Priests and People (England). 7 pp.
“WE READ THE GOSPEL as if we had no money,” laments American Jesuit theologian John Haughey, “and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospel.” Indeed, the topic of economics is exceedingly difficult to talk about in most churches, more taboo than politics or even than sex. Yet no aspect of our individual and corporate lives is more determinative–and few subjects are more frequently addressed in our scriptures.
The preeminent challenge to the human family today is the increasingly unequal distribution of wealth and power. The United Nations reported in 1992 that income disparities between the world’s richest and poorest have doubled since 1960. Today the wealthiest 20% of the world’s population receives almost 83% of the world’s income, while the poorest 20% receive less than 2%! Any theology that refuses to reckon with these realities is both cruel and irrelevant. We Christians must talk about economics, and talk about it in light of the gospel.
Full Article: It is An Issue of Equality: Biblical Reflections on Wealth & Poverty SKU: L99-1-F
Ched Myers 