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The Bible and Debt
Why is The Salvation Army interested in problem-debt related issues? There are numerous pragmatic answers to this question. For example, we are an organisation that provides services based on supporting and advising people about financial matters. Additionally, problem-debt issues are often inter-connected with other social issues that affect many of those using our services. But the core reason we are involved in with these problem-debt related issues and advocacy is because as a Christian church, there is a theological and Biblical relevance and connection between our Christian worldview and these practical challenges in our society.
The Rt Revd Nick Baines, in his Preface to the 2014 report Who Bears the Burden? Christian theology and the impact of debt on children states that thinking theologically—reflecting on practice and priorities in the light of how we understand God to be—raises important questions about how we order our society, who we prioritise over whom, and why we think we matter in the first place. For The Salvation Army, how these real problem-debt related issues like debt collection, repossession, interest rate caps, predatory lending and community finance (microfinance) loans relate and interact to our theological thinking and understanding of the Bible and of the societies we function in is critical.
The Salvation Army utilises a Christian theological and Biblical framework to help us try and understand these complicated issues. But this framework also helps us determine and shape how we deliver our various services and reflect on what innovative and disruptive initiatives we can develop within this theological framework to hopefully alleviate and mitigate the damage people and whānau face in our financial system. An example of this innovation is the collaborative Good Shop project currently operating in South Auckland and Porirua (Wellington). This project is directly birthed from within our Christian theological understanding, but also based other similar risky, faith-based justice-centred ventures like The Salvation Army Matchstick Factory in England that litter and brighten up our Salvation Army history.
This Paper is not the place to launch into a major discussion on Christian theology and debt. But it is a good place to clarify some of the key points of interaction between theology and debt. For example, the Bible has numerous references in both the Old and New Testaments about financial matters. In Proverbs 28:8 and Matthew 25:27, a fair interest rate is expected to be charged on loans. Then in Leviticus 25:35-38, ancient Jewish law prohibited charging interest on one category of loans—those made to the poor. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus Himself in a parable uses the approaches of two creditors or lenders to illustrate what was central when understanding and practicing forgiveness. In fact, the core of the Christian message is frequently described using financial terms, particularly that humankind’s debt of sin was paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary (Romans 6:23, Galatians 3:13-15, 1 Corinthians 6:19,20).
Secondly, some have argued that Christendom itself has played a significant role in developing economic theologies that have contributed to capitalism and neo-liberalism. For instance, theorist Daniel Krier argues that the place of debt and the credit system in modern society are hugely influenced by the economic theologies of four ideal-typical variants of capitalism: Catholicism-Anglicanism, Calvinism-Puritanism, Pietism-Quakerism, and Free-Grace Evangelism. Krier references Max Weber’s work where the pure spirit of capitalism was supported by an essentially deist imaginary, in which the world is disenchanted of good and evil spirits, and therefore calculable and capable of unconstrained, profitable exploitation.
The Salvation Army wrestles with these types of claims. The Rt Revd Nick Baines considers claims like this and states; … question of whether a system of lending and borrowing is inherently wrong and concludes that it is not. Economic systems draw us into relationship and responsibility, compelling negotiation over values, priorities and behaviour. But a Biblical approach cannot stop there. How that system works, and how it is abused, is something that Christians cannot step back from without asking for whom such a system exists. Systems that essentially dehumanise those who participate in them can never meet the tests of justice or generosity that lie at the heart of the Christian gospel. Rev. Baine’s reflections capture the tension of the neoliberal capitalist system we live and function in, and the intersection of this system with our Christian theological framework.
Finally, in this section, another key point of interaction between theology and debt that we want to highlight is the practical responses that emerge for Christians considering the damaging effects of problem debt. This is even more important for Te Ope Whakaora who has always enjoyed starting and championing practical responses to social issues as an outworking of our Christian mission. This is clearly seen in our mission statement of caring for people, transforming lives and reforming society by God’s power. For us, theology in practice is vital. This is seen in the various social and Christian spiritual services we offer at Te Ope Whakaora. In the Who Bears the Burden report, the authors devote a whole section to the practical responses Christians have to debt issues. The list is long and inspirational and includes information and case studies such as; campaigning on specific issues, offering debt advice services, local churches lobbying against exploitative lending in their community, churches working alongside credit unions, national campaigning on legislation, and setting up community alliances against problem-debt.
This of course does not mean that only professing Christians are involved in these services. That is not what is being argued here. What is being presented is some aspects of the theological framework that shapes our practical Christian responses to debt. And we submit this framework should not be discounted or dismissed by the rest of our predominantly secular society. As David Barclay states in the Who Bears the Burden report, these practical responses remind us that, for Christians, words are never enough: they need to take flesh in lives and communities transformed by God’s justice and his love. This quote essentially summarises then the basic answer to question posed at the start of this section — why is The Salvation Army interested in problem-debt related issues? Our theological framework and real-life problem debt issues intersect and interact daily in our work. And we try to respond in practical ways without hopefully also losing or diluting our theological framework or worldview. That is why we are interested, maybe even passionate, about this complex area of problem debt for people and whānau.
This blog is an excerpt from Debt collection and repossession in Aotearoa, a discussion paper from the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) of The Salvation Army. We welcome all comments and feedback. Soli Deo Gloria – To the Glory of God Alone!
Ronji Tanielu (Disciple of Jesus, Lover of God’s Word, Son of Mangere and South Auckland, SPPU staff member).