To try to deduce ethical and doctrinal convictions for economic life from the Bible is like setting out for a hike along splendid sights and perfidious pitfalls. Notions like love and justice contrast with an entire creation groaning under flagrant injustice and ecological destruction. Social peace and ecological sustainability seem to be faraway dreams. Even economic rationality, both on a micro and macro level, is constrained by many structural impediments and stumbling blocks. Moreover, what seems to be rational on a micro level is not necessarily wise from a macro point of view. The problem is how to formulate Christian perspectives on economic problems that are global enough to cover the wide variety of predicaments and concrete enough to be helpful in setting priorities for the day-to-day economic decision making on micro- and macro-levels.

Most documents on economic questions that are issued by churches and church-linked organizations start with a reflection on relevant biblical notions. Creation as a divine gift and a responsibility for mankind, justice as an assignment to be realized in all aspects of life, liberation as a promise for all that has to be accomplished, and love as the central directive for all of our life. The difficulties are certainly not in finding the proper words and familiar notions, but in translating them into day-to-day maxims that are ready for use. The steps between the biblical notion and its application on present-day situation imply much translation, interpretation, exegesis and hermeneutics. And, above all, ethical deliberations to weigh the one good against the other, the bad against the worse. Hence the wide array of views and opinions on what is to be considered Christian behaviour in economics. It shows how precarious it is to try to distillate authoritative and applicable axioms directly from the Bible.

Still the Bible is a source of inspiration and orientation. Its books may help us to remember that the Creation is a gift to be cared for and not just an economic resource, that man is meant to be an image of God and not the dummy of the advertisement industry, that doing justice is a challenge and not a mechanical or juridical concept, that liberation is both a calling and a right. The Books remind us that, whatever the dilemmas or deliberations may be, love should be the final touchstone to evaluate our decisions.

The complexity of the modern economy and the rapid process of globalization make it ever more difficult to directly apply the key concepts like justice and love, liberation and solidarity without interpretation and contextualization. What precisely does solidarity with the exploited and dominated require when we have to choose between one group and another who both deserve our support? Should we support those who risk unemployment because their jobs are being replaced to a low-wage area, or should we be happy with the people in that area who welcome the new opportunities for livelihood? Should we encourage the import in rich countries of products and raw materials from places where their production is the only source of income but ecologically destructive, or should we refuse to buy such goods until new sustainable production methods have been developed, knowing that this may put an unbearable burden on the present generation? How are we to weigh the second and third daily meal for our own children against the first daily meal of millions of hungry children elsewhere? The list of dilemmas is endless.

Economic relations (international trade, labour-relations) are changing rapidly on all levels, thus continuously creating both new possibilities and new problems. The flexibility that is accordingly demanded of people and societies is without precedent very often creating new discrepancies between those who can and those who cannot adjust to the new requirements. Even in industrially developed countries with a comparably well developed social security system the distribution of income and chances is rapidly worsening and new underclasses are emerging. Rapid urbanization, economic globalization and cultural individualization bring about that existing protection (family ties, traditional community patterns, national policies) against contingencies and emergencies lose their legitimization and their effectiveness, while new systems are not yet in sight. Growing social and economic contrasts create a substrate of anxiety and frustration in which extremist and nihilist ideologies can flourish, including varieties of "religious fundamentalism".

Cultures and societies world-wide are structurally lagging behind in finding the appropriate answers to technical and economical developments. This "cultural lag" is by no means new, but because of the speed and rate of change it is becoming increasingly difficult for societies to close the gap between economic and technical developments on the one hand and institutional and social arrangements on the other.

Not only are the problems manifold and multifarious, we also know about them better than any time before in history: over five hundred satellites are constantly broadcasting images from all over the world to a billion television screens in all continents. This continuously reinforces feelings of powerlessness or else it contributes to feelings of responsibility and guilt that are far beyond people's practical possibilities to react adequately. The real danger is a growing indifference and resignation, which would mean a moral disaster on a world scale.

Among the elements causing great damage to a healthy public debate are many economic beliefs and superstitions. Views like: "all economic growth in the end brings prosperity for all", "liberation of markets ends inevitably in the liberation of people", "rising consumption levels indicate the progress of civilization", "technological development will bring tomorrow's solutions for the problems we face today".

Biblical notions and stories may help in finding a starting point and taking position in public debates, and considerations, knowing that others will seek their inspiration from other sources. What societies need are open discussions on concrete issues, of course among Christians and others, in which we may hope to find concrete ways to realize a sense of justice and sustainability, liberation and love. Theology is developing from a science of doctrine to a science of cultural dialogue. Discussions on the meaning of biblical notions for political and economic problems should be seen in that perspective.

Open dialogues do not imply half-heartedness seeking the safe middle-of-the-road. Between opposing points of view the truth is not necessarily in the middle: that would be a great coincidence indeed. What we do find in the middle may be political compromises. It is a challenge to unmask accepted economic wisdom as full of subjectivities, hidden values, and ideological assessments wrapped up like facts and "economic laws".