Boy, if you want some reflection on how faith interacts with your daily working life and with the world around us, the September Christianity Today delivers….in spades.
First, there’s a great editorial from Andy Crouch on why now, more than ever in the wake of the Hobby Lobby decision, we need to understand what it means to belong to something beyond ourselves:
One essential question in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby was the extent to which a for-profit corporation can hold to a religious (in this case, Christian) identity. In her dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsburg cited approvingly the idea that for-profit groups “use labor to make a profit, rather than to perpetuate a religious-values-based mission.”
The words rather than are key. In Justice Ginsburg’s view, it seems, corporations cannot serve—or at least the law cannot recognize that they serve—any god other than Mammon. She articulated an equally small view of nonprofits when she wrote that “religious organizations exist to foster the interests of persons subscribing to the same religious faith.”
This may indeed describe the mission of some churches and synagogues. But tragically, it seems Justice Ginsburg has never met a religious community that takes seriously William Temple’s words that the church “exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Such communities, which we regularly cover in CT, call their members to radical sacrifice on others’ behalf.
Even for-profit corporations can and do serve all kinds of purposes other than profit. From large public companies like Whole Foods to the new “for-benefit corporations” that are now legal in 14 states, many corporations explicitly seek more than a return on investment. When a liberal jurist echoes the economic dogma of Milton Friedman, something odd is happening in the culture.
What is happening is the erosion of corporate identity.
.******
An individualistic world is scandalized by any community whose boundaries threaten the freedom of the individuals within it……What is the most deeply Christian response to such a world?
It can only be to commit ourselves even more completely to that countercultural, corporate reality known as the church, in all its imperfect and local expressions, and in its wider global reality.
The church makes a stronger claim on us than the state. According to Jesus, it makes a deeper claim even than the family. And by being stronger and deeper than the family and the state, the church provides a family for those without families, and a people for those discarded and marginalized by society.
True, it asks a great deal of us—sacrifice and holiness, rooted in humility and repentance. But it also gives us the corporate life for which every human is made, and for which many of our neighbors still long.
Then, there are not one but two stories on capitalism and the common good. The first, by Kevin Brown, talks about a robustly Christian approach to participating in the market economy:
Economics is in the business of maximization, that is, of what is “best.” And there is good reason to advocate for a free-enterprise system. Whether it be a pencil, a smartphone, or any other innovative product or service, markets mobilize production, growth, and efficiency. They tend to allow for the most optimal distribution of scarce resources. In the grand competition of economic systems to achieve these outcomes, markets win.
Yet we live in a world of consequences, good and bad. In an increasingly globalized age that is still, in many ways, in its infancy, this is a crucial point. The Democratic Republic of Congo is mired in war, violence, corruption, and hopelessness. At home and abroad, we still see considerable poverty, which leads to a gross power asymmetry between the rich and poor. It would be tragic, not “magical,” if our consumption of goods and services only made matters worse.
As people of faith, we need not deify or demonize the market. Instead, I propose we focus on ensuring that the market’s consequences create the least possible damage and the greatest common good for our neighbors near and far. The market may be one gift from God, but he’s given us a greater gift in the church. Together, we can watch out for the most vulnerable members of society lest they slip through the cracks of our global marketplace.
Finally, Rob Moll profiles a number of investors who are trying to use their money to further a more just and flourishing society, ending with this call to action:
Larsen says average investors can have “skin in the game” in making a difference. He hopes to steer African communities toward feeding themselves and even exporting produce around the world thanks to Christian investors and businesses. “Africa has two billion acres of arable farmland that costs between $500 and $1,500 [an acre] to develop,” Larsen says. “Africa needs some know-how and capital, not a handout. If we don’t come alongside then it will be recolonized [by international corporations] and Africa will be feeding half the world but Africans will be eating on $3 a day. Then Africa won’t flourish.”
At the same time, Larsen says, Western Christians are sitting on an estimated $400 billion in retirement accounts. “I’ve never heard anyone talk about using their ira to grow the kingdom, promote human flourishing, and feed the hungry.
“We want to inspire people to think beyond writing checks to missionaries. We’ve got a part to play.”
Good stuff! Hop over and check it out, and subscribe to CT while you’re over there, too.
Image: by scribbletaylor, sourced via Flickr.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In