Versión de HTML Básico
76
Disruptive Christian Ethics
changes in the nation’s public policy for responding to the plight of peo
ple who are poor took place at that time. In the enactment of the 1996
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, it was
decided that federally funded public assistance for them would be termi
nated after a limited period of time, and no further assistance would ever
be available again, no matter what happens in their lives and families.
In terms of the theory that might inform this quest for ethical social
practices, Christian scripture is, in many ways, the quintessential theory
of Christianity. It serves as a common base point for Christian theologi
cal reflection. At the same time, scripture is most fundamentally con
cerned with the practice of faith. The Bible tells a myriad of stories about
individuals and communities who face challenging social and political
conditions as they struggle to be faithful to God, inviting its Christian
readers to participate in that same struggle. Therefore, the Bible offers a
kind of theory that encourages—more precisely, requires—of those who
reflect on its meaning a serious concern with distinctive social conditions
and practices. The Bible, particularly the gospels, is presupposed as a pri
mary resource in the previous discussions of Christian ethical notions of
power in society advanced by Niebuhr and liberative feminist and wom-
anist ethicists. This chapter includes a more direct exploration of the
Bible’s claims about how the use of power in society is accountable to
God’s power. Most specifically, Mary of Nazareth (the mother ofJesus) is
the focus here, with an examination of her portrayal in the gospel of Luke
when she makes theological pronouncements about power within what is
commonly called the Magnificat (Luke l:46a-55).
Detailed consideration of how Mary’s message in the Magnificat might
critically engage the moral claims expressed in welfare reform policy holds
potential for liberative Christian ethics. The Magnificat challenges our
thinking about the treatment of the poor. It teaches a moral lesson about
wealth and poverty by offering a radical theological understanding of
political realities that create these inequities. Contemporary implications
of this moral lesson can be garnered by asking how these ideas espoused
by the pregnant, unwed Mary in Luke compare and contrast with the
moral claims in welfare reform that affect the lives of so many poor, sin
gle mothers. How does the depiction of Mary in this gospel passage cor
relate with the depiction of poor women by contemporary news sources
and officials that the public depends upon for information? Finally, per
haps the ideas in this gospel passage can be a helpful resource for churchcs
to evaluate the social values that undergird public policies like welfare
reform.