A funeral and four weddings: Theological engagement with Poverty and Sustainable Development

1
A funeral and four weddings Theological
engagement with Poverty and Sustainable
Development

• Steve de Gruchy
• Theology and Development Programme, UKZN

2
Poverty as both judgement and opportunity

• The juxtaposition of wealth and poverty
• Grace?
• What is the gospel in this context?
• What can people of faith offer in the midst of
  the bad news of poverty?

3
Resources Im drawing on

• People of faith in the struggle against
  apartheid.
• Development theorists, and particularly Amartya
  Sen
• Millennium Development Goals
• My students from throughout Africa
• The Oikos Journey A theological reflection on
  the economic crisis in South Africa,

4
The funeral economic growth in our current world
system

• Oikos economy and ecology
• Gods economy
• Industrial economy
• Makes the environmental conditions of poverty
  worse
• Stressed carrying capacity of the earth
• Two inconvenient truths
• Midwives of hope?

5
First wedding poverty and health

• MDG 4, 5, 6 all focus on health
• Poverty as capability depravation (Sen)
• Jesus and healing
• Health and the struggle against poverty

6
Second wedding poverty education

• MDG 2 universal primary education
• Education and the church
• Education as an instrumental good
• Agency and development
• Education for critical consciousness

7
Third wedding poverty and assets

• Agency and assets
• Asset portfolio of the poor
• Asset Based Community Development
• Nyerere Ujamaa and Kujitegemea
• Assets in a time of political crisis, and a time
  of HIV

8
Fourth wedding poverty and food sovereignty

• MDG 1 poverty and hunger
• Food a development touchstone.
• Food distribution and food entitlements
• From food security to food sovereignty
• Give us this day our daily bread
• Food and justice

9
A funeral and four weddings

• Missing issues?
• Other weddings?
• New life?
• Oikos