What might be your response?

I receive a weekly email from "Sojourners" a Christian magazine devoted to community involvement and asking the hard questions. Much of what the founder, Jim Wallis, has to say impresses me. He founds his action on his core--and the core of that core is Christ Jesus who came to journey with us in times of great difficulty. For some of you this time is already here. For others the fear of economic failure is even greater than the fear of our borders being invaded by terrorists.

I am reminded of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the Book of Revelation John describes a vision he has of four horsemen crashing in to what had been lives of relative comfort. The first horseman attacks the border with invading armies. The second horseman comes with economic disaster. (For those interested, the third horseman takes life of family and friends, and the fourth attacks your own health. Do you see how the dangers get closer to "home"?)

Now i am not saying that you should hold your breath for a trashy "Left Behind" scenario. But i am saying what the Book of Revelation says. When our lives are challenged...and when the challenges get closer to home our best response is the one i pray we have in any situation in life: to turn from what we have made (re: big armies, financial security, etc) to trust in the only real place of real trust available.

I, for one, am willing to stake more on J.C. than the NYSE.

So... read this excerpt from Jim Wallis and send word back to me. What might your response be? And don't take the cop-out that if you are not a "pastor" you can wait for direction from those of us that are. Remember my brothers and sisters: we are all called as fellow ministers of this gospel. Your role in this is critical.

A Pastoral Strategy for an Economic Crisis

by Jim Wallis 10-09-2008

As the polls and media pundits have pointed out, many Americans are angry about this financial crisis, angry about a rescue plan that seems to bail out Wall Street more than them, and frustrated with the lack of clear solutions being offered by politicians. But underneath the anger, there is a deeper level of fear in America right now. I am hearing that fear across the country. How will this affect me and my family? What will happen to my retirement funds, to the college account for my kids, to the value of my home? Am I going to lose my home or even my job? Last night on CNN, a financial consultant reported that some of her clients are already living in their cars! I could feel the fear gripping many Americans. A friend of mine, who is also a financial planner now engaged in intense conversations daily with his families, just left me a simple voicemail—“Pray for me.”

It’s not often that most Americans are feeling the same thing at the same time, mostly talking about the same thing, and all worrying about the same thing. The last time might have been just after 9/11. But it is increasingly clear that most Americans are focused on the same thing right now. The collapse of Wall Street, the deepening economic recession (the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, everyone keeps saying), and the clear threat of another depression now looming have become the overriding foci of the election — so much so that even the dirty politics of the final stages of this campaign seem not to be working. Every other issue than the economy is perceived as a distraction.

And for Christians, there is a second question, or maybe one that should be the first question: What is a Christian response to a deepening economic crisis like this? What should people of faith be thinking, saying, and doing? What is the responsibility of the churches to their own parishioners, to their communities, to the nation and the world? And where is God in all this?

What does the Bible say about all the issues now being raised? What does our theology tell us about money and possessions, wealth and power, credit and responsible financial choices, economic values vs. family values, lifestyle and stewardship, generosity and justice, and both personal and social responsibility? What can Christian economists tell us about economic philosophy, the role of the market, the role of government, the place of social regulation, the spiritual consequences of economic disparities, the moral health of an economy, and the criteria of the common good?

What do pastors, lay leaders, activists, and practitioners say about creative opportunities and new solutions that could come out of all of this: like the possibilities of mutual aid, congregational and community credit unions, and new cooperative strategies for solving problems like health care, housing, and even jobs? Pastors will need help with preaching resources for a time like this, and local congregations will need adult Sunday school curricula on money and all the related issues of this economic crisis.

And what about pastoral care in a time of economic crisis? How do we listen to people, just be present to them, comfort them, and perhaps help them to re-examine their assumptions, values, and practices? This is already a time of great anxiety for many. But how could it also be a time of prayerful self-evaluation, redirection, and even new relationships with others in our congregations and communities.