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Adam Russell Taylor A couple of weeks ago, the U.N. climate summit in Egypt, COP27, ended with a breakthrough deal to create a “loss and damage” fund that would help developing nations recover from climate disasters — financed by wealthier nations responsible for most of the emissions that are driving climate change. Though most wealthy nations have not yet offered cash pledges to the fund, it’s a significant step forward. Yet if we’re serious about addressing the dire effects of climate change, we need to tackle another problem: a worsening debt crisis that has left many nations needing exponentially more resources to recover from climate disasters and invest in sustainable development. This will require transforming how large entities like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund loan money to low- and middle-income nations. I know talking about international lending policies makes most people want to yawn, but the Bible takes debt — and the people who profit from it — seriously. In his opening Nazareth sermon (Luke 4), Jesus cites the prophet Isaiah to proclaim “the year of the Lord’s favor,” a passage that evokes the ancient instructions for debt forgiveness, such as those found in Deuteronomy 15 (“Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts”). While biblical scholars can’t confirm that these Jubilee injunctions were fully lived out, these instructions were understood to be a regular course corrective to extreme inequality and injustice. Other parts of the Bible flat-out forbid charging interest when the person seeking the loan is poor (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:37). So, if you care about truly addressing the dual crises of extreme poverty and climate change, stay with me.
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Our Latest The People Singing Mary’s Song Today Are Youth Climate Activists (by Nate Rauh-Bieri) This Advent, climate activists are asking us to imagine a future where the rich are sent away empty and the poor are filled with good things. There’s more to Colorado Springs than its reputation as the epicenter of evangelical politics. In a Violent Economy, People of Faith Try Cooperatives (by Renée Darline Roden) Faith communities are building and supporting faith co-ops as a response to the “ravages of capitalism.” Sojourners’ 2022 Book Roundup to Inspire Faith and Justice (by Betsy Shirley) Here are 12 books Sojourners’ writers and editors loved in 2022. |
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From the Magazine It’s Time to Talk about the Climate Emergency (Not That One Photo) (by Christina Colón) The image that first brought Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate to many people's attention is one that cropped her out. Now, she spreads her message without apology or fear of erasure. |
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Seeking a leader: MCC Representative for Jordan, Palestine and Israel The Mennonite Central Committee Representative will provide strategic vision, programmatic direction, team leadership, and support for MCC workers in Jordan, Palestine and Israel. This role, based in East Jerusalem, may be filled by a married couple or an individual. Apply online by December 31, 2022. Online Book Launch Honoring Dr. Catherine Meeks, December 8 at 6:30pm ET Join Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, along with friends and leaders from around the Episcopal Church as we celebrate her new book, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing (Church Publishing, 2022). Apply by January 31 to join Trinity Leadership Fellows Join a diverse cohort of emerging leaders on a two-year journey of faith-inspired learning. This non-residential, free program will prepare lay and ordained professionals with the tools they need to energize and empower their congregations and communities. Learn from leading scholars, experts in the field, and mentors. |
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