Three Sermons on Biblical Justice in Light of Occupy Wall Street Part 1: Proper 23A (October 9, 2011) by Bill Carroll The lessons appointed are
When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat. ~Amos
The Rev. Stephanie Spellers, priest to The Crossing, the emergent worship congregation at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston, and chaplain to the House of Bishops,
Unsurprisingly, most companies decided they would rather let the nuns in the door than confront religious dissenters in public
Bishop Gene Robinson says that the protestors occupying Wall Street aren’t anti-capitalist. Rather, they are protesting the ways in which the capitalist system is corrupted by the financial industry.
Professionals in the Financial Services sector believe that City bond traders, FTSE Chief Executives and stock brokers are paid too much, teachers are paid too little and that there is too great a gap between rich and poor in the UK, according to a survey carried out by ComRes on behalf of St Paul’s Institute.
“The symbolism of the closed door was the wrong symbol,” said Chartres, who also announced an initiative, led by a former investment banker, with the aim of “reconnecting the financial with the ethical”.
The protest at St Paul’s was seen by an unexpectedly large number of people as the expression of a widespread and deep exasperation with the financial establishment that shows no sign at all of diminishing. There is still a powerful sense around – fair or not – of a whole society paying for the errors and irresponsibility of bankers; of messages not getting through; of impatience with a return to ‘business as usual’ – represented by still soaring bonuses and little visible change in banking practices.
“To function correctly the economy needs ethics; and not just of any kind, but one that is people-centered,” the document states, paraphrasing an encyclical that Pope Benedict XVI issued in 2009 calling for greater social responsibility in the economy.
Scott Benhase, Bishop of Georgia, suggests that congregations cannot succeed until they learn how to risk failure and learn from it.