04360
August 12, 2004

Goal of economic justice pulls North and South together

by Noel Bruyns
Ecumenical News International

ACCRA, Ghana — A Protestant from rich Switzerland and a pastor from impoverished Argentina found common ground at a worldwide church gathering in Ghana in pleading for justice in the world economy.

      “Too many people are suffering under the impact of the neo-liberal market economy, be it because of deregulation, privatization, ignorance of workers’ rights or because firms seekout the cheapest locations — with one goal: to pour more profit into the pockets of shareholders and bosses,” said Irene Meier-de Spindler, a synod member of the Reformed Church of Berne-Jura-Solothurn in Switzerland.

      Meier-de Spindler, with the Rev. Roberto Jordan of the Reformed Churches in Argentina, was addressing 400 delegates and 600 ecumenical observers on Aug. 4 at the 24th general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) taking place in the Ghanaian capital.

       WARC links about 75 million Christians in more than 200 Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed and United churches around the world. A major WARC program has been challenging churches to take strong action to help the poor and to protect the environment. 

      The church alliance calls this a process of “covenanting” which in Reformed theology is understood as coming together or bonding in response to a call from God.

      Meier-de Spindler faulted the World Economic Forum that takes place in Davos in the Swiss Alps every January. It brings together the top executives from the world’s 1000 largestcompanies, and heads of state and government ministers worldwide. Members of her church critical of globalization had become active in the campaign against it. 

      This led to conflict with the church leadership, she said, which however assigned a task group “to reflect upon globalization from a Reformed Christian point of view.” Within six months the church had revised its position, and it now wants to shape globalization to be more greatly marked with justice, she said.

      “As the next step our church, together with its parishes, is planning an education campaign on ‘economic literacy,’ which includes ethical investment and demanding transnationals with headquarters in Switzerland to ensure their business methodsworldwide respect human rights and environment protection laws,” Meier- de Spindler said.

      From the other end of the globe, Jordan spoke of the political and economic devastation wreaked first by Argentina’s military junta between 1976 and 1983 and the “fanatical implementation of neo-liberal policies” under former President Carlos Menem(1989-99).

      “The 2003 Synod of the Reformed Churches in Argentina unanimously agreed to make a declaration of faith concerning economic injustice and ecological destruction,” Jordan said. “We hope this general council will be able to make a similar clear declaration on these issues because we see it as the response God expects from us.”

      Stories from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches about the 24th general council may be found on the WARC Web site: www.warc.ch/24gc