Soon after the 22nd general council (Seoul 1989), Warc started to deal with global economic injustice in the context of Christian faith. Two issues of Reformed World (vol 41, pp.181-212; vol 42, pp.70-116) were devoted to this question.

In 1992 a small consultation was convened in Geneva to design a project for the years to come. A letter addressed to Warc member churches says: "We want to listen to the laments, the prophetic critique, the commandments and the visionary expressions of hope for the hopeless in the Bible. We want to turn to the sources of our faith in order to resist the temptation to accept a status quo which is unbearable for many and unsustainable for all in the long run. God the Creator entrusts humans, male and female equally, with responsibility to care for the earth and for each other. The Bible relates to economic questions throughout. It speaks of justice as central to God's will. Prophets call the people not to adjust to sinful structures, to repent and create institutions which protect the rights of the poor. Jesus himself, in his life and teachings, fulfilled the prophetic message of liberation in his solidarity with the poor. Likewise the church has been requested to preach this message of liberation to the present poor and marginalized. Our belief in the Holy Spirit which renews creation empowers us to keep being ecclesia reformata and semper reformanda. The Holy Spirit sustains us in the hope that history has not ended, that the world does not end in a huge catastrophe but that Christ is the alpha and omega" (Reformed World, 1992, 71f.).

Later on the Warc executive committee, meeting in Pittsburgh 1994, adopted a programme of regional conferences which proposed to test the working hypothesis. The first meeting of this kind took place in Manila (Philippines).

Manila, March 1995

The meeting drew attention to rapid economic growth which, however, is only beneficial to a small minority. It is not possible to ignore the contradiction between growth and poverty. 70-80 per cent of the poor people of this world live in Asia. Poverty manifests itself in massive unemployment and in the painful exclusion of millions of people from the process of production. The population pays a high price for the structural adjustment programmes prescribed by the IMF and World Bank. All this has consequences for the environment which is poisoned and threatened. These facts need to be remembered by those who admire the development of the "Asian tigers" (Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.). The economy of Asian countries is marked by deregulation and privatization, and the growing influence of money leads to the commodification of life. In this situation everything becomes a commodity. The mass media create artificial needs. Economic injustice creates cultural injustice. The indigenous cultures are not respected.

The consultation in Manila appealed to churches and individual Christians in Asia to leave the mainstream of economic life and to resist the culture of prevailing trends. Christians are encouraged to develop their own lifestyle which would differ from consumerism. It is necessary to open space for the participation of women in economic life that is usually male-dominated. It is necessary to formulate new principles of international economic order. The main question is not to maintain the global market but whether or not the question of poverty and the deteriorating environment is effectively tackled. The competition struggle and the spirit of the market are in contradiction to the Reformation principle of grace and community. It is necessary to examine uncritically the connection that supposedly exists between Reformed faith and prevailing economic injustice. The question emerges in which way the Calvinist ethos has contributed to the trend of competition.

The report suggests a holistic interpretation of the socio-economic situation. It recommends creating cooperatives in order to strengthen the community spirit. The market has been established to promote life. Money is not the highest value. Human desire should not be manipulated at the cost of cultural identity. The ecological movements in Asia help to mobilise the people to strive for a sustainable economic system. There is a real danger that limitless growth and competition could transform the entire planet into a desert. We should not give up the conviction that people are guided also by other motifs than by the idea of profit. Ideas such as love, compassion, justice, concern for the environment and common sense may influence economic decisions. In Asia many activities are still geared in the first place to need and not to profit. The sources of hope are the anti-system movements: women's movement, tribal movements, farmers' movement, civic organizations. All these people do not want to be passive victims and they become subjects of actions. Christians should be guided by the following ethical criteria: love, which takes into consideration neighbours and community, life in harmony, and communion with every creature in the common household of God. We are called to be God's co-workers, to cultivate human life and to maintain the integrity of creation.

The participants in Manila appealed to the Christians of the north to consider that their profit-oriented economies impose an unbearable burden on the global economy and on poor people in the world. God's covenant with the earth and with people is violated. Christians are challenged to join in the struggle for an alternative society. It is necessary to refuse the concentration of power, the recolonization of other parts of the world and of life based on the exploitation of resources and human labour.

Kitwe, October 1995

In October 1995 a conference of church representatives in southern Africa took place in the Mindolo Centre in Kitwe (Zambia). The working hypothesis that injustice today means exclusion from the contemporary economic mechanism was examined. It seems that large parts of Africa have already been declared dead as far as the global economic map and the global economic plans of G7 countries are concerned. The dreams and hopes kindled at the time of independence have turned into a long and harrowing winter of despair. Global economic world views contain a hidden premise that the peoples from the south have no right to their own labour and that they have to be subservient to market forces. The indigenous cultures have lost the power to reform economic practices because they have been turned into commodities. Creative elements are gradually disappearing under the weight of imported western cultures. Cultural homogenization is under way as all the cultural boundaries fall to a commodity culture in which everything can be bought and sold. National states lose gradually the possibility of protecting democracy and economic autonomy. Small enterprises and cooperatives cannot be developed and maintained if they are not protected by the state from the multinational corporations. Money flows from the south to the rich north to enrich the north still further. The systematic impoverishment of Africa has led many people to lose their capacity for self-help and self-employment.

The relationship between economy and faith is not obvious because the economy operates in an impersonal and abstract way. In the 16th century John Calvin saw the market economy as a product of human ingenuity. Today, the global market economy has been made sacred and elevated to an imperial throne. The global market economy has changed plans with the human beings who created it. By redefining what it means to be human it has become the creator of human beings. It usurps the sovereignty of God, claiming a freedom that belongs to God alone. The idolatrous and dehumanizing nature of contemporary global economy is seen in the exclusion of Africa and Africans from the human family. However, according to Calvin, the ultimate goal of human economic activity is to promote mutual intercourse among human beings.

Managers of the world economy often talk of the "sacrifices" that must be made. Africans are among those sacrificed. They live on a crucified continent as people to be sacrificed. The humanity of Africans and the future of their children play no role in the global economy. In Africa not only human beings are sacrificed but also nature. The southern hemisphere is considered to be a dumping ground for toxic waste.

The consultation in Kitwe called us back to consider the gospel for the poor. We need to rediscover the Reformed concern for mutuality and equality in the economic system and traditional African resources of community and "ubuntu". According to Desmond Tutu "ubuntu" is about the essence of being human. It is a gift which Africa can offer to the world. It includes hospitality, caring for others, willingness to go the extra mile. A person is a person through another person. "My humanity is caught up, bound up and inextricable in yours. When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself." The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms.

The participants in Kitwe confess their share of guilt and responsibility for the situation today. It is necessary to decide between loyalty to mammon and faithfulness to God. The real poverty in Africa caused by the unjust economic system is not only an ethical problem. It becomes a theological issue calling for a declaration of status confessionis. In the mechanism of today's world economy the gospel for the poor is in jeopardy.

San José, May 1996

The third regional meeting took place in San José (Costa Rica) in May 1996. In Latin America globalization is an obstacle to the development of relationships between people. In the economic sphere we can observe an asymmetric growth. In Latin America there is no access to the capital and technology which are needed for integral development. The gospel is often being misused by great powers as a means of conquest and for political and economic domination. Still today the relationship of the churches in the first world to their sister churches in Latin America is paternalistic and not partnership-like. The consequence of the economic situation is hopelessness and loss of the capability of creating utopias. People give up their dreams and that leads to an individualistic stance. People who have no vision of a better future can be more easily controlled. The problems which concern the whole of Latin America can be described in the following way: the culture of corruption; monopolization by minorities that do not use land in a productive way; militarism; rapid change of technologies; external debt which becomes an "endless debt". The debt steadily grows and makes it impossible to direct financial means to other priorities.

The Old Testament contains the clear commandment of God that the land is to be distributed justly (Num 26.53-56). The New Testament challenges us to care for the poor and warns against the accumulation of wealth. Economy is the central theme in the ministry of Jesus who identified with marginalized groups. This solidarity led to conflict with the rulers and brought Jesus to the cross. In many ways the findings of the consultation in San José are complementary to the preceding meetings in Manila and Kitwe. They confirm the working hypothesis that exclusion is the principal feature of injustice today.

Geneva, May 1996

The international consultation held in Geneva evaluated the process of the regional meetings. It prepared a study text for the delegates of the 23rd general council. The working paper confesses the guilt of the Reformed tradition concerning an economic order which is oppressive and which causes misery and death to many. It is time to examine economic principles and activities in the light of faith. The conversion of personal relationships and lifestyle is indispensable, as well as a new direction in the churches and in the society. It is necessary to change the world economic order and to seek a new economy that affirms life for all. The consultation declared that the affirmation of life, commitment to resistance against injustice and the struggle for transformation are an inseparable part of Reformed faith and confession today.

With thanksgiving we acknowledge the abundance of life offered to us by God and accept our responsibilities to nurture the life of the household of God and to care for creation. With distress we view the current distortions that make the household the servant of the economy. Although it claims universality, the emerging global economy creates enslavement and injustice.

This situation can be compared to the unleashing of the idol Moloch. The consequence is exclusion, injustice and death, the denial of God's blessing. Care for the household is driven out by greed and the competition for individual survival. The abundance of God's creation is limited by the demands of the market. Everything has a price that can be paid only by those with the money to become consumers. In place of care for creation we find exploitation. In place of the order of creation we find the disorder of injustice.

Hearing the pleas of the deprived and excluded, we seek to understand the mechanisms of their misfortune. We witness today a process of globalization, promoted by improvements in transportation and communications technology coupled with the use of mass media to reach "new markets". Through advertising, cultures around the world are converted into markets. Autonomous peoples are transformed into consumers. The trade and payments agreements that have facilitated this process provide the basis for the transcendence of transnational corporations over the limitations of national boundaries and cultures. The pressure of "competitiveness" has been loosed on the world.

The claims made for this new global economy are that it will bring the peoples of the world into the global marketplace where they can freely choose among abundance. We find, however, that the globalization of the market economy has been accompanied by the denial of the expectations of development. There has been an institutionalization of the transfer of wealth from the south to the north, leading to the exclusion of millions of people from an economy that was supposed to meet their needs.

We can no longer believe that economic globalization is merely a process of extending the structures and benefits of the economy of the industrial countries of the north to the rest of the world.

The driving force of globalization is the relentless accumulation of capital. Its vehicles are transnational corporations and financial institutions. Through the press and media, we are told that the welfare of these corporations is more important than the welfare of the household of God.

Until the changes in 1989-90, globalization was to some extent restricted by the existence of the Soviet bloc and the Council for Mutual Economic Cooperation (COMECON). While the system in central and eastern Europe was not a real alternative to the emerging global market system, for many people around the world its existence was nonetheless a source of hope because it provided employment, education and health for all its citizens. It introduced trade relations with the third world that were fairer than those offered by western countries.

Globalization has resulted in a massive debt crisis for developing countries. As a condition for loans with which to repay debts, the indebted countries are required to implement structural adjustment programmes (stipulated mostly by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund). As a consequence, national budgets for health, education and social services are drastically reduced. Priority is given to the repayment of debts, although in fact it is only the interest that is being paid while the debt remains as a means of domination.

The sovereignty of nation states is put into question. National control over domestic policy has been largely lost with the signing of the trade agreements and the consolidation of power by transnational corporations. As governments have reduced trade barriers and other restrictions, they have also reduced their ability to act in the interests of their citizens.

Economies such as those of the island states of the Caribbean and South Pacific, too small to be sources of wealth in and of themselves, find new roles in the global economy as money laundries as well as tourist resorts. This is a significant function, since only a small percentage of global currency flow is actually required to finance trade in real goods and services. The fact that so little capital is actually required for trade purposes means that there is a large and growing amount of money available for speculative purposes or to be applied for political or economic leverage anywhere in the world at short notice. This results in a high degree of instability for the temporary host economies of this capital (as was the case in 1995 in Mexico).

The culture of competition created by the corporate and financial forces behind the global market economy creates a downward spiral of impoverishment and injustice as cities, regions and states compete against each other for corporate favours in the form of investments and jobs. There is also competition for deregulation and environmental exploitation to attract capital. Eventually the poorer regions no longer have anything with which to compete, not even cheaper labour. At this point, they become excluded from the global economy altogether, consigned to the garbage dump, except for the women and children who are forced to sell themselves in the new globalized sex trade.

The globalization of advertising that accompanies the globalization of the market creates a monoculture of consumerism. It creates insatiable desires that can easily be manipulated, including the desire to exploit women. It can be described as a colonization of consciousness. As a result of the financial rewards of advertising, the media develop a symbiotic relationship with their corporate benefactors and begin to see themselves as autonomous agents shaping political choices.

What is generally referred to as "the environment" also becomes a victim of the culture of competition fostered by the global economy. It is essential that we gain a new understanding of creation, not as our "environment", as something outside and apart from us, but as the matrix of our life, both physically and socially. Creation and our household must be restored as the context of our lives and the economy once again viewed as the organization and structures of nurture.

A new beginning lies in the act of repentance. We, Christians of the Reformed tradition, have to confess our complicity in the global system and our insensibility to the victimization of the people. Warc member churches must continue to discern the suffering of the households of the poor and the weak due to globalization. They should enter into consultations with the key actors of the global economic system. They should enter into the liturgical movements of tithing, celebrating Sabbath and jubilee, as well as confessing guilt of involvement in globalization.

We cannot be silent if so many people are excluded and discriminated against. We are called to resist the mechanism which serves mammon in the first place and requires both human and environmental sacrifices. We are challenged to search for a system which affirms and promotes life. We are inspired by God's promise: "My covenant is a covenant of life and peace" (Mal 2.5).

Debrecen, August 1997

At the 23rd general council the problem of economic injustice was discussed in one subsection (2.1) and at a forum attended by many delegates from the south and north.

In the report of section 2, "Justice for all creation", the question of economic injustice and the alarming ecological situation are intertwined. It is obvious that these two areas are closely interconnected and that one cannot be separated from the other.

The report states: "We now call for a committed process of progressive recognition, education and confession (processus confessionis) within all Warc member churches at all levels regarding economic injustice and ecological destruction."

What does this mean?

Churches should pay special attention to the analysis and understanding of economic processes.
Churches should educate church members at all levels on economic life and how to develop a lifestyle which rejects the materialism and consumerism of our day.
Churches should work towards the formulation of a confession of their beliefs about economic life which would express justice in the whole household of God.
Churches should act with the victims of injustice.

The report calls upon Warc and its member churches to facilitate the necessary programmes, resources and practical steps to initiate this process as a high priority.

In every period of history it is necessary to struggle for an adequate expression of Reformed faith. It is an important insight that the church is always in need of reform (ecclesia semper reformanda). The same principle can be applied to the question of confession. In our struggles of today we cannot be satisfied with the confessions which our ancestors formulated as a response to the challenges of their time. As in Barmen in 1934 or in Belhar in 1986, we are called in this generation to react to the suffering of the hungry, excluded and oppressed people around the world and to respond to the groaning of creation which suffers from devastation and the insensitive intervention of humans.