The second great commandment

‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’

Prophetic call

#1: To right worship#2: To right relationsAt heart: poverty

“2000 verses”

Not a marginal part of Scripture…OT is saturated with concern1 in 10 verses in synoptic gospels

– 1 in 7 in LukeImpossible to be Xn and not be

concernedNot a political pointAbout priorities and scale of

values

"Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."

(Deut 15.10,11)

How much poverty?

Oil

The issue that we faceBe aware of the impact of our

choicesAt $50/barrel – swathes of Africa

are excludedFrom the trivial to the deadly

seriousThe imbalance is absurd……and profoundly unjustIn BIBLICAL terms

Dives and Lazarus

"It is easier for a camel to go

through the eye of a needle, than for

a rich man to enter the kingdom

of God"

Social justice

Not anti-wealth;Nor anti- absolute povertyAbout social inclusion – no

division between neighbour and self

Not leaving a member of the community to rot

Economist article on French mining

Three tools

IdolatryWrathApocalypse

The idol of growth

Long lead timeReinforced by shock of the

1930sPolicies driven by fear

God and Mammon

You cannot serve bothWhat is “growth”?

– More and more stuff– ‘the spoil of the poor is in your

houses’– Definition of cancer

When you hear ‘growth’ add in ‘of our cancer’…

Mammon’s soldiers

Bad companies– Eg Exxon and global warming

Structured around growth– Partly a cultural thing (cf Japan)

Business logic is a different thing to Xn logic

Wrath

Idols always fail in the end[Physical] Growth will cease

– Specifically: oilWe will see the truthGod will destroy injustice

Wrath 2

ConsequencesHuman suffering, esp in ‘4th

world’Human movement

– Watch MexicoRadical governments?

Eschatological imaginationWhere are we going?How can we live like it now

Voluntary simplicity

Or: most of 20th C culture isn’t worth it

Fundamental change in values

Marching for less

I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4.11b-13)

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

(1 Timothy 6.6-9)

Stop buying stuff

Purchase for the long termPurchase wisely and frugallyPrefer the second hand to the

new3 Rs – reduce comes firstConcentrate on being human

– Difference between tools and possessions

Share– Eg DVD libraries

"If you wish to be complete, go and sell all you have and

give to the poor"