A call for Radical Grace: The church and rising poverty in an era of pandemics
by Nkosinathi GejaThe Christian church has an obligation not only to its members but to the entire human family and the society in which it lives and exists. It cannot be preoccupied with its survival and number of congregants. In the face of the pandemics of poverty, Covid-19, GBV, femicide and racism, the church must be the symbol and reality of God’s radical love for all of the created order.
I write this article as a Covid-19 survivor. Having been infected and experienced minor symptoms makes me count myself lucky. Being in isolation helped me to reread, among other books, On the Side of the Poor: The Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez and Gerhard Müller.
I was prompted to read this book after looking at the cost of what I call the “survival kit” against Covid-19. My survival kit consisted of zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, eucalyptus oil, lemon, garlic and ginger.
When I bought these items, I noticed how quickly prices shot up. One morning 50ml of eucalyptus oil was R75, the next morning it cost R150. I recently read an article where an entrepreneur specialising in ginger commented that prices of ginger had risen sharply because of the demand and supply. It came as a shock as well that reputable outlets such as Dis-Chem were found wanting by the Competition Commission for selling face masks at inflated prices. I must acknowledge that Dis-Chem has appealed against this finding.
I subscribe to the idea that pandemics are a mirror to our state of humanity. Pandemics painfully show whether we are driven by solidarity or greed. The sad reality is that many “normals” could be suspended, but the principle of demand and supply knows no pandemics.
In light of the rise in prices of basic necessities, there could be unnecessary deaths. Even at this time, the poor are on the receiving end. In a country faced with the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, Covid-19 subtly revealed who is on the side of the poor. In the UK and US, it is reported that many deaths related to Covid-19 occurred among minorities, namely blacks, Latinos and Asians. These deaths point to inequalities and how they manifest in the lives of the people. There’s no data yet available on how the virus has affected the poor in South Africa. Do we have unnecessary deaths caused by the fact that people are poor?
I remember watching President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address when he announced that our government was moving towards “opening up the economy”. I truly wished the economy would be opened for the black poor, the young and the marginalised. In fact, it would be great if this time had been used to open up the economy for many young and upcoming entrepreneurs.
Instead, the politically connected are using these trying times for personal enrichment.
It is in wrestling with these realities that I was reminded in Gutierrez and Müller’s book that at the core of many economic activities is the dehumanisation programme. The dehumanisation programme is about profit-making, personal and brand egos at the expense of the poor. Gutierrez and Müller say:
“To be Christian means also to stand up for the political, economic, social and cultural rights of people to their dignity. In so doing, we can have a humane society.”
Frantz Fanon in The Wretched of the Earth says that the decolonisation project is a veritable creation of New Humanity. He says this New Humanity must not be seen through religious optics. But what he suggests as the ultimate product is couched in religious language. He proposed a society where the first will be last and the last will be first. The sad reality is that even in the face of pandemics, the last remain last.
To me, the coronavirus pandemic must serve as a true reminder of what the true church is. These must also nudge us to take our rightful place on the side of the poor. It was Kimbrough Jr who in his analysis of Charles Wesley’s view on the poor coined the term “Radical Grace”. Radical Grace invites the church to deal with structural poverty – a church that not only cares for the poor but is also on the side of the poor. A church that becomes a constant voice and the symbol of the poor.
Guiterrez says the church has an obligation not only to its members, but to the entire human family and the society in which it lives and exists. I must add that the church of the 21st century cannot be preoccupied with its survival and number of congregants. It must be concerned with the human family which is gradually losing its face. In the face of the pandemics of poverty, Covid-19, GBV, femicide and racism, to count but a few, the church must be the symbol and reality of God’s radical love for all of the created order.
It was John Wesley who, in interpreting the phrase “the poor will always be with us”, said this must not be accepted as mere fact but as an invitation to serve the poor. It was Wesley who challenged Wesleyans to have courage and step beyond the boundaries of religion. His expectation is that we take risks to make justice and mercy tangible.
May that church stand up and be the face of Radical Grace in this age of greed and impunity. DM
Nkosinathi Geja
Rev Nkosinathi Geja is a Methodist minister based in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. He writes in his personal capacity.
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