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Christian Responses to
Globalization
by Vinoth Ramachandra
Promoting Democracy. This is
not democracy understood as majority rule or merely Western-style electoral
politics, but as public accountability, transparency, and grassroots
participation. Not only national governments but also powerful transnational
actors such as the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF, and the WTO have to
be challenged to become more participatory and truly accountable.
Given that the church is the only truly global community in the world, why
cannot some lawyers and economists from the worldwide church offer their
services free of charge to poor nations to, for example, secure fair terms of
trade at WTO meetings?
Tackling Corruption. Corruption
and tax evasion are two principal contributors to the poverty of the global
South. Rich corporations and executives store their profits in offshore tax
havens, even as they enjoy the public goods (such as parks, roads, airports, and
universities) that local taxpayers make possible. Corruption in poor nations
would not be possible without the tacit support, and often the active
involvement, of rich corporations, banks, and governments in the North.
Why can’t Christian churches and NGOs put pressure on European and American
banks to give back the billions of dollars they have received from corrupt Third
World politicians and military generals—money stolen from the Third World poor?
We should also demand that the Swiss banking system be reformed and that the
status of offshore tax havens be withdrawn.
Protecting Market Morality.
Political philosopher Raymond Plant pointed out that there is a moral
underpinning to markets, often called "civic virtue"—moral attitudes of trust,
promise-keeping, and truth-telling that are indispensable for contractual
relations and the viable functioning of the economy. Plant wrote: "If…business
relationships turn into a wholly buccaneering, enterprising sort, then there is
at least some danger...that the moral assumptions on which the market exchange
rests could, in fact, be eroded by a culture of self-interest." So, just as the
authority of government can be increased by limiting its scope, "the legitimacy
of markets may yet depend on keeping them in their proper place."
Genuine market freedom is surely one that is free for everyone, rather than one
in which the powerful are free to seize the commanding heights of the economy
and control politicians. The prerequisite of freedom is effective regulation
that distinguishes between the protection of workers, consumers, and the
ecosystem, and trade protectionism of "national interests."
Seeking Ecological Justice.
Solutions to ecological problems such as global warming can only come from a
sense of human empathy and solidarity that might temper the short-sighted greed
of purely commercial society. A white child born in New York, Paris, or London
will consume, pollute, and waste more in his or her lifetime than 50 children
born in a developing country—while the latter children are the most likely to
die from ensuing pollution and global warming. Christians, especially those in
the rich nations and among the wealthier elites of poor nations, need to preach
and demonstrate a gospel that has the power to liberate men and women from
idolatry and greed, and to work with all who aspire for a more responsible use
of the world’s resources.
Vinoth Ramachandra lives in Sri Lanka and is secretary for
dialogue and social engagement (Asia) for the International Fellowship of
Evangelical Students and the co-author of The Message
of Mission (InterVarsity, 2003).
More resources on the web:
Pray Globally, Act Locally The gospel provides an antidote to the abuses of
the global economy and invites us to act for justice wherever - and whoever - we
are. by Vinoth Ramachandra
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