Would Jesus occupy Wall Street?

The Occupy Wall Street movement is an on-going series of demonstrations that began during September in New York's financial district. Protests have focused on social and economic inequality, greed, and the undue influence of large corporations on the government. The protesters' slogan ‘We are the 99%’ refers to the growing gap in the distribution of wealth in the US, between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population.

It seems that people either love or hate Occupy Wall Street. Some Christians interpret the movement as people taking a stand for justice and the rights of the poor, and claim that Jesus is on the side of the 99%. Others see the protesters as, in the words of one blogger, ‘a group of excitable schoolchildren, professional whingers and wannabe anarchists’ who don’t really know what they want.

Whatever you think of Occupy Wall Street, it can’t be denied that the demonstrations of dissatisfaction are having an impact. Similar protests have since erupted in Canada, Australia and Europe – as well as in a variety of other locations throughout the United States – joining protests that were already underway in countries such as Spain.

In October, the Slovene philosopher Slavoj Žižek spoke at an Occupy Wall Street rally in New York City. ‘The problem is not corruption or greed,’ he said. ‘The problem is the system.’ He went on to challenge Christians in the United States to think about how their beliefs might apply to the current context, and then accused the financiers of Wall Street of idol worship.

Slavoj is not the only Slovene who is talking to protesters and challenging them to think about Christianity. Nenad Hardi Vitorovic, General Secretary of ZVESh Slovenia, recently started spending time - along with a small group of other Christians - engaging with Occupy Ljubljana protesters gathered in front of the Slovene stock exchange. It wasn't too long before they were invited to present a workshop on their alternative ideas.

Nenad writes:

‘Most of the protesters, especially those who stay overnight and are there all day long, are students, but there are also a number of homeless people and later in the day they're joined by intellectuals and professionals, who support the protest.

‘We’ve had fantastic conversations and handed out many copies of the booklet Recesija (Recession), which the Slovenia Bible Society had prepared. This booklet talks about how the Bible speaks directly and unequivocally to a world that is dominated by injustice, exploitation and oppression. We were invited to the main meetings held daily at 6pm; we went to one and saw that it is possible to propose your own workshops. We offered to speak about the Bible's radical social criticism and how human greed is foundational to today's economic, social and ecological crisis.’

The workshop turned out to be very colourful and interactive, providing many good opportunities to present the bible's view on human problems, true love and the biblical basis for the sacrificial leadership uniquely lived out by Jesus.

Nenad continues:

‘A fascinating event happened as I announced the continuation of the workshop at the General Assembly of the protest movement. A guy with a new-age background objected, saying that organized religions have caused people to hate each other, so the Bible should not be discussed. However, a female anarchist objected to this, saying that many of us believe different things, and that this should not be a reason to stop somebody's initiative. So the objection was overruled. Praise God!

‘We were fortunate to have Ellis Potter visiting us. Ellis, a former Buddhist monk who converted to Christianity, lectures internationally on art, faith, music and cultural worldviews. He gave an intriguing talk about what the authorities are that shape our knowledge and our life.

‘In addition to this public event, at which 15 or so people (mainly students) were present, he also had some quality time with ZVESh students, sharing his wisdom about living for and bearing witness to Christ Jesus. We are very grateful for his sacrifice of time and effort, and also for the on-going cooperation this talk has fostered with another student group.

‘Praise God for all these fantastic opportunities to bear witness to our Lord! Pray that the good seeds that were sown grow in hearts and minds and aren't smothered by other things or stolen by the evil one. Please pray also for us, that we may keep wisdom and integrity throughout our contact with people, remaining faithful to our God.’

Pray too for Christian students throughout the world, that they will use this and other 'fantastic opportunities’ that God provides to dig more deeply into God’s word and apply it to bring change to society.

Source: www.ifesworld.org