Globalization (Christian perspective)

Globalization is a highly debated subject that has allowed interaction between countries and the global market, allowing economies to grow to higher levels. One perspective on this worldwide movement is the Christian (religious) point of view. First of all, Christians believe in a higher authority and aim to model their lives in obedience to their God. That being said, they value community and ultimately care for all the people their God has created on a global scale, not only local. They feel a responsibility to the poor, and encourage globalization as it provides more opportunities for countries with weak economies that struggle with poverty. Work is valued and there is importance in working in a global economy.

There are three main approaches to this topic from this perspective: the evangelical approach, Catholic social teaching, and the non-evangelical perspective.

Evangelical approach

The evangelical approach focuses on the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ through globalization. Globalization opens many doors to many countries, and this perspective looks at that as an opportunity. It is an opportunity to spread Christian teaching through the doors that have been opened. In this context, globalization is seen as a tool for achieving the evangelical goal.

Catholic social teaching

The Catholic social teaching looks at globalization with the aim of improving it, in the sense that they desire to shift the focus to a more humanitarian goal. In his book The Lexus and The Olive Tree, Thomas Friedman wrote, "the more I observed the system of globalization at work, the more obvious it was that it had unleashed forest-crushing forces of development and Disney-round-the-clock homogenization which, if left unchecked, had the potential to destroy the environment and uproot cultures at a pace never before seen in human history." In this perspective, globalization is not viewed as a positive development, but rather as a way to reach more people and create a more socially conscious global environment.

Non-evangelical perspective

The non-evangelical perspective highlights the benefits of globalization through reach. It emphasizes the number of people now more easily contacted and the cultures more easily understood. In this view, the focus is not the spread of the gospel but the connecting of the "body of Christ" on a global level. It is basically the universal church being more easily unified through the barriers broken down by globalization.

Further reading

• Deifelt, Wanda, Richard Cizik, Tariq Ramadan, and David Rosen. "Religious Perspectives on Globalization." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
• Crosby, Michael. "Catholic Social Teaching and Globalization." Ed. Cheryl Handel and Kathleen Shields. Journal of Catholic Social Thought 2.1 (2005): 235-48. Web.
• Glendon, Mary. "Globalization and the Church's New Challenges." Catholic Education Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
• Müller, Retief. "Christianity and Globalisation: An Alternative Ethical Response." HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies 67.3 (2011): n. pag. Web.

References

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