1.
For approximately 20 years I have received the regular literature and
mailouts of liberty
trust and in my research I have
perused several booklets they have published. I am not, however, a member
nor have I contributed to Liberty Trust.
2.
I have been asked if such activities can be described as being the
advancement of religion and if they have a public benefit.
My Opinion
The Location of Liberty Trust
in the Grand Scheme of Advancement of Religion that Contributes to the Public
Benefit
3.
There are parallel models to Liberty Trust in history and across the
globe that demonstrate how religious-based cooperative economics advance
religion such that it provides public benefits, particularly cooperative loan
mechanisms related to housing.
4.
I would go so far as to say that cooperative economics as a basis for
Christian missional communities is normative. The very core of protection of
religious groups as charitable organizations is a configuration of societal
arrangements that promote liberty and enable structural experimentation. I
expand on this under the following heads.
5.
Economic Base to Christian Spirituality:
The broad Christian theme of an economic base to communal spirituality is
generally derived from Jesus sharing of a common purse with his disciples. This
then was reproduced in the first Jerusalem church community of 3000, then 8000
persons, where the rich sold what they had and laid it at the apostles (and
later the deacons feet) who distributed it to any who had need. By Acts 6 this
was structured into specific diaconal programs. The role of diaconal ministry
had become an ordained role (people appointed to handle the economic
redistributions of communities of disciples) by the time of writing of St Paul’s
letters to Timothy and Titus.
6.
Historical diaconal organizational models
are both related to the local church (as in Timothy and Titus) and across
churches (as in the Apostle Paul’s collection from the Turkish and Greek
churches for the Jerusalem famine), at times denominational (as in the Baptist
Social Services and Caritas on behalf of the Catholic Church), at times
interdenominational (as in World Vision, Tear Fund, Christian World Service,
Habitat for Humanity, and Liberty Trust).
7.
Historic Theological Consistency of Economic
Principles: Liberty Trust is built on economic
principles which are consistent across scriptures from Genesis 1, the Jubilee
principles of Leviticus 23, the patterns of Jesus, the early church community,
the international redistributions between churches about which The Apostle Paul
wrote in 1 Corinthians.
8.
There is a historic consistency of these principles across Catholic,
mainline and evangelical traditions.
9.
These principles include:
(a)
cooperative economics (for God is an “usness” who in the beginning,
produced out of discussion between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thus Christians
consider the foundation of economics as communal productivity for the common
good);
(b)
productivity;
(c)
creativity, for God is the creator;
(d)
work and rest;
(e)
protection of private or familial or clan ownership of property;
(f)
voluntary redistribution so there was “not a poor person among them” (to
quote from Acts 4.34);
(g)
seeking some levels of simplicity and equality of wealth “give me
neither poverty nor wealth, lest I be poor and steal or rich and forget my God”
[(Proverbs
30:8,9]);
(h)
stewardship involving savings, management, avoidance of debt, etc.
10.
In my opinion Liberty Trust has sought to emphasise and teach a number of
these principles broadly across New Zealand in line with historic Christian
engagement with culture.
11.
Modeling of Christian economic principles
(in diverse patterns) has consistently created economic alternatives to
capitalism and socialism, popularly known as a search for a “third way”. This
is derived from theologies of (1) dispersed power of (2) cooperation within (3)
grassroots Christian communities.
12.
The first common good I would indicate is an “alternative prophetic
imagination”. This needs essential protection by government if society is to
survive. The teachings of Liberty Trust are consistent with that and the need
to live out Christian principles. This principle is seen particularly within
the stream of non-State Christianity - the Fransciscans, Pietists, Anabaptist,
Wesleyan, Salvation Army, Pentecostal progressions). Their withdrawal from the
values (and at times structures) of the world, (e.g. contentedness vs greed,
generosity vs. usury, chastity vs. immorality, simplicity vs. opulence,
spirituality vs. secularism…) have created new patterns of societal arrangement..
Such groups have repeatedly evidenced the prophetic imagination of small
alternative models of social and economic and political society that have
challenged the status quo and provided markers for furture
societal change.
13.
Many of these later become mainstreamed (e.g Wesley’s impact on
Wilberforce in his labor laws, abolition of slavery; William Carey’s creation of
scores of institutions within emergent Indian society).
14.
One could further ask what is the public benefit (or, to use other words,
common good)? This public benefit is the good reflected in being the highest
and best for communities. It is defined theologically in terms such as justice,
equality, equity, shalom, harmony in society, liberty, etc. In economic terms
it focuses around redistributive justice, cooperative economics, godly
production and wise management of God’s resources, both in conservation of
resources and maximising production.
15.
I would presume that advancement of religion involves at least “the
missional expansion of religious teaching, love and faith, and of religious
communities that model this faith, love and teaching”.
16.
There are many Christian economic communities which teach these
principles in the public domain, as well as to their own members. They are all
thereby contributing to the common good. For example:
(a)
Liberty Trust or Christian microfinance groups teach Biblical truths on
savings in a culture buried in credit cards or debt to moneylenders. This
contributes to the common good.
(b)
These organizations teach on cooperative economics as against divisive
competitive economics. I work with groups in the slums who similarly put
clusters of poor people together to develop ways whereby these poor finance
businesses and homes without paying usurious interest to banks. Again this
works for the common good.
(c)
If such organizations teach on simplicity and frugality as the means of
accumulation of capital as against expansion of paper money by financiers, this
is the key to successful foundations for sustainable democratic capitalism – in
our society generally considered a common good.
(d)
If such teaching is further modeled in practices, then there is a
genuineness to the advancement of religion. Such genuineness is important to
the operationalising of religious teaching that advances the common good.
Indeed if it is not modelled in practice then the teaching is in vain.
17.
This advances the common good, even if it only advances these principles
among members of the groups themselves. To be effective witnesses for the
Christian faith the members of the faith community need to put into practice
what they preach.
18.
But where such principles are taught more broadly in society, this is
even more relevant.
19.
Liberty Trust openly teaches such principles across a wide spectrum of
society as is demonstrated in its literature, its list of places where seminars
are held etc.
Further historic examples of
modeling of Christian cooperative economics
20.
Since charitable laws have derived from European historical contexts, it
might be significant to be reminded of historical examples of communal
cooperation that have advanced religion and how their teaching, faith and
communities have benefitted the common good.
21.
First churches under a corrupted Roman Empire cared for the poor, such
that eventually the Empire itself become “Christian”; monasteries during the
dark ages became centers of economic production based on these principles,
supporting local communities; the Irish Celtic evangelization of Europe was
accomplished through radical preachers travelling into the Germanic and Nordic
enemy lands and setting up centres of agricultural production and learning; the
Moravians are of note, where for every ten families, the common fund would
support one missionary overseas, and among the mission teams 3 would do business
to support two in the advancement of religion (in not a dissimilar way, Liberty
Trust beneficiaries speak of the freedom through mortgage repayments to support
advancement of such teachings globally).
22.
Global Modelling of Christian cooperative
economics: There are thousands of global examples
of Christian organizations, usually interchurch, that are advancing religion and
through such economic foundations for spiritual community in their teaching,
faith and communities are benefiting the common good. There are a range of
models:
(a)
There is an explosion of NGO’s (= charitable trusts) such as Christian
Community Transformation (CCT) in Manila, that has 5000 micro-enterprise
projects linked to 5000 bible studies on economics. This is based on
co-operative groups of 5 to 8 people initiating small businesses, a common
implementation of a Biblical principal of co-operation. Many people have
joined churches, had their lives and families transformed from drunkenness,
immorality, drugs etc, as a result, all to the common good alongside the common
good of exiting from destitute poverty.
(b)
Similarly round the world there are many church-based non profit (=
charitable trust) co-operative housing programs, where the common good is a
natural product of the advancement of religion. This is particularly
significant in the African-American church context where whole blocks are often
being converted into housing projects by churches. Another example which
operates in New Zealand and overseas is Habitat for Humanity where people join
together in a “self help” way to build homes for each other with other
volunteers joining in.
(c)
These relate to the specifics of Liberty Trust, which grew out of a wave
of charismatic revival in New Zealand in the 1970’s from which 400 Christian
communities were formed based on economic sharing, and many new churches
developed such as Spreydon Baptist which outworked these principles implemented
in a Kingdom Bank, employment for recovering addicts, or Hamilton Apostolic
which lead the way in employment schemes for out of school youth.
23.
Liberty Trust falls within the historic and more recent Christian
definitions of a missional diaconate, which multiplies Biblical teachings on
economics both in word and deed. It demonstrates these principles with an
applied focus to the basic need of housing, creating an alternative imagination
within the context of a faltering capitalist universe.
24.
Such alternatives may be confusing to government departments or taxation
experts, because they are just that, alternatives, envisioning new futures,
creating a future common good through experimentation in the present that
impacts only 200 families today, but could enable scores of thousands to break
free from bondage to banks where profits must be made and paid to shareholders.
25.
Envisioning the public benefit does not mean the status quo.
26.
Although some of the individual donors may benefit from the offer of
loans that does not, in my opinion, destroy the central theme of advancement of
religion or the public benefit of the scheme.
27.
Religion is advanced if either:
(a)
Christianity is spread among those who have not already come to faith; or
(b)
The spiritual life of the adherents is deepened.
28.
There is, or should be, a direct relationship between (b) and (a). That
is, if the spiritual lives of the adherents is deepened the result should make
Christianity more attractive to those who have not yet come to faith.
29.
Putting that round the other way, someone professing to be a Christian
but not living out the Christian ethic is hardly a good ambassador for Christ.
There is the trite saying that Christians should practice what they preach.
30.
Looked at in this context Liberty Trust can be seen to be advancing
religion by combining teaching Christian principles in relation to finance and
money and putting these principles into practice. Of necessity on the practical
side it has to start with the household of faith.
31.
Moreover all Christian teaching should be beneficial in the long term for
the members of the faith so that personal benefit is a necessary element (but,
because of the interrelationship already referred to at para 36) that is not the
end of it.
32.
In any event, although donors may eventually receive an interest free
loan, they never, as I understand it, get back their donations which are held by
Liberty Trust as a “storehouse” (a biblical term, taken from Malachi 3.10 which
exhorts the people of Israel to bring their full tithes into the storehouse and
then they will be blessed, see also Deut 24.28). This is then to be used to
bless many over the succeeding decades.
33.
This is just the part and parcel of living and practising the Christian
faith as exemplified by Liberty Trust and its teachings of biblical doctrines
and the need for their observance.
Background
1.
I am currently Associate Professor, Transformational Urban Leadership,
Azusa University, California; International Co-ordinator of the Encarnação
Alliance of Urban Poor Movement Leaders and International Director, Urban
Leadership Foundation.
2.
I hold the degree of Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (Canterbury),
Master of Arts (Fuller Theological Seminary) and PhD (Theology), (Auckland
University).
3.
Since 1969 I have been extensively involved in student ministries,
pioneering churches, and pioneering urban poor ministries starting in New
Zealand, then Manila, Kolkata, the United States and Brazil. This has resulted
in over 213 organisations (churches, development agencies, missions, advocacy,
denominations, etc.) among the urban poor of over 40 cities.
4.
In addition to my position at Azusa University I have been a visiting
faculty member at a wide number of seminaries and bible schools, teaching on
Discipleship, Cultural & Urban Anthropology, Theology and Practice of Holistic
Urban Poor Church-planting and City-wide Transformation. Other courses include
Urban Leadership Strategies, Biblical Critiques of Economic & Development
Theories, Strategies for Urban Ministry, Mission in an Urban Context, Theologies
of the City, Global Issues, Transformative Revival, Doing Contextual Theology,
Biblical Hermeneutics, Church and Society, and Community Organising and have
given seminars on Development of Protestant Apostolic Orders, Linking Rich and
Poor Churches, Urban Poor Awareness Seminars, Transforming Your City, The
Kingdom and Societal Transformation.
5.
My recent publications include:
Grigg, V. (2000). Transforming Cities: An Urban Leadership Manual. Auckand, Urban Leadership
Foundation.
--- (2000a). Creating an
Auckland Business Theology. P.O. Box 20-524, Auckland, Urban Leadership
Foundation.
--- (2004a). Companion to the
Poor. Monrovia, CA, Authentic Media (revised and updated), originally
Abatross: Sydney (1984), revised MARC: Monrovia (1990)).
--- (2004b). Cry of the Urban
Poor. London, Authentic Press.
--- (2007). Transforming
Cities: An Urban Leadership Guide. Auckland, Urban Leadership Foundation,
P.O. Box 20-524, Glen Eden, Auckland.
--- (2009). The Spirit of
Christ and the Postmodern City: Transformative Revival Among Auckland's
Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Lexington, KY, Emeth Press and Auckland:
Urban Leadership Foundation.
--- (2010). Economic
Discipleship. Kingdom Economics Forum. Wellington, New Zealand, Urban
Leadership Foundation
Plus over 40 published chapters
or articles
September 2010
