The study and recommendations present a theological analysis based in Scripture and our Reformed heritage, particularly that of John Calvin, of the secular market assumptions at work in the church, including those models of career and salary inequality that distort so many of our expectations. Reformation and change, though difficult, are vital to continued health and growth in the church, but must be based on a biblical and theological understanding of our mission. Hence, any plan for change, for re-focusing the church's mission, incentives, and internal accountability, will arise from the context of our mutual vocation and mission.
The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) is tasked to study matters of Christian conscience within and outside the church and to recommend measures that reflect the values and message of Jesus Christ. At core, the advisory committee believes that ministers share much the same motivation and should share much the same reward, as they serve the same church, a shared enterprise founded on God's self-giving love in Jesus Christ. God's solidarity with us in Christ in turn calls us to solidarity with the cause of Christ in the world, which is still to be turned upside down (Acts …
This report is one of four study papers, commissioned in order to better understand the human consequences of globalization. It attribues the current acceleration of globalization to corporate mergers and the rise of neoliberal ideology. It sees negative effects of globalization in terms of increased income and wealth disparities within and between nations and the loss of democratic control of economic policy and regulation, as nations race to the bottom with efforts to attract international capital investment. While fewer trade restrictions tend to motivate increased economic efficiency in the long run, there are shorter run costs of transition, and these …
Just and sustainable human development is the comprehensive enhancement of the quality of life for all, present and future; it necessarily involves the integration of economic, social, political, cultural, ecological, and spiritual dimensions of being. With this definition of "just and sustainable human development," this policy statement addresses international issues in the economic structure. It is based on a biblical theology and Christian assumption of the mutual responsibility and equality of human beings in God's sight, stating that equitable distribution of goods and ecological constraints put moral limits on economic activity for the sake of human well-being, future generations, and …
In its broadest sense, globalization refers to the rapid growth of linkages and interconnections between nations and social communities which make up the present world system. Thus, any meaningful discussion of globalization must begin with a recognition that it may mean different things to different people: For some it refers primarily to the vast spread of global communication. Others think it best conveys the homogenization of consumer cultures. For still others, it is mostly a way of drawing attention to the emerging consciousness of our mutual dependence on the life support system of a small planet. Many others believe it …
Globalization and Culture addresses the cultural exchanges that accompany the globalization of markets with the expansion of financial systems, means of communication, movements of people and radical changes in global geo-politics. Working assumptions about culture are teased out by introductory remarks on language, values and philosophy. Then, concepts emerging in the studies and debates over the impact of globalization on culture(s) are organized around the notion that the economic exchanges promoted by the globalization of the economy are accompanied by a cultural exchange in which the developed nations import greater cultural diversity from around the globe while exporting to the …
Economic globalization promises increasing material affluence to those who adopt its assumptions. Opponents discount the promises claiming that they are realized by only a few and includes environmental degradation. For those concerned for justice and environmental integrity there are very real abuses, and they stem from basic, taken for granted assumptions about nature. Both the structures of globalization and the basic assumptions that guide it are in need of change.
Globalization and international trade are realities of today's world. In this report, globalization is defined as the process by which people, nations, and economies throughout the world become ever more connected and integrated. Although often driven by economics, globalization includes spiritual, cultural, political, and human welfare dimensions. This report and the recommendations are to provide ethical insight for individual Christians and a set of responses for churches and the larger church through its agencies. As Christians, we understand that what happens to people in the process of being "integrated" is a key criterion by which globalization must be measured. We …
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, some of the core principles the church has tried to uphold in relation to money lending are the victims of a perverse reversal of moral logic. In too many contemporary lending practices, not only are the poor charged interest (against the theological and ethical wisdom of the church), but they are also charged more interest than those who live in more favorable economic circumstances.
In 1952, the PCUSA Assembly urged a ". . . greater emphasis upon free collective bargaining in labor-management relations," and that Presbyterians ". . . participate more actively in management organizations and labor unions as an expression of Christian vocation. . ." (PCUSA, 1952, p. 204). The first statement of the PCUS on work in the postwar period came in 1953 when its General Assembly directed that ". . . churches undertake the responsibility of impressing men, women and young people of the value and significance of daily work as Christian vocation . . ." (PCUS, 1953, p. 92). Meanwhile, …