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<\/a><\/p>\nPart of Polanyi\u2019s theme in his text leads me to consider the idea of a lordship dilemma. His context was the Second World War, which faced forces that sought to destroy the systems he knew.[1]<\/a> His text attempts to tackle the complexities of interrelated forces of economics and politics, to name a couple. Joseph Stiglitz wrote in reference to Polanyi, \u201cAmong his central thesis\u2019 are the ideas that self-regulating markets never work; their deficiencies, not only in their internal workings but also in their consequences (e.g., for the poor), are so great that government intervention becomes necessary; and that the pace of change is of central importance in determining these consequences.\u201d[2]<\/a> It would make sense that this became evident given the rebuilding of a nation\u2019s infrastructure needs multiple streams of inputs.<\/p>\n With wars, market fluctuations, political and economic unrest, and control of market discussions that were included in Polanyi\u2019s work, I am reminded that we live in different yet similar luminal times.<\/p>\n Who is lord and what compels us to follow, is the question humankind has faced since our first parents. Jesus faced a similar question after his baptism. Later in Jesus\u2019s ministry, we learn from John\u2019s Gospel that Jesus taught his first disciples, \u201cRender unto Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s,\u201d Jesus was drawing a sharp distinction between two kingdoms. The disciples were being taught that there was a kingdom of their world which was held by Caesar at that time and another kingdom yet to be understood, which Jesus was Lord of (John 18:36). Christians are part of both kingdoms, at least temporarily. Under Caesar\u2019s of this world, we have certain obligations that involve material things with no real love attached. Under Christ, we have other obligations that involve things eternal without neglecting the former. If Caesar demands money, give it to him\u2014it\u2019s only mammon. But make sure we also give God what He demands.<\/p>\n David wrote in Psalm 62:11-12, \u201cBecause you know, Lord, what it is that a human has done, You alone will be the source of power and love for them.\u201d This is what compelled him to follow God as his Lord. David is seeing the character of God and that God\u2019s love rises above the pressures of this world.<\/p>\n In my current position, we are looking at the similarities between rural and inner-city contexts. In a New York Times opinion piece, I found this apropos to the discussion of how outside forces regulate lives and their significant impact on decision-making processes. \u201cBut it\u2019s also important to get real. There are powerful forces behind the relative and in some cases, the absolute economic decline of rural America \u2014 and the truth is that nobody knows how to reverse those forces. We can\u2019t help rural America without understanding that the role it used to play in our nation is being undermined by powerful economic forces that nobody knows how to stop.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n Who is lord and what compels us to follow our lords and their influences was a critical question in this text? \u201cThe outstanding discovery of recent historical and anthropological research is that man\u2019s economy, as a rule, is submerged in his social relationships. He does not act so as to safeguard his individual interest in the possession of material goods; he acts so as to safeguard his social standing, his social claims, his social assets. He values material goods only in so far as they serve this end.\u201d[4]<\/a> Though I would like to ask Polanyi if this is a socialist point of view, I do see self-centeredness as the chief influence of being separated from God\u2019s best. And that condition, though sought to be controlled by governments of this world, can really only be controlled by a new heart that is created by a relationship with Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n So, my question is who are our lords and what compels us to follow them? We seem to live on one side of a portal into eternity where significant forces seek to distract us, control our movement and reactions, and seek to bring order for societies as well.<\/p>\n God\u2019s goal is that we can fully realize the abundant life we are called to live together.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 The complex forces seeking to distract us from another savior and lord can be quite compelling. Let us work within our systems, speak up and seek life-giving changes when possible, and work as Christ wants us to within these tensions. May pastors be cognizant of the challenges within their parishes and that has the ability to inhibit the mission to disciple.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation <\/em>(Boston: Beacon Press, location 873), Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [2] Ibid., location 101.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [3] Paul Krugman, \u201cGetting Real About Rural America: Nobody knows how to reverse the heartland\u2019s decline,\u201d New York Times, March 18, 2019, https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/03\/18\/opinion\/rural-america-economic-decline.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [4] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation <\/em>(Boston: Beacon Press, 48), Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n <\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [5] John 10:10.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n