Poverty, wealth and responsibility in mission.1 Introduction. Recently I was deeply moved by an advert that was screened on South Africa television. It shows a young black South African mother living in a shacki in on of the many informal settlements that are so common on the outskirts of South African towns and cities. She lovingly dresses her son in threadbare clothes and shoes. She makes him a sandwich with her last two slices of bread, and takes him to a local train station. At the station she seats the toddler on a railway bench and gently instructs him to wait there, supposedly she is going to buy a ticket. The viewer catches a glimpse of the station clock in the background; it is early in the morning. The storyline of the advert progresses with the little child obediently waiting for his mother’s return, behind him the viewer can see the hours passing on the station clock until the day is at its end and the little child is still sitting all alone on the railway bench waiting for his mother. The advert ends with a message reminding the viewer that in South Africa extreme poverty is a daily reality for the large majority of the population, and that some parents would rather abandon their children to the care of strangers than see them starve to death. The advert intended to remind the viewers that we have a collective responsibility for one another’s wellbeing. The sad message of this advert is borne out in a telling article in the Cape Times newspaper (December 6, 2006 p.6ii) reporting on the findings of research conducted by the National Treasury of South Africa. The research indicated that the most common reason why South African’s borrow money is to buy food! What has become of the world when almost half of the world’s population (2.7 billion people) subsist on less than US$1 per day? I have often wondered what Christ must feel about such dire need. When God sees such great suffering, what does God feel? How would God change our economy in favour of God’s economy? What would God choose to do for this mother and her child? What would God do for all those who borrow money to buy food? The answer to these questions should shape your choices as a Christian, and also frame the mission of the Church. As God’s mission agents in the world we have a responsibility to see that God’s economy is established for the healing and transformation of the world. This paper will explore the concept of poverty, economics and our missional responsibility Economics and the ‘household of God’. Have you ever considered your part in God’s economy for the world? Jesus spent a great deal of his time teaching people about God’s economicsiii. It is

1 Dr. Dion A Forster is the International coordinator for ‘EXPOSED – Shining a light on

corruption’ (see http://www.exposed2013.com for more details). This article was originally published in the Lausanne World Pulse, June/July 2010. Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. Wheaton, Ill.

fitting that Jesus should teach on money, and our stewardship of it since money, and economic systems, are extremely powerful. They are powerful enough to send nations to war, to cause individuals to oppress and murder one another, and subtle enough to gain a hold on even the most devout Christian. The etymology of the contemporary English word ‘economy’ stems from the Greek word oikonomia. This word is a conjunction of two Greek words, oikos meaning ‘house’ and nomos meaning ‘to manage’. Thus, in its simplest form true economics has to do with the stewardship and management of a ‘household’iv. Parents know how important it is to balance the needs and concerns of all of the members of the family, managing the resources of the household, so that everyone in the family is adequately cared for, and in fact may find blessing through proper and careful management of the household’s resources. Jesus’ teaching on stewardship has this basic theological emphasis running through it – God’s economics stems from God’s loving desire to meet the needs of the whole human family. In one of Jesus’ clearest teachings on stewardship, Matthew 6.19-23, Jesus moves on from his teaching about the three central ‘religious acts’ for the devout Jew; namely almsgiving (Matthew 6.1-4), praying (Matthew 6.5-15), and fasting (Matthew 6.16-18), to teaching about a devout person’s conduct and intention in everyday life. The essence of his teaching is that the same purity of life is required in our everyday dealings as is applied in our expressly religious acts. Jesus brings together our ‘two worlds’ (what we mistakenly separate into sacred and profane activities) into his one Kingdom. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, commented in his 26th sermon that Jesus’ teaching in this passage emphasises that there can be no “personal holiness” without “social holiness”v. He taught that God cannot be honoured in Church on Sunday, and then be disregarded in the street, or office, on Monday. Indeed, true faith must be a balance between “works of piety” and “works of mercy”. One’s personal holiness must find expression and true meaning in one’s social holiness. So, let me ask once again, have you considered your part in God’s economy for the world? Christians must take up their responsibility for God honouring economic systems. When Christians get it wrong. Before discussing one area in which Christians can make a massive missional impact through Godly stewardship, I would like to consider one of the most destructive contemporary Christian approaches to economics – the prosperity movement. First let us consider the maps below. The first map is an analogous representation of the land area of the world’s continentsvi:

Compare the land area map to the next map which is an analogous representation of the Christian population of the world – in other words the more Christians there are in a particular place the larger that region will appear on the map:

Philip Jenkins discusses the location, and shift, in global Christianity in his book The next Christendom (2002). He suggests that the confluence of the need for religion, the remaining structures of imperialism and colonial structure, together with a measure of independence and self-determination have all contributed significantly to the growth of Christianity in the less developed and poorer parts of the worldvii. Perhaps this shift is best summed up in the following quote from the popular Christian author Philip Yancey:

As I travel, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God “moving” geographically from the Middle East, to Europe to North America to the developing world. My theory is this: God goes where he’s wanted.viii

Jenkins notes that “none of the reasons why the churches have been growing so astonishingly in the global South is likely to change in the near future…

demographic projections suggest that the environment in which they have flourished will continue to exist well into the next [21st] century”ix. However, there is one crucial point that must be made about these statistics of growth in Christianity in the poorer parts of the world. It would be naïve to think that a mere increase in the number of Christians in a particular area can be equated with a significant, positive, growth in the Christian faith. In fact some of the fastest growing iterations of Christianity have not been very Christian at all!x For example, there is an alarming rise of the North American styled ‘prosperity’ and ‘word of faith’ type Churches in some of the poorest parts of the globe, not least in Southern Africa. These Churches preach a particularly attractive, yet destructive, version of the heresy of ‘prosperity theology’xi, offering an unrealistic hope of an escape from poverty to some of the poorest persons on earth. Together with this the numerical growth among ‘miracle’ Churches in Africa, that promise healing miracles, is staggering. However this numerical growth is not surprising when one considers that two thirds of the world’s AIDS deaths occur in Southern Africa (22.5 million of the 33.2 million)xii. Why do these Churches grow so significantly among the world’s poor and needy? There are various complex answers to this question, but among the more commonly accepted reasons is the simple fact that people who are in need long for hope. Churches that preach prosperity theology offer poor people a hope of a better future. Sadly, their ‘good news’ is not sustainable. Yet there are very few responsible Christian alternatives. In South Africa I don’t know of many ministries or denominations that have a responsible and sustainable strategy for poverty alleviation and economic empowerment. In the absence of such options people turn to any hope that is offered to them. The point is simply that the size of a denomination or Church does not indicate faithful and meaningful mission and discipleship, it may in fact be an indicator of a lack of meaningful mission! If the Christian Church is not effectively caring for persons and attempting to meet their needs in a tangible and sustainable manner they will turn to others who promise liberation and hope, even if these promises are baseless and destructive. So, we could ask the question again – what role does God want you and your Church or ministry to play in God’s economy for the world? Economics, apathy and suffering – the problem of HIV/AIDS. Some years ago when I was the Dean of the Methodist Seminary in Pretoria, I commented to a class of final year students, “unless your Church develops a significant HIV/AIDS ministry it cannot be considered faithful to the Gospel!” This statement generated a great deal of debate! I still believe it to be true. In Southern Africa the Church cannot be Christian unless it is engaged in caring for persons who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. How can I say this?

South Africa’s HIV/AIDS statistics are fairly well knownxiii. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest precedence of HIV infection in the worldxiv. Where it is left completely unchecked the HIV infection rate has risen to as high as 1 in every 2 persons (50% of some population groups in Botswana)xv. Of the estimated 33.2 million persons living with AIDS globally, more than 22.5 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa – that amounts to 68% of all HIV+ persons in less than 10% of the world’s geographic land mass. Statistics are not very effective at conveying the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS. The following representational mapxvi gives a visual illustration of a map of the world where the continents are shaped according to the number of HIV+ persons who die of AIDS each year (thus the more HIV related deaths there are on a continent the larger it appears on the map, and the less HIV related deaths there are on a continent the smaller it appears on the map). Compare the map below to a map that represents geographical land mass and you’ll easily see how disproportionate HIV infection and deaths are in Southern Africa in comparison to the rest of the world.

Each day more than 1600 persons are infected with the virus. In most government hospitals more than half of the patients are HIV+. Approximately 4500 people in Sub-Saharan Africa die of HIV/AIDS related medical causes each day. This tragedy is exacerbated by the prevalence of poverty in Southern Africa. There is a direct link between poverty and HIV infection and AIDS deaths. Poverty reduces education levels, which in turn has consequence for reproductive choice and employment opportunities. Poverty it causes the most vulnerable in a society to become dependent upon others for their survival. This dependency, particularly among women and children, often leads to sexual abuse and sex work. However, one of the clearest links between poverty and HIV/AIDS is the deaths of millions of persons who simply cannot afford antiretroviral medication. The most commonly understood economic cause of HIV/AIDS deaths is the cost of Anti-retroviral (ARV) medication. In 1996 a combination of drug

therapies that slows the onset of AIDS was introduced to the public. Within 4 years the death rates of HIV+ persons in developed countries had dropped by 84% as a result of the use of ARV’sxvii. However, the cost of this treatment was simply prohibitive for most persons in Southern Africa (US$10 000-US$15 000 per year). By 2001 only about 8 000 persons in Southern Africa had access to this life saving drug. By 2007 the cost of ARV’s for low and middle-income countries had dropped by between 30%-64% for the most common ARV combination (3TC/d4T/NVP) making it available for only US$87 per patient per yearxviii. The effects of generic drug competition, and hard work amongst AIDS activists to force profit orientated pharmaceutical companies to release their patents on these necessary drugs has played a significant role making ARV’s more accessible to those who need themxix. Poverty is the leading cause of AIDS deaths in Southern Africa. The Human Poverty Index 1 (HPI-1) is a measure of several factors such as the probability at birth of surviving to the age of 40, adult literacy, percentage of children who are underweight and under-nourished, and access to improved water sources for survival and health. Some of the poorest nations on earth, ranked by the HPI-1, are to be found in Southern Africa – in Zambia for example 72.9% of the population live below the national poverty line of US$1 per day, whilst in Lesotho the figure is 68%, and in Malawi it is 65.3%xx. For a visual representation of this problem please refer to the map below. It shows that the poorest persons on earth live in Africa and Asia. The map shows the areas of the world where persons live on less that $10 per day (i.e., the more persons there are living on less than $10 per day the large the area on the map)xxi.

The critical question is thus, what does it mean to be saved in this context? The answer to this question will radically transform the nature and intention of our evangelism, mission and discipleship efforts. The content of the ‘good news’, and the shape of ‘Kingdom work’ would need to take on a very contextual character in different economic situations. In reference to Jesus’ statement that he came to proclaim “good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18), the Latin American preacher, Ed Silvoso, asks the question

“What is really good news for the poor?”xxii his admonition to Christians is that ‘good news to the poor’ is not merely a good sermon! In the context of the developing world the ‘good news’ must be tangible. Elsewhere Silvoso commented, in his inimitable manner that,

Preaching the truth without love is like giving someone a good kiss when you have bad breath. No matter how good your kiss is, all the recipient will remember is your bad breath!

There is a great deal of insight contained in this humorous analogy! Poverty, wealth and responsibility in mission. In Southern Africa we have an ancient African traditional value system called ubuntuxxiii, it is based upon the saying ‘umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’ meaning, ‘a person is a person, only through other people’xxiv. In this system I cannot be truly human unless I am truly humane. I cannot be truly blessed while someone else is suffering. I cannot enjoy my food while someone else is hungry. Our identity, joy, blessing, and ultimate happiness is bound to the same in other persons. Jesus’ teaching on God’s economy challenges us to re-evaluate our reason for earning, our intention in spending, and a motivation for saving. God’s economy calls for a radical ubuntu. For sake of Christ, in obedience to his teaching, and to bring healing and wholeness to the world, let’s follow the example of the Christians of the early Church who “had everything in common”, and “gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2.43-44). As we leave this Church today we will face real people with real needs. What will our eyes see? As the rich grow richer, and the poor grow poorer, what will we do? God has a will. God has a will for your income, God has a will for your influence in your family, among your community, and in the place where you work. God sees the hungry child, God sees the needy family, God knows the plight of an exploited nation, and God has manna, and wants mercy for the world. This is God’s economy. This is God’s way of managing the household of humanity. Will you obediently enact God’s will in whatever way you can to match personal and social holiness in your life? There can be no higher pursuit, no greater wealth, no richer blessing, than obediently living for Christ. If your answer is ‘yes’, then you too may hear Jesus saying to you: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…. Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’ (Matthew 25.35-36, 34b). i In South African English a ‘shack’ refers to an illegal informal-dwelling constructed from various

waste materials such as pieces of wood, canvas, plastic sheeting and cardboard boxes. Most Southern

African cities and towns have thousands of shacks such as these, grouped together in informal

settlements. Rapid urbanization, a decline in rural economies, and the need for adequate free medical

treatment for HIV+ persons, has caused a mass migration of people to the cities in search of work and

security. The inhabitants of these informal settlements are among the poorest persons in Southern

Africa. ii http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20061206033618436C239502

(accessed 15 December 2006, 9h39) iii

If you read the Gospels carefully you will notice that 11 of the 39 parables teach about stewardship of

money and resources. In fact in Luke’s Gospel (the longest and most detailed of the synoptic Gospels)

1 in every 7 verses talks about money). iv Please refer to: Forster, DA Eyes that can see, and hands that can change in Shier Jones, A and

Reisman, KD (eds.) ‘44 Sermons to serve the present age’ London: Methodist Publishing House.

(2007:141-150) for a more detailed discussion of the concept of economics as stewardship of the

‘household of God’. v For a detailed and thorough discussion on the development of Wesley’s understanding, and

adaptation, of personal piety and social holiness within early Methodism please see R.P. Heitzenrater,

Wesley and the people called Methodists, New York: Abingdon Press (1995:165-180, 199-241, 261-

280). Moreover, Richardson wrote a succinct and clear account of the balance between personal piety

and social holiness in the African context, see Neville R. Richardson, & Purity Malinga (eds),

Rediscovering Wesley for Africa, Pretoria: Education for Ministry and Mission Unit (2005:161-172).

vi In this map, the size of the continent on the map is a scaled representation of the actual land area.

This is what a regular map of the world, that represents land area, would look like. These maps come

from http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/ (accessed 23 June 2009, 13.03).

vii Jenkins, P The next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity. Oxford. Oxford University

Press (2002:55-78).

viii Yancey, P in Christianity today (February 5, 2001), quoted in Jenkins, P The next Christendom:

The coming of global Christianity. Oxford. Oxford University Press (200215).

ix Jenkins, P The next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity. Oxford. Oxford University

Press (2002:92).

x Please see my discussion of the statistical growth of negative iterations of the Christian faith in

Southern Africa in: The appropriation of Wesleyan pragmatism and social holiness in Southern African

Methodism, in Forster, D & Bentley, W, God’s mission in our context – critical questions, healing and

transforming responses. in ‘Methodism in Southern Africa. A celebration of Wesleyan Mission’.

Kempton Park. AcadSA Publishers (2008:70-99).

xi For a succinct and fairly accurate discription of prosperity theology please see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology (accessed 27 September 2009, 13.07).

xii For a detailed discussion of this situation please refer to Forster, D “Empire, Economics and

Apathy: A theological reflection on suffering as a result of HIV/AIDS” in Alienation and Connection:

Perspectives on suffering in our global age Rieger, J & Withrow, L. Lanham, USA, Lexington Books –

Rowman & Littlefield (2010).

xiii For the most up to date statistics on the global AIDS pandemic please see Report on the global

AIDS pandemic 2008, Geneva, UNAIDS, 2008 http://www.UNAIDS.org.za (accessed 8 August 2008,

21.06).

xiv Please refer to the graph in Appendix A indicating HIV infection rates among persons between the

ages of 15-49 in Southern Africa. This graph is based on the research of Professor Andre Roux of the

University of Stellenbosch’s business school. The statistics are drawn from United Nations (UNAIDS)

and World Health Organization reports for 2008. Please see Report on the global AIDS pandemic 2008,

Geneva, UNAIDS, 2008 http://www.UNAIDS.org.za (accessed 8 August 2008, 21.06).

xv “Half of Pregnant Women at Durban Clinic HIV+,” Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, March 9,

1999.

xvi This map comes from http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/ (accessed 23 June 2009,

13.03).

xvii Please refer to the following article “Determinants of survival following HIV-1

seroconversion after the introduction of HAART”. The Lancet Vol 362 no. 9392, pp.1267-1274, 18

October 2003 (the findings can be accessed here

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2803%2914570-

9/fulltext?_eventId=login accessed 23 July 2009, 15.09).

xviii Please refer to the following Doctors Without Borders report:

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=2877 (accessed 1 August 2009, 21.07). In

real terms the price reduction of this drug combination for certain sections of Southern Africa was a

99% reduction on the original price.

xix

I discussed the complexity of economics, greed, politics and Church apathy in a chapter entitled

Empire, Economics and Apathy: A theological reflection on suffering as a result of HIV/AIDS in

Forster, DA Christian and positive: Reflections on being Christian in an HIV+ world (2010:17:45),

Cape Town, MMA Publishers.

xx See http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=581&crid= (accessed 3 August 2009,

12.34).

xxi For an exceptional discussion on this problem please refer to Collier, P The Bottom billion: Why

the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it. Oxford. Oxford University Press

(2007).

xxii Silvoso, E Transformation. California. Regal Publishers (2007:128). xxiii

For a detailed discussion on the African philosophy of ubuntu please refer to Forster, DA Identity in

relationship: The ethics of ubuntu [in African Theology] as an answer to the impasse of individual

consciousness, in The impact of knowledge systems on human development in Africa. du Toit, CW (ed),

Pretoria, Research institute for Religion and Theology (University of South Africa) 2007:245-289, and

Forster, DA African relational ontology, individual identity, and Christian theology: An African

theological contribution towards an integrated relational ontological identity. In Theology SPCK,

July/August 2010 VOL CXIII No 874. xxiv

Please also see Forster, D Validation of individual consciousness in strong artificial intelligence:

An African theological contribution. Doctoral Thesis. Pretoria: University of South Africa. 2006:246-

298 for a detailed discussion on this intricacies of African cosmology and African Christian