When Trade
Serves God’s Justice…
Biblical and ethical flashlights and suggestions
Trade Campaign Briefing Paper Number 1
by Prof. Dr. Christoph Stückelberger
Trade for People, Not People for Trade
When Trade
Serves God’s Justice…
Biblical and ethical flashlights and suggestions
Trade Campaign Briefing Paper Number 1
by Prof. Dr. Christoph Stückelberger
Trade for People, Not People for Trade
When Trade Serves God’s Justice…
Biblical and ethical flashlights and
suggestions
This
paper has been written by
Prof. Dr. Christoph Stückelberger,
General Secretary of Bread for all,
Switzerland
Professor of Ethics at the
Theological Faculty of the University of Basel
As
a contribution to the
Trade for People, Not People for Trade Campaign of the Ecumenical Advocacy
Alliance.
You
may duplicate or quote from this paper freely with credit given to
Prof.
Dr. Christoph Stückelberger /EAA.
Ecumenical
Advocacy Alliance © 2003
The global
campaign “Trade for people – not people for Trade” puts human beings in the
centre of the concern: How can trade serve children, women and men and not the
opposite that people are forced to serve anonymous market rules and
regulations? The respect of human-rights in all trade activities is the core
message of the campaign. This vision is rooted in Christian convictions and
ethical values, as it is said in the “Plan of action” as the basic document of
the campaign:
“The Gospel
leads Christians to a commitment to a just and equitable society in which every
human being has God given significance and dignity. No one should be oppressed or marginalized. Each should be embraced as a member of the
same family. The aim of all human
activity should be to glorify God in all creation.
“The biblical
standards for economic activity, including the trade of goods and services, is
justice and taking the side of the poor:
fair payment, transparent relationship, no exploitation, and respect for
life, ensuring the “care of widows, children and strangers”. This vision should not be reduced to mere
equality of opportunity for all individuals to compete without hindrance. Such
equality has only helped the clever and the strong to gain more power and a
greater share of the world’s resources and to create power elites that oppress
and exploit others.
“We are
inspired by the Old Testament concept of “righteousness”, in which the prophets
challenged the injustices of society and international trade (in ancient Tyre
they spoke out when the poor went hungry and were exploited by the rich[1]). We are compelled to action by both the Old
and New Testament understanding of justice as taking the side of the poor and
oppressed.[2]
“Trade,
therefore, must be an instrument of sustainable, participatory and just
community and communion. Justice is
inseparable from love and agape (which means creative sympathy for the
suffering and the oppressed) -- siding with the poor and furthering the interest
of others.”
This text
expresses core values for just trade such as: dignity of every human being,
poverty reduction, just distribution of wealth, care for the weaker and for the
sustainability of creation, ice and participation in decision-making. The
following text shows - selected - biblical roots of these values (chapter.2)
and the content of these ethical values and their relevance for a people
centred trade.
Trade is
not a new phenomenon. Trade existed in all societies, but the radius of trade
largely depends on the available transport means, the power structures and the
financial facilities. The Phoenician city of Tyre, with its two ports on the
Eastern rim of the Mediterranean was one of the major trade centres in Old
Testament (OT) times. The main period of long-distance trade lasted from the
second half of the 8th century to the first half of the 6th century BC. From
Tyre, trade routes led deep into the Arabian heartland and as far as China,
North Africa, Spain and the Mediterranean islands. Even in the ancient Orient,
long-distance trade produced prosperity and growth. The prophet Ezekiel worked
in exile in Babylon from about 597 to 571 BC. He interpreted Tyre's trade in
theological terms. The Book of Ezekiel (27.3-28,19) in the OT details the goods
and trade routes and praises them in all their splendour. In 585-573 BC, the
city had to capitulate before Nebuchadnezzar II, and in 332 BC, it was
conquered and razed by Alexander the Great. Ezek. 27f. bemoans the sinking of
the grand ship of Tyre and names two causes for the decline of flourishing
trade. First, the king, owing to his trade successes, turned himself into God:
"your heart has become proud in your wealth. [...] you compare your mind
with the mind of a god" (28.5-6). Second, the king abuses his trading
power for the purpose of exploitation: "In the abundance of your trade you
were filled with violence and you sinned" (28.16).
King
Solomon, too, was a trader. He partially owed his power to his policy of
occupying significant trade routes and controlling them by military means (II
Kings, 10.15). This confirms the natural affirmation of world trade, i.e.
long-distance trade that goes beyond domestic trade; yet it also indicates
Solomon's dangerous proximity to pure power politics. Trade agreements were a
matter of course even in OT times, for instance between Israel's King Ahab and
Damascus (I Kings 20.34). The slave trade, an offshoot of trade proper,
particularly from Tyre, was heavily criticised in the prophetic tradition:
"For you [Tyre] have taken my silver and my gold […]. You have sold the
people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks" (Joel 3.5-6). Tyre
"delivered entire communities over to Edom" (Amos 1.9). Moreover,
there is criticism in the OT that profits are made particularly from trade and
do not sufficiently accrue to producers. The merchants of Tyre's neighbouring
trading city, Sidon, also brought home riches: "your revenue was the grain
of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile" (Isa. 23.3).
There is
also a gender dimension in this oppression by trade: The “wise” king Salomo
forced the non-Israelite men to work for him to build his temple and serve on
his fleet of ships (I King 9, 21– forced labor without sufficient payment. We
can imagine that the women have been left alone at home to do the agricultural
work and to guarantee food security. Wealth inequality also led to extreme
forms of polygamy. It’s reported that King Salomo had 700 wives and 300
concubines (I King 11,3) whereas poor farmers could not afford to have one wife
and to feed a family.
The primary
goal of the trade in tyre was to increase the wealth of the king and to
guarantee wealth for everybody. The farmers in Egypt were exploited, their food
production was sold too cheap. International Trade of agricultural goods was
the reason for the wealth in Tyre and the poverty in Egypt. But the prophets
shouted: food first!
Unfair
trade also lead to war and oppressive security systems to protect the trade
routes. But the prophets shouted: peace first!
After the
destruction of the trade metropolis of Tyre – thus according to the prophet
Isaiah – there will be opportunity for fairer trade.
·
Tyre's
"merchandise and her wages will be dedicated to the Lord; her profits will
not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and
fine clothing for those who live in the presence of the Lord" (Isa.
23.18).
·
After
the fall of Tyre the farmers in Tharsis in Spain were encouraged by the prophet
Isaiah to replant their land, and to flood the land like the Nile in Egypt
(Isaiah 23,10) instead of producing beaten silver and iron for the traders in
Tyre (Jeremiah 10,9). “Food security first” was the slogan of the prophet 750
years before Christ! He showed a way where just trade can contribute to food security
and gender justice.
Most
important for this new trade policy was to accept the limits of human action.
Traders are not like God’s! They have to accept to be democratically
controlled. Fair trade is rooted in the faith in God as the enabling creator,
the liberating and limiting power and the reconciling Christ. In this point the
gender perspective means that men and women are called to strengthen together
their faith in this liberating God.
In the New
Testament (NT), trade is regarded as a matter of course as much as in the OT.
The NT's appeal to change our ways means turning towards God and to the justice
of His kingdom. It is in this spiritual
perspective – in the sense of a perspective that oriented towards God and thus
towards fellow human beings in a new manner – that Jesus's casting out of the
money-changers from the Temple, which is reported in all four gospels (Matt.
21.12 par), may well have to be seen. In this manner, Jesus directs trade back
to its justified but also limited position on the way towards liberation and
salvation. Once the view of God and His kingdom of justice is no longer
obstructed by the merchants' tables, trade can again be an instrument in the
service of justice.
The prophetic call for fair trade is renewed
in the Epistle of James: "Listen! The wages of the labourers who mowed
your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out. [...] You have condemned
and murdered the righteous one" (James 5.4-6).
Then again,
trade is always seen in the eschatological
perspective – i.e. the perspective that takes into account the final things –
of the coming kingdom of God. The parable of the money placed in trust until
the return of the king (Luke 19.11-27) makes this appeal: "Do business
with these until I come back." (13). The natural activities of this world
are supposed to be continued, yet not in one's self-interest but in the service
of God. This eschatological perspective casts doubt on putting one's trust in
possessions (which are the result of trade) and so makes relative the
importance of trade for a life full of meaning and hope. Thus the Epistle of
James warns: "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to
such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making
money." Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring." (James 4,
13f.). In the individualised view of
the virtues catalogued in the NT, the "sanctification of life" does
not only extend to relations with the family, with husband or wife, but also to
professional ethics, for instance "that no one wrong or exploit a brother
or sister" (I. Thess. 4, 6).
In
Revelations, there is a drastic description of the merchants' despair and the
futility of the magnificent trade ships as a result of the decline of Babylon
(Rev. 18, 9-19).
1. Trade, both as domestic trade and
long-distance (international) trade is regarded as natural and affirmed as a
matter-of-course reality in the Bible. Long-distance trade was an important
motor for growth and prosperity even in the times of the ancient Orient.
2. Then again, the texts reveal the transitory
nature of trade relations – flourishing world trade centres have always come
and gone – and the various dangers arising from their abuse. The prophets
reveal the tightrope walk of trade: it is judged as favourable, but at the same
time criticised if it is associated with expectation of salvation. The prophets
revealed the limits of global trade
3. The biblical texts show clear criteria for
justice in trade. Trade is fair if
- it is not abused for purposes of power politics (Ezek. 28.,6),
- it does not oppress and exploit anyone, women, children or men (Ezek.
28.16),
- it deals in goods, but not in people, i.e. slaves (Joel 3.6; Amos
1.9),
- grants producers a fair wage (Isaiah 23.3),
- admits of redistribution, and of fair and widespread profit participation
(Isaiah 23.18).
4. The NT texts place trade, like any other
activity in life, into the perspective of the kingdom of God and His justice.
This is also the yardstick against which trade must be measured.
5. Unjust
and unfair trade kills lives. Just and fair trade enhances life. So direct and
simple – despite all the detailed differentiation – are Biblical business and
trade ethics.
The “Trade
for people”- campaign is based on core values which are found in the
Judeo-Christian worldview but are broadly shared by other faith based
communities and non-religious worldviews, based on fundamental human rights
(see briefing paper on human rights).
Every human
being is created “in God’s image” and therefore has an undeniable dignity.
That’s the reason why the quoted prophets became so angry when the dignity of
people have been violated. All economic activity – including trade of goods and
services from low cost countries, working conditions in textile factories and
so on - has to respect this human dignity
and has the noble goal to strengthen this dignity.
The Gospel
and Christian ethics give a clear priority to the poor. The poor are not saints
or better than the rich but God cares for them as the weaker parts of society.
This will always require to show compassion for the poorest and intention to
improve their prospects. This reflects the Christian belief that the good news
of God in Christ is for the poor, and that by putting them first, the future
for all of us will be secure. Trade therefore has to contribute to poverty
reduction. That is one clear criteria to measure if trade is “for people” or
not.
The
biblical principle of giving special support to the poorest should be applied
to the current global trading system. Instead of expecting traders in the
poorest countries to compete on equal terms with those of the richest, trade
rules need to give explicit support and “special and differential treatment” to
the poor. The Special and Differential Treatment regulations in the WTO system
are a beginning in that direction, but not at all strong enough.
A condition
of poverty reduction is the just distribution of wealth. Justice is the key
value of all biblical values. Equity in which everyone receives a fair share of
the earth’s resources, the opportunity to develop and flourish as human beings,
and the chance to exercise their responsibilities for themselves and others.
This reflects the Christian belief that we are all equally important and
dignified, and are intended to live in community, supporting each other, and
that we are not divided by huge disparities between wealth for a few and
poverty for many. Trade has the important task to increase wealth by making
available goods and services. But it has at the same time the task to care and
develop regulations that allow all people to participate at this wealth.
Just
distribution is linked with peace: no peace with extreme disparities of wealth.
Only communities, economies and societies which care for the weaker are
sustainable and can live in peace. The theological reason for that is that God
wants to heal again and again broken communities and human relationship. The
fullness of life is not possible alone, but only in a community. “Healing
Communities” is the theme of the World Mission Conference in 2005 in Athens.
Churches and mission societies are invited to join the trade campaign by
emphasising the importance of just trade on the way to become healing
communities. To heal the relationship between God and men, between human beings
and with the environment includes the struggle for a healing economy and
healing global trade.
Sustainability
in which the resources available to us, material, personal and spiritual, are
used carefully and efficiently with respect for their inter-relatedness,
without denying them to future generations. This reflects the Christian belief
that they are God-given and we do not own them; however, we are invited, as
good stewards of creation and as “guests on earth”, to treat them with respect,
and use them well.
Trade is
closely linked with environmental issues. Through production and transport of
goods and services trade contributes to a great deal to environmental
destruction. But “trade for people” can also contribute to heal the wounded
creation. It can develop sustainable transport means, can reduce transport by a
fair and sustainable allocation of the production as near as possible to the
consumers.
The dignity
of every human being and God’s love which creates healing communities leads
necessarily to the value of participation: The dignity is violated when poor
people receive - like beggars - food aid without being able to sell their own
products and fruits of their work. To respect one’s dignity means to enable him
or her to participate in decision-making according to their abilities. Empowerment
of the poor is nothing else than to respect their dignity. Democracy in which power and decision-making are
genuinely shared, reflecting the Christian belief that all of us are made in
the image of God with the ability to make a constructive contribution. No one
is wise enough or good enough to have too much control over other people, and
everyone has a right to have a say in what happens to them; this is coupled
with a responsibility to look after their neighbours.
An
Interfaith Statement on International Trade and Investment, signed by religious
institutions in the USA. Available from < iwg@coc.org
>
Christian
Aid: Trade Justice: Faith Foundations for
the Campaign. London, 2003
Michael
Taylor: Christianity, Poverty and Wealth:
The findings of ‘Project 21. SPCK/WCC, 2003
Cobb, John,
B. Jr.: International and Transnational
Trade. Paper available at < www.religion-online.org
>
Curtis,
Mark: Trade for Life. Making trade work
for poor people. Christian Aid; London 2001.
Finn, Daniel: Just Trading. On the
Ethics and Economics of International Trade. Washington, 1996.
McLaughlin,
Martin M.: World Food Security. A
Catholic View of Food Policy in the New Millenium. Center of Concern;
Washington, 2002
Razu, John,
Mohan: “Transnational Corporations as Agents of Dehumanisation” in Asia. An Ethical Critique of Development.
Delhi, 1999.
Stückelberger,
Christoph: Global Trade Ethics. An
Overview. WCC publications; Geneva, 2003 (German: Ethischer Welthandel. Bern, 2001; French: Pour un commerce mondiale éthique. Genève, 2003).
Stückelberger, Christoph: « Les valeurs fondamentales du commerce equitable et durable », in Le commerce durable. Vers de plus justes pratiques commerciales entre le Nord et le Sud. IUED; Genève, 2001, p.75-96.