheless true in its simplicity, we can either pile more “food” on to our table so as to generate more crumbs that will fall on to the floor for the needy to snatch up or we can try to get more people sitting up at the table to share in the meal in a proper way like everybody else.

It is the second of these alternatives that resonates with Biblical authority. The goodness of God's Creation is there for all to enjoy and the invitation of God's Grace in Christ is for all to enter into newness of life which relates to the present as well as the future.

Coping with Greed

Recently, the topic of “obesity” has come to the forefront of public attention because of the adverse effect it is having on our nation:-
- too many “couch potatoes” who spectate on life rather than participate.
- an intolerable build up of demands on the Health Service as health complications from “obesity” multiply.
- too many social disasters and tragedies as overweight youngsters end up with a shorter life-span than their parents and possibly precede them in death.
We have to recognise, of course, that “obesity” can arise from genetic tendencies or illnesses and disorders which need the help of medical expertise. Nor need we feel that everyone should be slim and trim like the idealised models who appear in adverts. Having said that, however, we are left with the residual feeling that we eat too much as a nation, as well as probably over-eating the wrong kind of food foisted on us by profit-motivated food companies who do not make our physical well-being and health their top priority.

“Obesity” therefore becomes symptomatic of a general greed within our society which, in turn, leads to us accepting “unfairness” in the world social and economic order as a way of ensuring that we get enough of what we want – whether in food or products or trade advantages etc.

In Biblical terms, “greed” contrasts with “discipline or self control”. The former is associated in 1 Corinthians 6/9-10 with characteristics that go against the Kingdom of God, while the latter is seen as part of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5/22-23. Proper care of our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit is the teaching of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. It is in the light of these sort of Biblical guidelines that the Christian responds to “greed” by having a heightened appreciation of what God has given to us and a desire to take care of it. This includes our bodies and the resources of this earth and always keeps clear before us the image of “the other person” or, as the Bible puts it, “our neighbour”.

Doing something about it
- We need to scrutinise regularly our own status as consumers. What I buy and what I eat – is it enough or more than enough, not only in terms of my needs but in relation to the needs of others?
- If I have responsibility for children, am I letting them be sucked into bad consumer habits which not only lead to perpetuating unfairness in the world, but which may also damage their health and well-being in years to comes?
- Do I make use of the resources of organisations such as Tearfund and Christian Aid, amongst others, who have many helpful suggestions to make about the way in which I can participate in pressing for justice in trade, protecting the environment and combating poverty.
- As an individual and a church are we praying enough for ourselves and others as people with spiritual and physical needs – both of which need to be addressed? Do we recognise that God's answer to our prayers can sometimes be that, as the Holy Spirit guides us, we are the answer our own prayers for ourselves and for others?
Public Issues Advisory Group of the Baptist Union of Scotland - December 2005

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