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Energized by Lamb
Power
in the Face of Being Globalized and Terrorized by Empire
A Report from the Ghost Ranch Seminar on Economy, Ecology, and Empire
(July 17-23) by Jake Young
[8-7-06]
For the eighth year in a row, Witherspoon
Society cosponsored an engaging seminar at Ghost Ranch with Presbyterian
Peace Fellowship and Presbyterians for Restoring Creation. A record 51
people attended this year's seminar, under the leadership of Barbara Rossing,
Walter Owensby and Gary Cook.
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| Seminar leaders
Walter Owensby, Gary Cook, and Barbara Rossing |
Owensby (Ph.D., U. of Wisconsin) provided a
theoretical framework for our discussions, presenting the concept of
globalization to the group.
Cook, coordinator of the PC(USA) Global
Service and Witness program area, directed our attention to specific cases
of those suffering from being "globalized" and the many ways in which our
denomination and other organizations are resisting globalization.
Rossing, Professor of New Testament at
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, described how scripture, especially
the book of Revelation, is misappropriated and misinterpreted to provide
biblical bases for United States empire-building and environmental
degradation.
"Better off
as a Cow in Europe"
Because of government subsidies, farmers in
Europe spend $2.20 each day on every cow. Today, 2.8 billion persons must
survive on less resources.
Owensby does not question the logic of
providing for cows. (After all, he's from Wisconsin.) He simply presented
this datum, this stark contrast, to draw our attention to the degree to
which globalization continues to utterly fail in the equitable distribution
of global resources.
Globalization is only the "most recent
eruption of capitalism." In this sense, it is not a new phenomenon. Citing
Thomas Friedman, though disagreeing with many of his
"cheerleader-for-global-free-trade" conclusions, Owensby noted that the
expansion of European imperial powers more than 500 years ago and the
subsequent displacement and annihilation of indigenous populations marked an
early phase of capital eruption. A later phase began in the nineteenth
century, marked by the emergence of large corporations, railroad
development, the telephone, the rise of a managerial class, and the
beginning of nation-states being viewed as "inconveniences to be overcome."
Finally, the current phase of global capitalism began around 2000. The
nineteenth and early twentieth century phase was driven by corporate
rationality. This new form of globalization is driven by information and the
ease with which it is produced and shared. (Note: In the "information age,"
the hot commodity—information—is not more valuable, but actually less. That
is, it is much less costly today to produce and share information. By the
very logic of capitalism, this surplus of supply means a cheap product—with
all the connotations that "cheap" implies.) For example, consider the steep
drop in fees for international phone calls.
The trouble with current globalization is
that it is based on capitalist ideological premises that are problematic for
people of faith. Capitalism is supposed to operate by creating good outcomes
for people based on their self serving, competitive, all-against-all effort.
This is what Adam Smith referred to as the beneficent "invisible hand." But
history has never witnessed this scenario. There is the promise of a
"trickle down" effect, but this effect cannot be corroborated by any
evidence. In fact, every indication is that the opposite effect takes place:
During periods of economic expansion in capitalist systems, the rich get
richer and the poor get poorer. Meanwhile, adherents of the trickle down
ideology are given license to ignore justice since they believe,
irrationally, that the system will right itself. It seems as though there
should be a more elegant way to say it, but there's not. Our current system
rewards the "haves" and abuses the "have-nots." One is reminded of the
comment by Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune, "In my
neighborhood, we know the difference between trickle-down and being
trickled-upon." This presents a major moral dilemma, since most of the
world's people doe not make enough money to control their lives. What to do?
There must be some way of regulating the
tendency toward capital accumulation by the few. By what agency must this
occur? Government. Owensby was quick to note that no one is promoting the
wonders of anarchy, rather the question is how much governmental regulation
is required. This is not a conservative/liberal debate, but a simple
acknowledgement of the deterioration of the way we view society and the role
of government in it. Current political discourse, especially in the United
States, eschews beyond all reason the idea of global governance, yet no
private actor in the international economy is willing to dispense with the
obvious benefits of government (e.g. law enforcement, courts, education
systems, other public institutions, and even regulation of trade).
Many years ago, economist Barbara Ward noted we need to change the way we
look at the world. What is called for is metanoia. Referencing
experts such as Amitai Etzioni and Francis Fukuyama, Owensby demonstrated
how the interconnectedness of our emerging global system require such a
metanoia now more than ever. This change must include self restraint on
the part of the United States and other rich, powerful global actors and a
broaching of the taboo subject of global governance.
In the meantime, Owensby commended three recent documents to Christians
as we seek to live faithfully with globalization: 1) The World Council of
Churches' Alternate Globalization Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE);
2) The World Alliance of Reformed Churches' Covenanting for Justice in
the Economy and the Earth; and 3) The PC(USA)'s policy paper, "Just
Globalization" approved by the 217th General Assembly in Birmingham.
"Do You Feel Globalized?"
Gary Cook challenged us to understand globalization as an active process
and, therefore, to examine it as a verb: "to globalize." We were invited to
view globalization through the lenses of those in Asia, Africa, and Latin
America who feel globalized beyond their control and are searching for ways
to resist this seemingly inexorable process. From India came the words of
Thomas John: "All aspects of our culture and nature are commoditized and
commercialized. . . We are confronted today with a colonization of the mind.
Our middle class is mesmerized by the prospect of wealth." It was clear from
John's and others' perspective that the United States is the main purveyor
of globalizing.
The case from Latin American included a powerful act of resistance. When
the Bolivian government contracted with the U.S. corporation Bechtel to
privatize water in one city, Bechtel quickly tripled the rates for
customers, not expecting any backlash. But an overwhelming protest developed
among Bolivian citizens. As the movement grew and threatened violence, the
Bolivian government forced Bechtel to leave the country. This struggle is
movingly documented in the video production, Thirst.
Millions of other cases exist with more being added each day as rich
nations and mesmerized (to use Thomas John's language) governments of poor
nations pursue globalization. As people of faith, we can stand in solidarity
with victims of this process by hearing and retelling their testimonies. We
must also examine our own lives. How are we being globalized? How do we
condone and support globalization? What stories will we tell?
Cook also updated us on the myriad ways that the PC(USA) is seeking to
resist globalization and stand in solidarity with those who are its victims.
"Will You Be Left Behind?"
The short (pun intended) answer is "Yes, and its fun!" Barbara Rossing
sported a pair of "Left Behind" shorts she purchased from
www.oldlutheran.com.
As you must have already guessed, the key phrase is appropriately located on
the back of the shorts. The website claims, "The perfect short for those
concerned about the 'end times'." Now why isn't there an oldpresbyterian.com
website? Would it be redundant?
Ridicule is one appropriate response to power and poor scriptural
interpretation. But Rossing also led three very engaging and serious
sessions about the Book of Revelation and how some evangelicals are using it
to peddle fear and promote American empire, as well as make an enormous
amount of money.
To date, the Left Behind book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry
Jenkins has sold 65 million copies. Annual revenue for the books is $100
million. The series is fiction, but many of its readers believe it is based
on a legitimate interpretation of Revelation and other scripture that
depicts the end of the world. Rossing described Left Behind as a
theology delivery device and LaHaye's theology as a political delivery
device.
When asked in a Sixty Minutes interview why all 12 books feature the
United States so prominently, LaHaye said, "We believe God has raised up
America in these last days to present the Gospel to the world." The "loving
wimpy Jesus," LaHaye claims "liberals have manufactured," could never
accomplish the military feats God is calling the United States to undertake.
Rossing noted that we value pluralism, but interpretations like LaHaye's
make scripture and the church handmaidens of empire. She effectively argued
that Revelation and much of the New Testament should be understood as a
critique of the injustice and oppression of empire, namely the Roman Empire.
The dispensationalist approach of LaHaye, et al., depicts a seven year
tribulation during which the environment is thrown into chaos and
three-quarters of the earth's population is swept into hell by the hand of
God in the form of famine and war. However, a key feature of this ridiculous
vision is a "rapture" event wherein the elect few are taken up into heaven
by Jesus just before the tribulation. From there they may voyeuristically
watch the death and destruction like a real, live action film.
Most scripture texts used to support the rapture idea (e.g. Corinthians
15) are actually about resurrection. Rossing also noted that Christians
clearly confess faith in the second coming of Christ, but not in the
vengeful way that LaHaye demands. In fact, the bizarre rapture scenario
describes a sort of initial aborted second coming in which Christ returns
part way, then goes back to heaven before finally coming back to earth much
later to rescue the wise new Christians who converted during the tribulation
years because they purchased one of LaHaye's books and finally saw the
light. It is not clear if LaHaye will receive royalties for books sold after
the rapture.
Rossing's book, The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book
of Revelation (2005) develops this argument in much greater detail.
Noteworthy from her presentations at Ghost Ranch is the idea of "Lamb
Power." Revelation, it turns out, is only one example of an entire genre of
apocalypse (literally, "to reveal") stories written in the Ancient Near
East. Characteristic of this genre are a stock set of images including
talking animals, women that become cities, a powerful central character who
brings justice, and a narrator who discovers all of this on a fantastic,
surreal journey. John's Revelation includes all of this with one key
difference: the central character in apocalypse is typically a powerful
predatory animal, but in Revelation it is the lamb.
How do we understand the lamb to be an image of God's power in the world?
What stories may we tell of "lamb power" being enacted in the face of
globalization and imperial military might? Once again, we discover that it
is important for us to tell our stories and to hear the stories of "peoples
long silenced." In Revelation 12 we read that the just have become
conquerors because of the lamb and "by the word of their testimony, for they
did not cling to life even in the face of death." A loving Jesus is not
wimpy. Nonviolent, suffering love requires the utmost courage, and in the
end is the only way to lead to true peace.
It was a great week in Ghost Ranch again this year. In 2007, we are
planning an even bigger event with more great speakers. I hope to see you
there, for, as Gary Cook reminded us, "Any excuse to come to Ghost Ranch is
a good excuse!"
The author
The Rev. Jake Young is pastor of North Anderson Community Church,
Presbyterian, in Anderson, NC. He was elected in June as one of the
co-moderators of the Witherspoon Society.
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