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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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December 2005 |
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A Christian economist?Professor Ian Harper's appointment to the position of Chair of the Fair Pay Commission has generated a great deal of interest in both the secular world and the church. Sheelagh Wegman asked him how he merges his day-to-day work with his Christian faith? Some Christians have criticised you for accepting this position, saying that it is not really possible to be both a Christian and an economist, that they are inimical to each other. How do you respond to such criticism? Ian Harper: Yes, I have copped some flak over my appointment, and not just from the secular world! It’s sad when Christians attack and don’t support each other. When people ask me how can a Christian be an economist, I say it is the same as asking how can a Christian be an engineer, or a pilot or anything else. The link is perhaps more obvious for those in the caring professions like doctors and teachers, but then what would we make of someone like Joseph Mengele? It seems that he was a very able doctor, but what about his ethics and morality? We hear the word economist a lot: What exactly is an economist? Basically, economists deal with worldly things. The word 'economy' comes from a Greek word meaning 'management of expenditure, originally of the household.' Hence an economist was originally a 'manager of a household, or steward.' It later came to describe the management of civil society so that people could look after each other in the most efficient and best way, with minimal waste of community resources. How do you exercise your skills? As an economist I exercise reason, logic and evidence to examine the principles that drive economic prosperity. I examine the principles of 'the world' to understand how it works – economics is a science. As a Christian I take the Micah Challenge very seriously and therefore bring my Christian faith to bear in all that I do. We must be 'salt' in the world. Is it possible for a secular economy to be truly fair and just? It is easy to explain how economic policy can be just and merciful – it depends on what drives the economist. I often quote the example of North and South Korea. With no geographic barrier between the two countries, apart from a heavily secured border, the people in the impoverished North (who are close relatives of the same families as those in the South) are generally physically smaller than their siblings and cousins who live in the South which has the healthier economy. So you would say that as Christians we should strive for economic growth? There is a need for well run, moral economies that serve the common good. Christians should champion a strong economy. As I said recently in an address to the Australian Christian Lobby, 'I don’t see anything especially just or merciful about low levels of economic growth…but a community built purely on economic prosperity will be producing a society that is spiritually bankrupt.' Christians helped abolish slavery – we must remember that. A well-run economy, seeking the common good, can help resolve basic material problems and is able to spend money on research with benefits for society generally, but moral conviction is needed to do that and not simply be self-serving. Wealthy Christians have an obligation to be excellent and wise stewards – 'wise as serpents and harmless as doves.' Matt.10.16 If then, people are happier in a well-run, prosperous economy, is consumerism really a bad thing? Material prosperity is not intrinsically bad, but obsession with it can be; we should not worship it. People say Christians should not be wealthy and they quote the camel and the eye of the needle, but I tell them to go and read it properly! It is like the mis-quoted phrase, 'money is the root of all evil' – it is the LOVE OF MONEY that is the root of all evil. Poor people can also become obsessed with seeking material prosperity, and research proves that however much people have, they always want more. Human beings are never really happy with their material lot. As the Bible says: 'Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.' Ecclesiastes 5.10 Should an economist comment on moral or philosophical matters? An economist has nothing to say really about love, self-esteem, devotion, or the purpose of life. The bottom line for me is that it is easier to be a Christian economist than a materialist economist because of the moral guidelines. I have my moral framework and this gives me stability. How will you approach this job? I must consult, gather evidence, monitor. People have said 'but Ian, you don’t know any poor and low-waged people. You live in another world.' I reply that we all need to open our eyes and see, find out, research, look outwards a lot more than we do. The other members of the Commission may not share your faith values. Does that concern you? I have no influence in the choice of other members, which is good. It should be a broad range of views. I trust that God's grace will enable us to work together, whoever they are. I certainly don’t want the FPC to be seen as a Christian club – fairness is the key word. I want the Australian Fair Pay Commission to be viewed as FAIR. It was originally thought that a government minister would take on this role, but it was deemed better to have something more objective – a degree of distance from government is required. What do you say to Christians who wring their hands and despair of the way our society is heading? Don't just watch. Engage with the world. Remember the Great Commission and get into the marketplace – Christians must be salt and light. Without salt, the 'meat goes off' and is useless. We share the love of the Lord and must remember that God sent Jesus Christ to tell us that. He could have washed the world away again as he did once before, but instead he gave us another chance. Finally, I also hope that Christians would pray for people like me who engage with the marketplace, often in difficult positions.
Professor Ian Harper holds the Sidney Myer Chair of
Commerce and Business Administration at the Melbourne
Business School within the University of Melbourne. He
belongs to the Parish of St Jude's Carlton and was brought
to the Lord through the encouragement of (his then rector)
Bishop John
Harrower. |
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