Lesson 10: Market Totalitarianism

I decided to begin this series with industrial capitalism, because I thought it would be the least emotional of the issues Christians should be addressing in the present democratic society. Right off the bat, Lupe challenged me by reporting she was growing more and more angry about the “substitution of money for God…the elevation of wealth to a godlike status.” Others immediately expressed the same concern with the same intensity of feeling. Finally, this week, I read Pope Francis claiming that our world’s greatest problem is making money an absolute, a god above human life itself.” Let me conclude the discussion of this issue with the pope’s observations. I often remark that Francis speaks for me, meaning I agree with his interpretation of Christianity. It is far more accurate to recognize he really is speaking for the poor. In order to fully understand what he is saying and doing, you must note that he sees things from the perspective of the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike those of us who live in the affluent First World, he and the Argentinian theologians who share his views speak of the dangerous growth of poverty in our world that they have seen firsthand. Many around me rationalize we need some poor as a collateral effect or necessary condition for our wealthy society. The Southern Hemisphere theologians respond that increasing poverty and levels of inequality are not the result of natural trends but rather decisions made in the Northern Hemisphere that benefit the few who possess great wealth. They point to the huge, new deep-poverty cities populated with people dispossessed of their land because of foreign exploitation of their nation’s resources and to the gigantic, permanent refugee camps filled by those fleeing wars waged by the affluent to preserve their wealth. Francis speaks of this as a “market totalitarianism” that amounts to a new form of global colonization in which the imperial nations impose their priorities on others and crush all local cultural values. The assumption is success and even salvation results from becoming like the First World. Because this involves imposing a particular economic system, the Southern Hemisphere theologians see this as trying to buy them. You feel Francis’ passion when he speaks of this kind of economy killing people. Political changes in the North Hemisphere suggest the breakdown of this situation. Not that long ago, these nations spoke of trying to spread their way of life to the Third World. It began talking about being missionaries for freedom and became purveyors of capitalism. Now the approach has turned to protecting what we have from those who want to be like us. The Make America Great Again people do not talk about sharing what we have with the rest of the world but, rather, defending ourselves from those who want the take it. Francis calls for a different response that does not try to make the church “great again” by imposing ecclesial power or parochial ethics on others. Instead, it proclaims the gospel as good news for the poor. The pope believes this calls for encountering the poor where they are just as Jesus did. Because they are outside of all of our present day systems, this means going to the periphery of our society just as Jesus went to the outcasts of his world. In other words, Francis believes our economic theory and practice must be based on our solidarity with the poor that sees Christ as the model of humanity that recognizes all as our brothers and sisters. Over and over, he and the theologians illustrate their position with the picture of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25. It speaks of caring for Christ when you care for the least of his brothers and sisters. The pope repeatedly claims his position does not advocate for or against any specific economic program but rather calls for including all people in the decisions. Any meaningful proposal put forth in the church’s name must listen to and respect all members of the community. By placing Christ’s Gospel first, it enables us to put our priorities back in proper order and care for all God’s people.