INTRODUCTION
The
world nowadays experiences the most intensive social and economic change since
the Industrial Revolution. In a new global age, new political, economical and
social structure has been created, and is creating a new system which is hard
to predict the direction of its future development. The revolution in
communications and technology, and vast increase in currency flows have brought
the transnational banking system into the world economy, thus the new global
economic system has erased the line between domestic and foreign policy. These
forces have made our societies more vulnerable by direct affect of the jobs and
livelihoods in every nation in the world with enormous gap between rich and
poor. One thing we are able to be certain is that we cannot turn it backwards.
In this vulnerable and perplexed situation, we, Christians, encounter a
difficult task of theology which should be relevant to the world in the process
of globalization with keeping its identity in Christian faith.
PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL MONEY
The
analysis of “global money” by Barnet and Cavanagh brings our attention to the
widening gap between rich and poor. Wealth is an influential political element
by playing a crucial role in every power constellation. The authors’ analysis
reveals the nature of power which always has an element of coercion and
violence.
The
transnational banking system, which is a by-product and facilitator of
nineteenth century imperialism, is now commonplace in much of the world. By tradition, banks were supposed to serve
the neighbourhood and local business.
However under the pressure of global competition, the large banks have
been concentrating on international baking which is more profitable. As a result, the world banking system shifts
their major activity, from serving local community and supporting large industries, to crediting
consumers of the global market.
There
are more than eighty percent of global population living within unbankable
society, and the distinction between the bankable and unbankable parts of the world becomes more aggravated.
The authors point out the Citibank’s marketing strategy which focuses on rich
minority: top ten percent of the population who can afford telephone in India; TV satellite dish owners in Indonesia. (pp.
377-8). It also focuses on serving only for the rich minorities, thus creates
new sort of social divisions within countries in the world. In this new global
system, the banking system creates new consumption patterns and blurs the
national boundaries. The world banking system nowadays works mainly for the
rich.
Information
technology has transformed global banking process. Information a few seconds ahead is worth
billions of dollars, credit checking and money-transfer transactions became
much easier with accuracy, and currency flow nowadays becomes much more
mobilized, faster and farther. In the
process of globalization of banking system, government’s deregulation and
liberalization were inevitable, and these further resulted in losing the
government’s control over the money market.
This
new economic system with new order and dynamics creates a new business which
deals with monetary product such as bond market. Most of it has little or nothing to do with
investment in either production or commerce.
The problem is that the transnational baking system has more interest in
quick profits in commissions, fees and interest
by recycling billions of dollars in the money market rather than direct
investment in the Third World.
The
authors state that the global money market needs more public accountability
that insures the larger share of global capital which should be used to meet
the needs of people, community and the small enterprises to generate most of
the world’s jobs. (p.402) They point out that government still has power to
direct the banking system, hence further claim that governments should set
standards and create incentives to encourage capital to flow for the benefit of
the majority of people. (p.415) However,
under the power structure of the global system, the way to set standards is not
simple and easy since the process of globalization never can go backwards, and
the real benefit for the majority is questionable since the leading group in
the power always gets the benefit out of given situation.
THEOLOGY’S RELEVANCY WITH CHRISTIAN
IDENTITY
In
our new global age, without recognizing how the world is changing and without
concerns for how to deal with the economic crisis, theology is not relevant to
the world. On the other hand, to keep Christian identity, theology must
critically reflect upon Christian’s involvement in the socio-politico-economic
order. Therefore the positive task of
theology is the formulation of the eschatological message of the Word in the
contemporary world.
As
we recognize from the process of globalization, the multinational corporations
and banking system have the great power, and by misusing the power, they create
a new global system with oppressive socio-econo-political structure. This
global system of the new age clearly reveals humanity’s inability to use the
power for the well being of the whole people.
In this perplexed situation, Christians are called to koinonia through communication.
Theology
and social science are quite separate and mutually exclusive. However both theology and social science
functions as a crucial element for interpreting the “signs of times” which
enables the communication for the holistic global welfare. In the global system, supra- and
infrastructure have different experiences and goals, hence they have different
voices. Theology’s task of communication
through listening to different voices, within the society of enormous
complexity and fast change, is extremely difficult. However it is a never ending task of
Christian mission.
Communication
includes Christian’s critical reflection on the socio-econo-political structure
as well as on each decision making process.
The leaders in the suprastructure come from varying perspectives and
predisposition’s, and challenge one another’s predictions about the probable
results of their economic activities.
There lies the importance of social analysis as means of recognizing the
“signs of the times,” and the social analysis must include class analysis
“option for the poor and marginalized.
Theology,
to be relevant to this context, must engage in a critical reflection on
Christian mission, i.e., koinonia
through communication, in the light of the Word of God. Liberation and the Third
World contextual theologians claim “God’s preferential option for
the poor.” The whole Bible speaks God as the liberator of the powerless who are
poor, oppressed, marginal. God takes side with the powerless. The “option for
the poor” certainly is a hermeneutical key which is revealed throughout the
whole Scripture from the Exodus event to Jesus’ ministry and the cross event.
The
preferential option for the poor is not the end of Christian mission, but
rather it is means to koinonia, which
we are able to reach through communication.
The critical element of the communication is listening to the voices of
the supra- and infrastructure with mutual respect. However the Christian way of “listening with
mutual respect” is not in its quantitative balance but qualitative balance by
“being with the powerless” through education and being in solidarity with the
powerless. Therefore any communication
without referring to and based on the “option of the poor” it cannot be
biblical, thus Christian way.
CONCLUSION
In
our contemporary world, social, economic, and political structures in the
global system are inter-related and hard to predict the direction of the future
development. Theology and social science
are hermeneutical tool for interpreting the signs of times. The task of
theology is not to create any particular social, economic or political program,
but rather to reflect critically on their structure and policies. It is one of many aspects of communication
towards koinonia. However the
hermeneutical key must be based on the Scripture, i.e., the “option for the
poor.” The just way of listening to the
different voices must be based on the “option for the poor,” and in this way,
the holistic global welfare is possible.
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