Analysis: G.T., Ch. 5 & 6

This week will be an analysis of the next two chapters from Global Transformations. These chapters will definitely be more distinct in our group's project concerning U.S. economics, and some of the disparities trade. Page 152 states clearly that some "distributional impacts of trade,(within economies) makes some groups richer and others poorer.
Section 3.2 gives a brief historical glimpse at the nature of trade. From B.C.E, in developing nations, although mode of transportation was limited and trading routes also had the problems with mountains, trade between nations was forming. It is stated, (page 153), that a "slave triangle", between Europe, Africa, and the West Indies had become in the sixteenth century, the dominant trade route. The question is then would the industrialized nations of the world developed as they did without slavery? The answer is probably not.
This is not a justification at all of slavery, just a quandery that what we as Americans and predominantly Europeans, treasure in terms of our "free trade", which allows us to have products which we do not have to sacrifice our first born child to buy, has been built mainly on the abuses and mistreatment of other human beings. Chapter 6 of the book makes reference to the fact that less than 10 percent of the slaves were destined to the U.S., but most ended up in the Caribbean and Brazil.
Most trade though outside of the slave trade mentioned earlier was focused primarily in agriculture, within a nation. Page 154, "At the start of the nineteenth century it is estimated by Kuznets (1967) that world exports amounted to only 1-2 percent of the world GDP." Within most developing countries, world trade was limited in the nineteenth centuries. Trade though continued to grow until 1929 with the Stock Market Crash, in which a protectionist mindset prevailed. After WWII, world trade began to increase again, to what we would consider today to be a "globalized economy" of trade. Page 162 (Box 3.1) gives a brief synopsis of the affects of globalizing trade, and the cost of products, whether produced domestically or imported. The last statement that I want to make concerning trade is mentioned on page 183,"...since trade in principle produces a net welfare gain for a country, the gainers could compensate the loser and still be better off."
All this concerning trade was mentioned because in we as Christians need to know how the system has developed in order to affect structural change. Redeeming structures is more easily said than done. It can be done though. I have made the point from the beginning that redemption of structures, such as the government of El Salvadore come from within the country. Even in the slave trade as mentioned in this book, most of the African Nations sold their own people into slavery, hence the word, "trade".
Chapter 5 of the book in discussing the world financial markets, it appears as though this is the re-establishing of the "Tower of Babel" theory, which I used in last weeks analysis. It has been proven since the dawn of time that God uses man in the redemption process. Jesus came as a man to redeem. Jesus is in the natural realm, for if we deny that, it would be to deny the humanity of Christ. Involvement is key in changing the structures. As history is the basis for understanding how systems develop, it should also be looked at in history, as to where Christians failed. I am not taking a stand on military issues, because I do believe that societies progress.
The apostle Paul never would have included a Gentile in anything, but yet he died as the, "apostle to the Gentiles." Sometimes I believe that we need to move beyond what "we" think and ask God what "He" thinks. Throughout history of empire's, to nation states, to trade, to globalization, the church either is doing what is right in proclaiming the gospel on a personal level, or they need to stop saying, "this is evil, that is evil, so I will not be involved, but will make it into another issue." In terms of U.S. Economic issues, money is the "god of this nation." Rich, poor, man, woman, it makes no difference. Covetousness is still sin. The apostle Paul stated in Philippians that he was rich, poor, beaten, imprisoned, for the sake of the gospel. In the midst of this, God was redeeming every place where the gospel was planted. This is what we need to get back to. Sorry if this seems to preachy.