Saturday, October 29, 2011

Nailing the issue

This is a great quote for a Lutheran pastor Tom Gaulke from Chicago who has been spending time with those occupying Chicago in the way that people are occupying London (around St Paul's).


"The more the corporations focus on the wealthy, the more they worship the god of wealth, the more they're sacrificing the 99 percent, The crisis isn't just economic or political. Really, it's a spiritual crisis. For Christians, it's a matter of idolatry," he says.

That seems to nail it. We look for political and economic solutions to the mess we're in and that's right and proper because it is part of our mandate as stewards of creation. But in order to solve a problem we have to identify it properly. And Gaulke has put his finger succinctly on the issue - idolatry.

And idolatry is a spiritual problem requiring a spiritual solution. Whatever politics and economics we conjure to extract ourselves from this mess, without repentance and humility, they are sticking plasters placed over an arterial burst.

You can read the rest of piece where Gaulke's quoted here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's an interesting theology, ascribing to a corporation the ability to worship.

David

simon said...

Churches are collections of individuals but they worship.
If worship is an expression of loyalty to a higher power, then corporations as much as churches and individuals are able to worship.
Our theology has to take account of collectives of humans through with much of our activity takes place and which often shape our individual response or attitudes.
It applies to sin, so I don't see why it doesn't apply to worship