"The alleviation of material suffering in the world . . ." What can one person Do?" -- by the Rev. Gary Cartwright

As we struggle to understand and adapt to the increasing economic crisis that affects us more and more every day, it would be understandable to forget that this is a reflection of a much larger world-wide crisis in poverty and economics. The Rev. Dr. Sabina Alkire (an Episcopal priest , now in England) recently said :

“The Alleviation of material suffering in the world and the spiritual renewal of the Church go hand in hand.”

Dr. Sabina Alkire, is currently the Director of the new Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) Oxford University, and author of “What can one person do?”

Worldwide poverty is a spiritual problem that affects all of us. Jesus has been very clear about that.

In Matthew 25:31-40, it says:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Bono (Paul David Hewson) is the lead singer for the Irish U2 Band. He is a world-wide activist for the alleviation of extreme poverty. Not satisfied with just making statements he and his wife Ali have worked in Ethiopian feeding camps, as well as sponsoring many initiatives to raise money for those who are literally starving to death. Some quotes from Bono:

“Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world - and stop being its apologist”.

“We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies. But will we be that generation?”

“It's an amazing thing to think that ours is the first generation in history that really can end extreme poverty, the kind that means a child dies for lack of food in its belly. That should be seen as the most incredible, historic opportunity but instead it's become a millstone around our necks. We let our own pathetic excuses about how it's "difficult" justify our own inaction. Be honest. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don't have is the will, and that's not a reason that history will accept.”

In response to these needs I ask you to pray, study, give and act.

Please pray this prayer daily:

Most loving God, as your desire for mercy for the poor is unrelenting, may we be unrelenting in our pursuit of mercy for all; as your compassion for the suffering of the poor knows no limit, may our hearts overflow with compassion for all; as you long for justice for the poor, may we strive for justice for all. Open our eyes to the structures of oppression from which we benefit, and give us courage to accept our responsibility, wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity, and perseverance to continue our work until it is finished. Breathe your life-giving Spirit afresh into your Church to free us from apathy and indifference; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For additional information please see: www.e4gr.org

Thank you,
Deacon Gary

Gary Cartwright is a deacon in the Diocese of Southwest Florida assigned to Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church in Valrico, FL. A former executive with IBM, Gary's baptismal and diaconal call is lived out through his deep passion for seeking and serving Christ in the extreme poor. That finds focus in, among other places, the reconciliation work of REACH-Rwanda. Gary is a member of the Anglican Communion Network.

"Hunger, Poverty and Economic Change" -- by John Hammock with the Rev. Gary Cartwright

Hunger riots, the cost of food soaring, soup kitchen lines getting longer--even in the United States. What is one to do? As Christians we know that if someone is hungry we need to give her food. We know that Jesus himself calls us to feed the hungry—as if we were feeding Jesus himself. But we also know that pure charity is not enough. People do not want to be dependent on charity over time. They want to be free to grow their own food, to start their own businesses—to have the opportunities to make it on their own with their families and communities. As Christians we give food gladly but we also must help people and communities as they move beyond charity. We can invest in micro credit and agricultural development programs; we can contribute to programs that fall within the goals of the Millennium Development Goals—from safe water to children’s education, from maternal health to community and environmental sustainable development in which local people own the process of local change.

I remember speaking to Fatima in Ethiopia. She had lost two of her small children to famine. Food had saved her other two young ones. When I spoke to her, she was clear that she did not want to be dependent on food aid. She wanted to move back to her own land again—to get on with her own life and make it in her own community. We need to be ready to help in a timely way in both these stages of her journey.

These two pillars are crucial—feeding people in need and assisting in the process of change leading to sustained development. But they are not enough. To solve the perennial problem of hunger, it is important to step back and look at the broader picture of poverty and economics.

Very simply, our current economic system is based on the assumption that if the national economy grows then the economy is doing well. Clearly the growth-based strategy makes some very wealthy; it unleashes invention and entrepreneurship. But the benefits do not trickle down to the majority of the poor. This growth-based strategy also produces more inequality and poverty over time. The very economic system that focuses on growth often exacerbates or leads to increased hunger. Unless we do something about our economic fixation on growth and income, we will not deal with hunger or with poverty. What can we do?

We must educate ourselves as to a new economics that accepts growth but moves beyond it to include what people value and have reason to value. Perhaps this is illustrated by the following equation: Freedom = growth +.

What does this mean?

Economics is not just about income and growth; it is about the freedom of each individual to do what he values or has reason to value. We all know that we value more than money. It means putting value on education, health, personal security, dignity and more. The wellbeing of its citizens becomes essential. It means putting a value on individual freedom. It means investing in the development and then promotion of a new approach to economics. This in turn means having a solid theoretical framework and good evidence based research to sustain such an approach.

This is not an argument against growth. Rather it is a plea in favor of broadening the dimensions that are essential to economics and development. It means that growth becomes a means to a goal, not an end in itself. It means that education, nutrition, health, empowerment, personal safety, employment and potentially other dimensions are given value and fall within the models and frameworks of national economics.

For example, if poverty is defined not just by income but rather includes some range of the types of things that people value given above, then our programs to deal with hunger and poverty will be shaped by this way of thinking rather than from the perspective of pure growth.

Governments and corporations can and must play a crucial role in putting people’s well being, not growth, at the top of their priorities. But we cannot leave this only to governments and corporations. Individuals have a crucial role. [See What One Person Can Do by Sabina Alkire and Edward Newell] And the church can mobilize people for this role. The Rev. Gary Cartwright, deacon in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, stated it this way:

Can we start a conversation that would grow and include others that is solution-orientated (not just hand-wringing)?…The intent would be to find solutions that would engage many others at the grass-roots level that could eventually change the political will of US and foreign world leaders.

Gary says (and I agree) that one place where that conversation could start is here at EGR. The earliest of Christians certainly focused on the role of economics. Gary writes:

When we look at the original group of Christians (as told in the Acts of the Apostles) it was a society where every new person joining turned over all their goods to the apostles who then distributed them according to the needs of the community. We don’t know what happened to that economic system, but it seems to have died pretty soon after. So, in my mind there is a direct connection between living as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and the participation in a fair and just economic system.

Gary ends by saying that he is not proposing the early apostles' economic system. Rather,

We do need a new economic system that is more than profit/bottom line oriented, and includes personal dignity, health, education, personal security and the like.. However, it needs to encourage personal initiative, a community understanding of our inter-connectedness, without establishing a world-wide government that imposes on personal liberties.

To deal with the current hunger crisis, charity and development aid are important. But equally relevant is rethinking our economics so that people’s wellbeing is at its center. Christians need to be involved at all three levels. Gary calls us to start a solution-based conversation on the need for a new economic system. It is a role for EGR.

For more information on this type of economic thinking please see
www.ophi.org.uk and www.hd-ca.org

Dr. John Hammock is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy & The Fletcher School, Tufts University. He is currently on leave until September, 2008 and working Sabina Alkire as a senior research associate at the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative, John was Executive Director at Oxfam America from 1984-1995 and Executive Director at ACCION International from 1973-1980. He is the EGR board president.