God's Economy

So I'm going to play a little word association game with you. I'm going to say a phrase, and then I want you to remember the first thing that comes to mind. Ok? Here we go...


Fair Trade...


So what did you think of? That's right, coffee. Now I'm all about the fair trade coffee and we have a pretty rad supplier of strictly African fair trade goodness, but why does fair trade have to apply directly to coffee? What can't it be a much bigger idea than that?

I am writing this because I just started downloading Derek Webb's cd the Ringing Bell for free. And not the good old fashion pirate way, but a legitimate site from some artists who had an interesting idea; fair trade music. What if we let you pick the price of the cd? Or better yet, if you just spread the word about it we'll let you download it for free, because we want a different type of connection with our fans. There are several artists on this site and you can go there (http://www.noisetrade.com) and read more about what they're doing. Especially for musicians, the idea of allowing their music to be downloaded for free instead of for a fee is a counter cultural idea.

Now this got me to thinking about the idea of trading goods for goods and what it would look like if people stopped caring so much about cold, hard cash and started sharing what they had without cost to those who needed it. What could happen if we stopped relying on the all mighty dollar (Rand, Euro, Pound, or wherever your form of currency) and started helping those in need, and in turn they would help you in your need? This isn't a new concept, it's the early church in Acts. Now most of us who have been on this journey for some time know this story. We read it, say "What a nice thought" and go back to life as normal, maybe throwing a little extra cash in the basket this week at church and feel good about ourselves. I'm the guiltiest of all in this, because even though I have that nice afterthought that everything I have belongs to God, the way my life plays out doesn't show it. What I have is mine. I've worked for it (or in my current case I did the leg work to raise it) and I should determine where it goes and what it does, and I hold onto it with a not-so-loose grip. That is not the economy of God's kingdom. When will I truly follow Jesus's teaching on money? It's not at all about 10% of my wealth, but it's about everything I have. It's about my money, food, clothes, car, home, friends, trade/vocation, it's about everything I have to offer this world. What if my 10% is actually cheating God?

So, what would the implications be if we all started sharing? And I mean really sharing without interest, without a sense of personal justice, without holding it over someones head when they have taken more than they have given. Could it then be possible that we could then know no one who had need? What if the church, God's people, are the avenue through which God wants His people to not worry about tomorrow? Jesus speaks about the birds of the air and the flowers in the fields, and how he cares for them regardless of what they do for the kingdom. Could we care for people without considering what they can do for us, what they have to offer us? I know that's a stretch for me, but it seems that in God's economy this is the very point he is trying to make, that the last are first.

When I drink a cup of fair trade coffee, what does that mean? It means that someone who was once making next to nothing for their work is now being paid a fair wage for their labor and in some cases are also better educated in how to do their job (ie, better farming techniques). In one case that I was a actually able to hear from the source, a woman who could only send one child to school can now send both due to the fact that she was being paid a fair wage and was also taught better ways to farm her crops. Though it's small, I think thats a picture of the kingdom on earth.