Orbis Books, 192 pages
John Gehring, senior writer for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, talks with Chuck Collins about his new book, the Moral Measure of the Economy.
Click here to read the interview.
Morality and the economy are two words you often don’t hear in the same sentence. How did you get interested in writing about the moral measure of the economy?
For must of us economics is like science or math. We don’t feel qualified to have any opinions because we are not experts. So we give up our ability to weigh in or offer judgments on these key values issue because we are intimidated by the “economic speak.” But we are really talking about values and relationships.
Your book examines the economy in light of Catholic moral principles. What are the essential points the Catholic Church makes about the kind of values that should inform our economic policies?
At the center of Catholic Social Teaching on the economy is a respect for life and a recognition of the fundamental worth and dignity of all humans. So that is the foundation and we have to ask does the economy support the dignity of human life and the flourishing of families and communities? The key question the bishops asked in their 1986 pastoral, Economic Justice for All, is whether the economy is working for people or are people working for the economy? We judge the moral measure of the economy by how we treat the most vulnerable. Catholic Social Teaching says we are all responsible for each other. This is a radical idea. It’s a countercultural idea.
If the moral measure of the economy is reflected in how the economy impacts the most vulnerable then how are we doing?
If we think about what it is like to be poor in America, to be an immigrant and to be a stranger in the land living in the shadows, then we see that we are a society now that is organized really for the benefit for the wealthiest fifth. By all indicators we are failing in creating a just economy.
For the average person, getting a handle on things like tax policy, the Gross National Product (GNP) and other economic principles is pretty intimidating. How can those of us who care about social justice make a difference when it comes to something that seems so daunting?
As Catholics, we really need to embrace our values lens in looking at the world. I could list a bunch of public policies, but one of the most important things we can do is to understand that we live in a society that is guided by the gospel of the market. That is really the secular religion of our society and it even creeps into our churches and parishes. We put a price on everything. In the gospel of the market everything is a commodity. But in Catholic Social Teaching we have an obligation to protect creation and pass it on undiminished to the next generation. This is not anti-market or anti-private ownership. Catholic Social Teaching respects private property and private ownership but always balanced with the common good.
In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gecko is famous for the line: Greed is Good! It became a cultural catchphrase in the 1980’s when stock brokers were riding high and Ronald Reagan was denouncing “welfare queens.” Americans seems to value “rugged individualism” and the acquisition of wealth as national virtues. Doesn’t this self-reliance ethos conflict with a common good perspective?
We are living in a time of market fundamentalism. It has reached the levels of religious doctrine. Given that I’m amazed how many people make choices every day based on values. People make decisions that would be considered economically irresponsible because they love others and they are taking responsibility for them. In the next couple of years I think there will be a revival of a Christian justice voice and more people will be reconnecting with their faith values. You see it with people’s response to the war and global climate change. People are recognizing that we radically need to change how we think.
What would you say to those who might argue the Catholic Church should stick to faith and prayer --- a personal spirituality if you will --- and leave it to the experts to handle economics?
All of us have a lot to offer about the discussion of economics. It is a completely appropriate role for the Catholic Church and Catholics of conscience to bring their values into the public square. Jesus was an engaged social actor who called us to be a disciple and to be engaged with social action. As I read the Gospels there is no opt out. The economy is so central to the lives we lead that we can’t separate it from our faith and values. That is a false dichotomy.
Liberals often argue that economic inequality has its roots in unjust societal structures. Conservatives stress personal responsibility and culture. Where does Catholic social teaching fall on this?
Catholic teaching looks at both structural institutions as well as personal responsibility. The caricature is that conservatives say we don’t have shared responsibilities and there is no role for government. And the caricature of liberals is that they don’t care about individual behavior and just want to create more government programs. Catholic Social Teaching says both individuals and institutions are responsible.
Do you think poverty and economic justice are getting more attention in the media?
Well, there was that great CNN forum on Faith, Values and Poverty that Catholics in Alliance was a part of. I do think there has been more discussion about it. And people are also talking about the concentration of wealth, extreme income inequality. People of faith are saying we can’t even begin to address matters of poverty when the concentration of wealth is now in so few hands
Are we living in a new Gilded Age?
Yes, we have reached the point where the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans now have 34 percent of the wealth. During the Gilded Age it was 44 percent. Catholics are not anti-wealth but when a small number of people have enormous wealth it corrupts our economy and democracy. We have a culture that makes an idol of wealth.
What will your next book be about?
I’m working on a book about privilege called Born on Third Base. It’s a reflection on the advantages privilege brings.