Don’t Confuse the Purpose of the Markets with the Commission of the Church
Summary
The self-regulating market is often billed as the means of reaching utopia on earth. It is said that the market, if left to adjust itself, will solve labor, hunger, property, social issues, and the balance of power. According to Polanyi, this is a fallacy.
“Such an institution could not exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it would have physically destroyed man and transferred his surroundings into a wilderness. Inevitably, society took measures to protect itself, but whatever measures it took impaired the self-regulation of the market, disorganized industrial life, and thus endangered society in yet another way. It was this dilemma which forced the development of the market system into a definite groove and finally disrupted the social organization based upon it.”[1]
This one paragraph sums the entire book and Polanyi’s substantivism in which there is an economy of resource and an economy of human interaction. Polanyi contends that the resource side of the economic equation is inseparable from the impact on the human side of the economy.[2] They are more than directly related; each has impact on the other; in fact, one cannot exist without the other. The economy is after all social.[3]
Application
What does that mean for the mission of the Church? Of the many questions that arise in this topic of markets, money, resources and the Church, the one that resonates throughout the scriptures is, “What about those who do not have money, resources, or property?” How does the self-regulating market impact them? One of the cruelest outcomes of a free-market system is its impact on people. One quote, in particular, is formulated on the idea that society and therefore the market is based on two equally opposing forces, those who own property and those who labor. “The number of the latter [laborers] was listed by the amount of food; and as long as property was safe, hunger would drive them to work. No magistrate was necessary, for hunger was a better disciplinarian than the magistrate.”[4]
And now to my point. I fear that as believers living in a market driven society, we have a tendency to rely on the market system or even the government to solve a problem God intended for the Church to solve. Namely to take care of those who live on the margins of society. Paul Hiebert said, “One of the measures of the godliness of a church is the way it treats the marginalized. The world takes care of the successful, the powerful and the wealthy. The church exists for other. It is entrusted with the care of the lost on the margins.”
We rely on the market economy to take care of the marginalize when we say, “if you’d just get a job you wouldn’t have these problems.” Maybe God is asking us to help them find work, train them, place them. We rely on the government to meet the needs of the marginalized when we say, “I’m so sorry you’re hungry, let me pray for you. Now, go and have a nice day.” Maybe God wants us to provide a meal—at our table!
I agree whole heartedly that the Church of today has a vast and positive impact on the world. For the millions who would otherwise be forgotten, the Church is feeding, clothing, housing, training, serving and healing. I understand that the needs are great and that we can’t solve all of the problems everywhere. But we can start, one at a time. One meal, one coat, one moment.
I pray that this will be the time in history where the church rises up and says, “enough!” I pray that this will be a time when a new generation of believers shouts, “We are ready, with the power of the Holy Spirit and the help of Almighty God to be more Christ-like and reach from the middle to the margins.” When that happens, we will begin to see the greatest outpouring of the Holy Sprit our country and the world has ever seen. But for that to happen we first must see clearly. We cannot confuse the purpose of the markets with the commission of the Church. 2 Chronicles 7:14—Let the healing begin!
- Polanyi, Karl. The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. 2 ed. Beacon Press, 2001, 3,4.
- Hindess, Barry. Sociological Theories of the Economy. 1st ed. 1977 ed. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, 71,72.
- Polanyi, 45.
- Ibid., 120.
About the Author
Jim Sabella
9 responses to “Don’t Confuse the Purpose of the Markets with the Commission of the Church”
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“We cannot confuse the purpose of the markets with the commission of the Church.”
I find this quite interesting to observe in British politics, Jim. A lot of Anglican bishops are very socialist in their views. They rage against the Conservative party and support the Labour party and the welfare state. Then there are Christian believers and Members of Parliament (and even Anglicans) of exactly the opposite political view. The imperative is, as you say, to keep our eye on the commission of the church and not simply to be dictated to by the economic and market forces of the day.
Thanks Geoff. It seems like politics is the great divider, even in the church.
Great point Jim – “we have a tendency to rely on the market system or even the government to solve a problem God intended for the Church to solve.” It reminded me when I studied social work which actually originated in churches. The feeding and clothing of the poor, caring for orphans, etc… Churches were doing a great job until the government stepped in and started funding the social work programs and the churches were excluded or discouraged from caring for the poor due to their religious bias or lack of funding. Today, I enjoy seeing churches and community organizations put differences aside and combine resources to achieve a common goal. It is also rewarding and inspiring to see churches step out to fill a need in the community. It’s as if churches have forgotten one of their primary goals of religion: to care for the needy. I wonder how we can invite and inspire churches to take their rightful place in this again?
Thanks Jennifer. The example of the church doing well until the government stepped in is not uncommon. I too see today more churches working together, which in my opinion is a very good thing.
“Churches were doing a great job until the government stepped in and started funding the social work programs and the churches were excluded or discouraged from caring for the poor due to their religious bias or lack of funding.”
Let me offer an alternative narrative. Kip taught a university class for his students last semester called “City Semester.” It met in downtown Anaheim at the nonprofit run by our church, My Safe Harbor, which works with single moms in a neighborhood populated with gangs. Throughout the semester, guests from a variety of faith organizations, businesses, and government (city) departments spoke on the need to collaborate together to address systemic issues. They shared about what’s worked, what hasn’t. Challenges. Successes. Most important, though, was the focus on collaboration to succeed. I want to think that is a better model than a disregard of any government involvement. Those government officials who spoke in the class were often coming from a position of faith themselves, and were working for the sake of the common good.
Great post, Jim. All of your points are so good! Yes, I think that the church is waking up a bit. I am hearing less and less criticism from ‘fundamentalist’ preachers against the “social Gospel.” Today most that I know are looking to a balance between keeping the Gospel message in tact but reaching out to help others.
To your reminder that we need to “humble (ourselves) and pray… and turn from our wicked ways” (2 Chron. 7:14) I would like to add something from James (which your post was full of allusions to). “I will show you my faith by my works.” (James2:18).
Yes, may the healing begin!
Mary, thanks for adding the reference to James to the list. The great question for a Christian living in a blessed nation—is faith without works truly faith?
Does the church really believe that about herself? That we are called to care for the marginalized, the hungry, hurting and sick? If we REALLY believed that, then we would pay to send our young people through medical school, come together to open clinics and hospitals that did not rely on the unaffordable insurance system(that may overcharge if you are chronically ill). If we really believed that, we would come together as followers of Jesus to grow food, provide jobs, and educate people to continue the mission. We would find tangible ways, as a church, to welcome and incorporate and equip the refugee, the recently released prisoner, and the single mom. I see pockets of this in some church communities, but just pockets. What if we really did this?
“Maybe God is asking us to help them find work, train them, place them. We rely on the government to meet the needs of the marginalized when we say, “I’m so sorry you’re hungry, let me pray for you. Now, go and have a nice day.” Maybe God wants us to provide a meal—at our table!” — This place us in a vulnerable position. But I hope we are willing to take that risk.
Katy, the “at our table” is an allusion to the fact that at the end of the day, the church is a corporate group made up of groups of people made up of individuals who must act corporately and individually. If there is no opportunity to act corporately, then I see the scriptures compelling us to act individually. I cannot push it off on someone else. Ultimately, I am responsible. It’s the James piece that Mary brought into the conversation—faith without works. You’re right. It is a vulnerable position and very much Christ-like.