A discussion series presented through THE CHICAGO CENTER FOR RELIGION AND SCIENCE. 

Eighteen people participated in three lunch-time discussions, Winter 1997. We examined the concept of humans as social beings, with an interest in the common good of all, the least of us, in our society. Our primary references were the Bible, particularly the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25; Amos 4,5; Micah 6:8; and "The Ford Foundation Project report (1989), The Common Good: Social Welfare and the American Future." Other references included published articles available in libraries and through on-line databases,

Why should this concern science? The importance of the technology explosion, and those better educated to utilize it. It concerns applications in the political, economic, and social sciences. Medical science and technology are also concerns (we discussed this in Fall 1996 in five Thursday seminars), and the large, continuing growth in information science, and the changing nature of its use and being.

We hear many opinions on how or if we should extend social welfare. Some believe that strong programs through the churches and through the public sector are both necessary. Others are more individualistic: a person must stand on one's own and not expect help from anyone. I have heard the following comments, recently, from educated and Christian people. On the homeless: "Can't they be put away somewhere, get them off the streets?" On those without medical insurance: "They can go to the emergency room of any hospital. What's the problem?"

Social and economic costs of imprisonment vs. education and economic empowerment: Incarceration costs $25 to 58 thousand per year, versus $3000 to $14000 per year ($36 to $168 thousand for twelve years) of primary and secondary education. Most prisoners are functionally illiterate, and thereby unemployable.

The USA has the highest incarcerated population of any industrial country, higher than South Africa by 25%, higher in number than the former Soviet Union. This percentage is expected to increase with changes in the social welfare system and continued restrictive policies that increase the cost of capital, reducing jobs formation or pushing jobs offshore. 

A cost of $133 million for a prison of 1000 medium and high security jail cells is regarded as a very reasonable figure. At $133,000 per cell, this is about the price of a really nice two or three bedroom house.

The large and growing proportion of incarcerated persons is from two sources.

One is the imprisonment of persons convicted of minor drug offenses: use or possession of small amounts. The other is the increasingly long and severe sentences imposed on those convicted of multiple felonies. Our discussions included illegal drug use, and the relative merits of incarceration, not just as a deterrent but to ensure an attempt for substance abuse rehabilitation We also discussed the child support recovery percentages, not very effective as shown by a point in time, but increasing percentages as interstate cooperation, and cooperation from federal agencies increases. 

There are also laws that make it difficult for a couple to marry and to raise a child, even though they may so wish. Underage parents in Illinois still must have parental permission to marry. AFDC is unavailable if a spouse is present in the household. The "green card" may be the only access to medical care for the children through Medicaid the mother has, even though she wishes to work.

We discussed, briefly: Businesses that function within a community have a responsibility to that community. For example, cost-cutting by downsizing corporations is in fact cost shifting from the private to the public sector. Welfare, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security funds are paid to those forced into early retirement, and taxes lost, both income and Social Security, that would instead fund these programs.

The changing nature of health care delivery: Approximately 33 million were without health insurance in 1988-89. This has risen to 44 million in 1996, and C. Everett Koop, MD, the former Surgeon General of the US, has estimated a further rise to 60 million by 2001. More persons are being forced into HMO type medical care as the cost of traditional insurance increases. The increasing cost of the latter may be due to cost-shifting the expense of treating the less insured or the uninsured to higher charges to the better insured. 

What happened to the healthcare issue?

Why is it no longer at the forefront of public discussion?

Downsizing and Restructuring: Theologians have been insular on the ethics of downsizing. The process of restructuring is not being evaluated by those who preach morality and ethics. The church's place is not as opaque walls to hide behind (but we often do) and not as an extension of corporate culture (but often is).

Is this not a case of the community become subservient to the economic system, and that the end justifies the means to that end, turning our social ethic on its head? Our society is "Bottom Line, consumer driven." People are forced to serve the economic and political systems, not the reverse. We went through this in the nineteenth century, and again in the 'thirties. All the legislation from those times is under attack. 

Restructurings and megamergers often result in "dinosaurs"--larger, but not necessarily smarter companies. What justifies restructuring is the ability to adapt to changing trends--Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), recycling versus disposal, displacement of existing manufacturing processes by new technology. Describing the restructuring of the economy as "evolving" uses the wrong word. This implies we must just let it happen, that we cannot control or influence "global market forces." Perhaps we are seeing more changes, more restructuring of economies, because of our longer life span: more time to experience major changes.

Should we depend on individual versus community decisions, and to let only the "experts" decide our future? Experts will of necessity have viewpoints limited to their own area, not a holistic vision. Some have attended business meetings where participants never discuss the moral implications of their decision. Identify the good and the bad corporate citizens. Persuade them of their individual and their community responsibilities.

Community Development: Some advocate the restructuring of whole communities by a sort of "bootstrap" process, by identifying and using the resources from within those communities. This is a first, and necessary approach. . Communities should become "upward building," defined as educated and informed individuals who then form coalitions that bring their influence to bear on governmental representatives. Communities that are rebuilding must have the support of those outside. Community development groups represent large numbers of activist voting age people and carry quite a bit of political influence, or "clout." Many groups form, but may only fragment efforts as they overlap others, competing for scarce resources of time, talent, money when cooperation would be more productive.

What is the place of the congregation? To some it is an extended family. To others it is simply a place to stop in as they move about the country. The West, especially European North America, has developed differently, to where the individual is expected to stand or fall on one's lone efforts. We tried to define the "post-modernism" era in this context, one where people are trying to find their place, where religion is one option among many within their lives. Churches are in transition, forced to the edge of society. Some say that is the proper place of the church, not shut away from society, nor an integral (and controlled or controlling) part of it. Again, the church at the edge seems to contradict the theology of, "Everything is God's, everything is of God." We need to understand the difference between secular and religious actions. There should be overlap (individually and collectively) but this difficult to achieve, even for the individual. Extend that difficulty to our increasingly pluralistic, increasingly global, society!

We have investment biased increasingly toward bricks and mortar, instead of human, pastoral, "capital." Is this not true also of churches with dwindling congregations in one area, while a few miles away a suburban congregation must build, build, build. Perhaps we need to step back, and redefine our whole system. Examples are views on what to do about substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and on abortion

What place in political society should the church have? What is God's will in this respect? We are to accept the definition, not define it ourselves, then we are to implement only as we are able to understand that will. The church is not there to define society but to serve as the (referent) basis for the society (social ethic). The church should not consist of small insular groups, or be solely task oriented. They should be partly so, but only as part of the missionary outreach. We tend to be task oriented without asking, "If it is worthwhile and God's will?" 

We want to distribute this report to others, and a full length copy can be obtained from CCRS, Room 338, at the Lutheran School of Theology, 1100 E. 55th Street, Chicago IL 60615. We can also e-mail you a non formatted (text only) draft.  To reach CCRS: Phone (773) 256-0670, e-mail blionel @aol.com, mail, or -- if you live in the area -- just come by.