The church’s call in difficult times
by Richard Bower

In early January I received a news release from the Anglican Church of El Salvador and its bishop, Martin Barahona. It was the Salvadoran church’s statement of concern about the January 1, 2002, lay-off of 10,000 government workers. Under pressure from the IMF and the World Bank, and from other international lending banks who do business in Central America, the Salvadoran government has been following the neo-liberal economic policies so in vogue today among the wealthy nations of the West.

Who could be against more efficient, smaller, and less bureaucratic government? The problem lies in the fact that, for small, poor countries like El Salvador, those who benefit most from neo-liberal economic re-form (read: free-market, unregulated, globalized capitalism) are not the masses of workers and the poor but the few rich families and large businesses who dominate El Salvador’s politics and economics.

In the eyes of the Salvadoran Anglican church, the dismissal of over 10,000 workers in one month – without severance pay or follow-up training and re-employment programs – is a painful, unjust, and socially disruptive action. These lay-offs follow several years of government privatization and dismissal of workers, leading to over 27 percent unemployment in 2001.

The Salvadoran church sees its involvement in the social, political and economic life of its people as a primary mission. It believes its faith perspective needs to be part of the national dialogue. So it expresses concern publicly for the thoughtless, painful way these dismissals occurred. It expresses concern for the families of the dismissed workers, concern for the inevitable public protest and social upheaval that will occur and concern for the government’s lack of willingness for public debate about these issues. And it promises concrete proposals on how to deal more honestly and justly with the women and men caught up in this crisis. This is the church doing what it ought to do in a difficult and complicated setting.

We in the U.S. also live in difficult times. In the months following September 11th a multi-billion-dollar U.S.-sponsored war has been waged in Afghanistan. According to the Associated Press, over $60 billion had already been spent on "anti-terrorism" efforts in our country by the beginning of 2002. Despite a reported upturn, our economy is struggling, factories are closing, government social programs are being stalled and civil liberties jeopardized. A wave of uncritical patriotism and "government knows best" attitudes has emerged.

Where is the voice of our church these days? Where are the theological and social analyses, the proposals for alternatives to war-making, the public witness to peace? And why is our church raising so few questions over the rising nationalism of our time, a movement stifling questions and dissent in the major media? Where are people of faith challenging the simplistic, dualistic worldview of "good versus evil" or "civilization versus terrorism"?

I’m grateful that The Witness and our "A Globe of Witnesses" website project are voices that seek to counter the privatization of religion and ethics and to foster the full and active participation of people of faith in the issues that challenge public life and the common good. This public theologizing and reflection is increasingly and urgently needed these days.

By "public theology," we mean the belief that God is as much concerned about the good of society as about religious activities and personal faith. As Archbishop William Temple expressed in Christianity and the Social Order (1940), it would be a great mistake to think that God is chiefly interested in religion.

Public theologizing is not simply the practice of reflection, but also the practice of analyzing our social/political/economic reality in the light of the biblical message and faith, with a commitment to action – which, in turn, calls us back to new analysis, prayer and renewed action.

Our sisters and brothers of the small and vulnerable Anglican church in El Salvador are taking the risk to do public theology. That, too, is our commitment here at The Witness.

Richard Bower is a member of the Episcopal Church Publishing Company board (publisher of The Witness) and founder of Fundacion Cristosal, a network of people and parishes concerned about the Salvadoran people that sponsors people-to-people exchanges and projects for the benefit of the Salvadoran church and people.