Praying For Retirement

In a recent issue of TIME Magazine, columnist David Van Biema considered the question of whether or not it is appropriate to pray to God about the condition of your retirement savings. He interviewed a representative from each of the four major religious traditions in the U.S. to ask them this question: “Is it all right to be straightforward in your imploring — to beseech God on behalf of you and your family's personal fortune — or is that somehow selfish?” The similarities in the answers that were given are instructive in that they indicate the common ways in which all people approach the subject of prayer, but the Christian prayer continues to derive its distinctiveness from the unique position and person of Jesus Christ. Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Muslim theologians were in agreement that it is permissible and even preferable that people should make an appeal to God for the preservation of their personal fortunes so long as they realize that the ultimate decisions concerning such matters rests with God. James Martin, a Catholic priest and editor of a Jesuit magazine, told Van Biema that we must be open to God answering our prayers in unorthodox ways:

If you imagine that God is like a cosmic gum-ball machine, you have to start rethinking your image of God. The help may not come as quickly or in the exact way that you want it. If you pray that your stock goes back up and it doesn't, it doesn't mean that God is not hearing you; it may mean that your prayer is not being answered in the way that you want it to be answered … it's important to be aware of unexpected ways in which he might be responding. Look at the way your friends are helping you, or your church community, and that's a way you might feel God helping you.

Daniel Nevins, dean of the rabbinical school at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary, pointed to the positive social benefits of people resorting to God in prayer during times of crisis. He says that it tends to keep people from acting in ways that would only exacerbate their difficulties:

If people stampede and panic and liquidate their assets, then we'll all be in worse shape. So maintaining some perspective that even in times of difficulty we're not alone, and that God is giving us encouragement and strength, has a real observable benefit socially.

The source of this benefit, in Rabbi Nevins’ mind, is the full realization of our divine potential: "I think that hope and strength and sense of worth are an extraordinary gift that I view as the spark of the divine within our souls." Prayer is one of the ways in which we get in contact with the “spark of the divine” inside of us that can give us the power to make positive choices during times of duress. So, there is a consensus among major American religions that prayer is appropriate during financial hardship and that it bring certain social and psychological benefits along with it. They would also agree that prayer is a way of making contact with someone or something beyond our normal plane of existence, but, as we can see from Rabbi Nevins’ statement, the identity and character (or for that matter nature) of this person are not commonly agreed upon. It is important to remember that Who you are praying to will affect how you are praying and what you are praying for.

All prayer is ultimately rooted in our relationship with God. In other words, we pray in order to be heard by God and want to know that we have been heard by God. This presents us with the crucial question of upon what basis can I be sure that I have been heard by God? Rabbi Nevins and Shamsi Ali, imam of the Islamic Cultural Center in Manhattan, address that issue as follows:

Nevins points out that the recurring refrain on the Day of Atonement, when Jews itemize their sins, is that "repentance, prayer and charity can annul" God's harshest judgment. Charity, he notes, can come even from those hit hard by economic blight: "There's a belief that charity from a poor person might be more meaningful than a grand gesture from the wealthy." Imam Ali cites a hadith (a saying of the Muslim prophet) in which Mohammed, in the face of persecution, prays to God, both admitting that his troubles may result from his own mistakes and asking him to "forgive my people because they are ignorant."
"And that has application in this situation," Ali continues. "We must reflect that our own shortcomings have played a role: our greed; that we don't have social awareness; that the way we see life is so egotistical." And in the face of this humbling realization, prayer enables us to realize that "we have acceptance. We have compassion. We have love.”

It is helpful and revealing for us to consider carefully what Nevins and Ali are saying here. Both seem to understand that financial stresses lead many people to an awareness of judgment and consequence. They begin to question their own choices and motivations and to seek assurances from the Almighty that all is in fact well. Nevins speaks of charity and prayer as acts that can, when faithfully executed, “annul” God’s harshest judgment. He even refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement as an illustration of this fact. Ali holds forth the effectiveness of piercing self-evaluation and reflection as a way that we realize the impact of our shortcomings and remarkably find that God accepts us and loves us anyway. Both of these men realize that prayers are affected by the failures of the ones offering them and that some correction, atonement or realization needs to occur in order for them to be truly effective. They have rightly perceived nature of the “prayer problem” but they have not understood its extent. No self realization or act of personal piety will ever be able to bridge the gap that Isaiah spoke of when he wrote, “But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.” (Isaiah 59:2 [HCS]) This is where the contribution of our faith in Christ is unique and profound.

As Christians, we realize not only Who we are praying to, but also Who we are praying through. The extent to which our prayers are effective is directly linked to the extent that they are prayed on the basis of our union with Christ. Jesus said that our remaining in Him would be the basis of our power and confidence in prayer: “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want …” (John 15:7 [GW]) As God’s children we will have occasion to offer many prayers in circumstances where we are not certain about the state of our health, finances or personal safety, but we should never be uncertain about our acceptance before God or about the love that He has for us. This is because Jesus has given us what Nevins’ good works and Ali’s self-awareness never could; a right, pure, and unshakable acceptance before God. Only Jesus, as the God-man could accomplish this through his birth, crucifixion, and resurrection. As a result, our prayers are never merely about getting something from God, but rather they are primarily the exploration of a wonderful new privilege that has been given to us. Please remember this the next time you pray to God about your retirement savings.

David Van Biema’s article can be accessed at: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1849896-1,00.html

Bowling Alone - Reaching The Disconnected

Many Americans have a sense that their society has undergone some disturbing changes during the last 20-30 years. During that time the U.S. has become a more diverse place in almost every conceivable way: physically, culturally, ethically and religiously. This diversity has been a source of tremendous growth and strength for the nation as skilled and motivated immigrants have brought drive and creativity to the United States and as the internet has made the free exchange of ideas across national and cultural barriers easier. It is not, however, without its downside. Robert Putnam is one man who has spent a great deal of time studying the interactions among ethnic diversity, public policy and what he calls “social capital”. Putnam is Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and Director of The Sajuaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America. He is best known for his book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community in which he describes radical declines in measures of social interactions in the U.S. such as club memberships, religious participation and even family dinners [the frequency with which US families ate dinner together declined by one-third over 25 years]. The America of Bowling Alone is one in which more and more people are largely dropping out of community life in order to live more solitary and insular lives. This has reduced the country’s “social capital” which he defines as “social networks and the associated norms of reciprocity.”* In other words, the relationships and associations that bind people together and the common understanding concerning what is right and appropriate in social situations are showing signs of weakness. This has led Americans to interact with one another in increasingly litigious ways. The prevalence of “rights talk” in public discourse (and even in many private conversations) is a sign of this trend where concern for a greater social good is often drowned out by arguments concerning whose “rights” will be allowed to prevail.

According to Putnam this is a loss that bodes ill for economic and physical security. Information put out by the Sajuaro Seminar states that, “If you had to choose between 10% more cops on the beat or 10% more citizens knowing their neighbors' first names, the latter is a better crime prevention strategy. If you had to choose between 10% more teachers or 10% more parents being involved in their kids' education, the latter is a better route to educational achievement.” This is why Putnam engages in studies and seminars that are specifically focused on finding ways to reverse this weakening trend through government led economic and social initiatives. He wants to increase the “social capital” of the U.S. because he believes it is an indispensable asset to the country, but not all “social capital” is created equally. The kind of social networks that Putnam is looking for are those that reach across cultural lines. In his words: “We need to distinguish among different types of social capital, like the difference between 'bonding' social capital – these are links among people who are similar in ethnicity, age, social class, or whatever – and 'bridging' social capital, which are links that cut across various lines of social cleavage.”* Bridging social capital is what is most desperately needed for the overall health of America according to Robert Putnam.

This provides the Church with a tremendous encouragement as well as tremendous opportunity. It is encouraging because it shows us that even non-Christian academics, like Putnam, understand that strong social connectedness is important not merely for individuals but for nations as a whole. We live in an age where many have a vague sense of having lost touch with a meaningful community. They are in a self-serving but ultimately self-destructive cycle of making decisions aimed at maximizing personal autonomy and comfort with little connection or devotion to a larger community. At first this may seem to provide little opportunity for the Body of Christ to reach these people, but the Church has always been a kind of “bridging” community that “cuts across various lines of social cleavage”. In fact, bringing together people who have long been separated is at the very heart of our identity as a people, because we are at heart a redeemed community. The apostle Paul described this well when he wrote, “At one time you were separated from God ... But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ's death in the body so that he might bring you into God's presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.” (Colossians 1:21-22 [NCV]) The fellowship of Jesus’ followers is one that is based upon the experience of having been brought inside the family of God when you were once on the outside. It is this redeemed relationship with God that forms not only the basis for our community but also the power for our communication with others. A believer knows what it is like to be disconnected from something that you desperately need and yet to feel powerless to lay hold of it. In short, we remember what it was like to be separated from God and we remember the lengths to which God had to go in order to bridge that separation. It is certainly sad when someone bowls or eats alone, but it is tragic when someone lives and dies alone; truly alone—apart from God. The Church is a community that is grounded in and energized by the cross of Christ as God’s remedy that would break across every isolating barrier. May Colossians 3:11 be the essence of our fellowship: “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (NIV) Redemptive "social capital" is nothing new to the Church, but it may be new to our neighbors.

* OECD Observer, “Bowling Together: Interview with Robert Putnam”, No. 242, March 2004.