Versión de HTML Básico
Policy: The Bible and Welfare Reform
77
A conversation between the social context of welfare reform policy dis-
<ussions and the text of the Magnificat scripture furthers an understanding
of how collective moral values are generated. Through this conversation,
we
are able to envision scripture-based challenges of repressive values
expressed in current social practices on a national level (beyond state and
l<>eal public practices like the ones faced by Yvonne and Florence R. in the
I)i evious chapter). Similarly, an investigation of the values expressed in con-
lemporary social practices can bring attention to possibilities for resisting
repressive interpretations of scripture. This interchange between text and
<ontext is also revealing for certain issues related to race and gender, help
ing to identify the influence of racial and gender assumptions in shaping
<urrent publicly expressed responses to the plight of people who are poor.
There is, of course, no concept of race in the ancient world of Luke that
h
/ fleets contemporary U.S. categories of race and ethnicity. There were,
liowever, dominant cultural groups and dominated cultural subgroups in
I
Iuit ancient context whose influences should be sorted out when investi-
p.iting Luke’s message to and about women. In addition, all groups in that
.indent context were governed by a rigid, hierarchical system of social class
«uegories, which forms another major cultural influence to be considered.
I^earning from the interplay of this ancient gospel text and the con-
lemporary welfare reform context involves following a series of clues, a
I iiid of ethical detective work. A review of claims about poor women’s
re nder roles and sexuality in welfare reform discussions instigates ques-
11
<>ns about how similar cultural and political notions may also be present
m relation to the text of Luke. Cultural and political ideas about women
nr found in the wording of Luke’s text, the social context surrounding its
nithor, and specific interpretations of Luke’s presentation of Mary. We
must sift through some of these ideas and analyze the messages about gen-
<!(t roles and sexuality offered by this passage. What are the implications
<>l certain interpretations of Mary that emerge? For instance, do inter
pretations pointing to Mary as a role model who provides restrictive mes-
about women’s sexuality and their appropriate social role diminish
.mention to Mary’s prophetic utterance in the Magnificat about the rich
.iikI the poor?
I he arena of public policy provides another opportunity to explore
what it means to craft a Christian social ethic that does not simply mirror
Mime of the most dehumanizing and unjust values of the culture but
instead offers a critique of those values and an alternative moral vision for
o u r
shared social practices. Specific features of welfare policy enacted in
ilie IWOs exemplify the morally laden quality of that federal legislation.