Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, released an 85-page advisory declaring loneliness a new public health epidemic in the United States. “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. May 6, 2023 (Forbes Magazine)
Then the Lord God said “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make a helper that is perfect” (Genesis 2: 18)
The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shard meals and to their prayers. (Acts 2: 42)
All the believers were united and shared everything (Acts 2: 43).
….we found that exposure to neoliberal ideology increased loneliness and decreased well-being by reducing people’s sense of connection to others and by increasing perceptions of being in competition with others. (Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33416201/) (British Journal of Social Psychology)
Last week, in a clergy meeting, one of my colleagues pronounced rather emphatically: “I believe that the demise of the institutional church can be directly attributed to the increasing neo-liberal policies of our government”.
Huh?
I had, like no idea what he was talking about. And it looked like everyone else in the room was nodding their heads so I kept my ignorance to myself, but quickly Googled “neo-liberal” as soon as I got back to the church. Wikipedia describes neo-liberalism referring to “market-oriented reform policies such as “eliminating price controls, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers” and reducing, especially through privatization and austerity, state influence in the economy”, which I wasn’t sure how related to the decline of church adherence. So I’ve been reading articles on government policy allllllllll week. Basically it comes down to – the less the government is involved in managing how much money people can make, and the more the government gets rid of things that involve our social safety net, then individuals have to compete for access to social resources such as healthcare, affordable housing and so on. And the more that people compete, the less likely they are to connect with others – because that other person may be the one that wins out on getting the stuff that they need or want.
Neo-liberal policies are good for profits and big businesses but really terrible for non-profits and vulnerable individuals. Neo-liberal policies also support social isolation because they kind of force you into a “dog eat dog” mentality; as in, if you are vulnerable and need resources, then you have to make sure that you get the stuff you need first, regardless of anyone else’s needs. If you have a family, you often can expand your thinking to include the people in your household, but not anyone outside of your household.
Now, honestly, I have over-simplified political policy that until this week I had no idea existed. I know that I didn’t like some things that I saw happening; like increasing cuts to social housing and support for those who are disabled or not working – things that I believe have a direct consequence of the number of unhoused people in my community. But I had no idea that there was a whole ideology that supported privatization and the deregulation of capitalism. So, I’m not sure exactly that I can weigh in on public policy.
However, I think I am qualified to comment theologically.
And here’s what I can tell you.
Our faith tells us that we are better together. Not only are we better together, but that its in this togetherness, that we look after the most vulnerable in our community. When we are together, when we show “preference for those on the margins” (that’s actually a phrase I learned in school!), when we share our resources rather than accumulating our resources; those are all qualities of our life of faith that are pronounced as “good”. Not only is it good, but if you read Acts 2, you will find that that’s the place of “…..awe…..wonders and signs” (Bits of Acts 2: 43)
So today, my beloved Community of Bethel; I actually don’t believe necessarily that neo-liberalism is responsible for the demise of the organized church. What I believe is the demise is that the church hasn’t claimed its theological heritage that pushes against this. I believe God is calling us to something radically different. Something that says that
We are better together.
We look after each other, especially the most vulnerable.
Accumulating wealth not only is not necessary, its harmful.
We will share what we have because we can.
And this is the place of awe. This is the place of “signs and wonders”. This is the place where the epidemic of loneliness is combatted and healing in God’s name can begin.
The Good News is that we’re already mostly there. Look at what we do with potlucks, with Chat n Chew, with Prayer and Share and with Worship. Look at what we do with Stewardship and Property. We have the structure that has set us apart from neo-liberalism – and so we just need to unabashedly say “this is what we do, and its Good – it works – and we are better because of this”. (And….maybe make plans to move forward in exactly this same way. But that’s a couple of meetings and a whole other blog).
Blessings today, and Remember you are Loved,
~Rev Lynne
