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The End

of GreedCsumig s if Gd, Peple d the Plet Mtte

BIBLE STUDY

SMaLL GroUP DISCUSSIon GUIDE





The Ed f Geed

Csumig s if Gd, Peple

d the Plet Mtte SMaLL GroUP DISCUSSIon GUIDE



Copyright

Title: The End O Greed. Consuming As I God, People AndThe Planet Matter. Discussion GuideAuthor: Scott Higgins

© 2011 Baptist World Aid Australia

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book is copyright. Apart rom any air dealing orthe purposes o private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under theCopyright Act no part o this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any ormor by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, orby any inormation storage and retrieval system without express written permissionrom Baptist World Aid Australia. Permission is given to reproduce this book bya local church or use by its congregation members provided: 1) the church hasdirectly downloaded the book rom www.baptistworldaid.org.au; 2) the bookis reproduced and distributed in its entirety; 3) every eort is made toensure the highest print quality, such as use o a laser printer orphotocopies that are clear and clean.

Scripture, unless otherwise stated, taken rom theHOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONALVERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by Biblica®.Used by permission o Biblica®. All rights reserved worldwide.

Cover design by Lasso Creative

Endorsed by



Ctets

Study 1:

Stuff. Consuming as if God matters 4

Study 2:

Generosity. Consuming as if people matter #1 8

Study 3:

Justice: Consuming as if people matter #2 13

Study 4:

Care: Consuming as if the planet matters 19

Study 5:

Kindness. Consuming as if animals matter 23

Study 6:

Finishing. An ethical meal 26





BaPTIST WorLD aID THE END OF GREED 1

2

abut the Seies

Consumerism, with its conviction that ever increasing levels o

consumption is the path to the good lie, is the religion o our age. Itshapes our values, our dreams, how we spend our time and money, andhow we conduct our relationships.

Tragically our addiction to consumption robs us o the time and energythat could otherwise be devoted to knowing and serving our God; neglectsand exploits people in poorer countries; inicts cruelty upon the creaturesGod calls us to care or; and is degrading the earth on which we depend orour sustenance. Christians however are called to the good lie envisioned

by Jesus - a lie rich in love or God and others while responsibly enjoyingand equitably sharing the beauty and bounty o the earth.

In this Bible study series you will explore consumerism and the havocit is wreaking. At the same time you will have the opportunity to liberateyoursel rom the chains o consumerism and embrace the truly good lie

Jesus calls you to.



BaPTIST WorLD aID THE END OF GREED2




Study Stuctue

There are fve studies in this book, each exploring a dierent

dimension o consumerism. Each study has three parts:1. What is the issue? This looks at the impact o consumerism on

your relationship with God, others, the planet and the animals withwhom we share the planet;

2. What does the Bible say? Here we ask what God says to us aboutconsumerism and its impacts;

3. How do I live it out? What can we do to consume in a way that ishealthy or our relationships with God, people, the planet and theanimals with whom we share the planet? Each study has simple,achievable actions you can build into your liestyle.

In each o the studies the three study parts are introduced by a videoclip, roughly 4-5 minutes in length. Ater watching the clip, pause theDVD, spend ten to fteen minutes discussing the questions providedand then watch the next video clip.

The study will take about an hour to complete. For groups thathave more time there are extension questions included in each study. I your group is opting or an hour long session, skip over the questionsmarked ‘Extended study question’. Individuals may however like toconsider the extension questions at home.

At the conclusion o the studies we recommend you plan a sixthmeeting at which you share an ethically sourced meal and discuss theimpact the studies have had on your lives.

Group leaders and members should consider purchasing a copy o

The End o Greed book that accompanies this series and reading therelevant chapter in preparation or each week’s study.




STUDY 1

Stuff Csumig s if Gd mttes

Have you ever noticed how our culture applauds us when weaccumulate? Move into a bigger home, buy a second car, take anoverseas holiday and people will say we are ‘getting ahead’. But arewe? Is accumulation o things and experiences a sign o success in theeyes o God or does the good lie lie somewhere else?

Stt vide f Study 1. Select “Wht is the issue?”

1. The average Australian today consumes three times as much as theaverage Australian living in 1960. Does this surprise you? Whatthings have become normal or you that either didn’t exist or wereconsidered the preserve o the rich in your grandparent’s day?

2. In the book Enough. Breaking Free From the World o Excess JohnNaish says, “We have created a culture that has one overridingmessage - we do not yet have all we need to be satisfed. The answer,we are told, is to have, see, be and do even more. Always more.” Doyou think this is an accurate description o our culture? I so, howhas the drive to have more worked itsel out in your lie?

Exteded study questi

Read “Consuming more hasn’t made us happier” on page 6. Howdoes this help you understand the drive to consume? What evaluation

o consumerism would you oer in light o what you have learned?




resume vide. Select “Wht des the Bible sy?”

3. Read the story o the rich ool in Luke 12:13-21. In the video Scottsuggested that the rich man is oolish because he orients his liearound his own comort rather than God’s vision or him and hiscommunity. Do you agree? How would the rich ool’s lie andcommunity have been dierent i he had ocused on loving God andloving others?

4. Ater exposing the rich ool, Jesus tells us how to be wise disciples.Read his teaching in Luke 12:22-34. Rather than allowing themselvesto be preoccupied with acquiring things, Jesus calls his ollowers toseek God’s kingdom. Read “What is the Kingdom o God?” on page7. Do you agree with this description o the Kingdom o God? What

would it look like i we made this the goal o our living?

resume vide. Select “Hw c I live it ut?”

5. Write down your top fve goals or the next ten years.

6. I seeking the kingdom is the ocus o your lie, is this reected inyour goals? What new goals could you add? Which existing goalswould you drop?

7. Pick one or two new goals to add to your lie and one goal to drop out.What steps do you need to put in place to achieve your new goals?




Csumig me hs’t mde us hppie

Consumerism is a liestyle in which we seek more things andmore experiences in the belie they will make happier. But the

promise is a lie. Research suggests that additional consumptionhas little impact on our happiness. In countries where peopleare able to meet their basic lie needs the link betweenconsumption and happiness is weak, that as consumptionlevels rise, lie satisaction tends to remain constant. Thereappear to be two reasons or this.

First, people have a deault happiness level to which wecontinually return. The loss o a job might drag our eelings o

happiness down or a time, while a promotion might push ourhappiness levels up. But these upward and downward swingstend to be temporary. Over time we return to our deault level.

Second, we tend to measure our well-being relative to others.When we enjoy the same standards o living as our peers we eelsatisfed and when we don’t, we eel we are missing out. So weconsume more to keep up with everyone around us. But as longas our position relative to others remains constant, all that extra

consumption does little to improve our sense o well-being.




Wht is the Kigdm f Gd?

The Kingdom o God was at the centre o Jesus teaching. Jesus picks up Old Testament hopes that a time would come

when God would set the world right. When this happened Godwould be known and served by all; injustice, oppression andviolence would give way to communities marked by equity,justice and love and where everyone has sufcient to meet theirneeds; and the creation itsel would be healed o all that harms.In proclaiming this uture, the Old Testament prophets did notimagine us leaving this world or an immaterial realm, butspoke o the time God would remake the existing world. For a

good example see Isaiah 65:17-25.It is the creation o this kind o world that Jesus reers

to when he speaks o “the Kingdom o God.” What wasdramatically new was Jesus’ claim that the Kingdom o God had already begun in his ministry. Through him God’sreordering o the world had started - people were beingrestored to right relationship with God, their bodies werebeing healed, the injustices o the age were challenged and anew community marked by love, equity and justice was being

ormed. This kind o reordering o the world would continueuntil his return, upon which the reordering would be madecomplete.

In light o this the Kingdom o God can be described as:God’s reordering o the world so that it refects his purposes.It’s about making right everything that has gone wrong – making right our relationships with God, within ourselves,with each other, with the earth and with the animals.




STUDY 2

GeesityCsumig s if peple mtte #1

In our frst study we saw that Australians are consuming at recordlevels. Our incomes aord most o us the opportunity or signifcantdiscretionary spending, that is, spending on things such that are notessential to living such as travel, electronics, and DVDs. This level o auence aords us wonderul opportunities or generosity towardothers. In this study we will ask how we can escape the clutches o greed in avour o lives o extravagant generosity.


1. When has your generosity had a positive impact on the lie o someone else? Or when has someone shown you generosity that hassignifcantly impacted your lie?

2. How did you react when you discovered that Australian householdsspend an average o $98 a week on recreation and $11 a week ontheir pets, yet donate just $4.26 per week to charity? Do you thinkwe are more greedy than generous?


3. In 2 Corinthians 8:13-14 Paul says “Our desire is not that othersmight be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might

be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what theyneed, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Thegoal is equality”. What do you think Paul means by “the goal isequality”? What are the implications or our giving?




4. In 1 Timothy 6:18 the rich are commanded “to do good, to be richin good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Prior tothis we read:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the

world, and we can take nothing out o it. But i we have ood and clothing,

we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich all into temptation

and a trap and into many oolish and harmul desires that plunge people into

ruin and destruction. For the love o money is a root o all kinds o evil. Some

people, eager or money, have wandered rom the aith and pierced themselves

with many gries. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

“Godliness with contentment” stands in stark contrast to thedesire or riches and generosity. From what Paul says how do youthink we can achieve “godliness with contentment”? What are the

implications or lie in a consumer society?


Read “Generosity and christianity’s explosive growth” on page11. Do you think we have maintained this emphasis on generosityas a defning mark o the Christian lie? Would people who are notChristians say that generosity toward those in need is a defning eatureo our aith?


5. What is your reaction to Alan Barnhardt’s story? Could an approachlike his help us move towards the extravagant generosity to whichGod calls us?

6. In an article or The Briefng magazine, Tony Payne wonders whattelevision programming would look like i a TV magnate decided to

run all programming according to Christian principles.I would particularly look orward to the new version o Better Homes and

Gardens. It would become a fve-minute program called Perectly Adequate

Homes and Gardens. Each week, a ormer bricklayer or plumber would

take us on a tour o a bog-ordinary amily home and say, ‘As you can see,

the Wilson amily home has plenty o potential. There is lots we could do

with this one. However, it does the job pretty well. It’s warm and dry and

comortable. No obvious structural problems. We are going to encourage the

Wilsons to be content and leave it as it is.’ Cut to closing credits.

How might adopting an attitude o adequacy help us becomemore generous?




7. Listed below are some simple steps you can take to start living moregenerously. Pick one to begin implementing this week.

Ask i you need it

Beore making any signifcant purchase ask, is what I have already

sufcient to the task? And i the answer is yes, give away the moneyyou were prepared to spend on that item.

Give up in order to give away

Identiy one thing that you regularly spend money on that adds nosignifcant value to your lie. Give that up and give the amount yousave to a charity or mission organisation.

Give regularly and increase incrementally every year

Make a pledge to give to a charity on a regular basis (e.g. weekly,monthly, quarterly) and set up a direct debit rom your bankaccount. Then increase the amount every year, by say 5% or 10%or 20%, or a set number o years.




Geesity d Chistiity’s explsive gwth

In the frst three centuries ollowing Jesus’ death Christianityspread at an explosive rate. Historians believe that an extravagant

generosity toward the poor was one reason or this.

The book o Acts describes the frst Christian community asone where possessions were shared, with the result that no onewas in need. This helped create a avourable reputation and anopenness to the gospel.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to ellowship,

to the breaking o bread and to prayer. Everyone was flled with awe

at the many wonders and signs perormed by the apostles. All the

believers were together and had everything in common. They sold

property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day

they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread

in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising

God and enjoying the avour o all the people. And the Lord added to

their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

From the outset then, the church was marked by a radicalgenerosity, and this became one o Christianity’s most attractive and

defning eatures, a quality recognised even by its greatest opponents.Lucian o Samosata, a strong critic o Christianity who

lived in the second century, wrote:

The earnestness with which people o this religion [Christianity]

help one another in their need is incredible. They spare themselves

nothing to this end. Apparently their frst law-maker [Moses] has

put it into their heads that they all somehow ought to be regarded

as brethren.

The ourth century Roman emperor, Julian, was determinedto remove the inuence o Christianity rom his empire andrestore worship o pagan gods. In a letter to an ofcial he wrote:

Why then do we ... not observe how the kindness o Christians to

strangers, their care or the burial o their dead, and the sobriety

o their liestyle has done the most to advance their cause?... it is

disgraceul when no Jew is a beggar and the impious Galileans [i.e.

Christians] support our poor in addition to their own; everyone is

able to see that our coreligionists are in want o aid rom us.




Both the biblical texts and the opponents o Christianityrecognise that, motivated by love or others, the early Christianmovement was known or its amazing generosity toward those

in need. This made Christianity very attractive to many peopleand it helped create the environment in which people werereceptive to the gospel.




STUDY 3

JusticeCsumig s if peple mtte #2

Many o the products we consume are made in developing countries,rom clothes to electronics to coee and tea. This should be good newsor the poor as it generates jobs that can lit them out o poverty.Tragically their experience is oten poverty level wages, unsae workenvironments, child and orced labour and workplace abuse. In thisstudy we will explore the dark side o global trade, God’s expectationsor justice, and ways we can ensure our shopping habits help ratherthan harm workers rom the developing world.


1. Were you surprised about the exploitation o children and adults inthe manuacture o soccer balls? How do you eel about this?

2. A large number o goods we consume are produced in the developingworld and are oten crated on the back o exploitation. This includesclothing, shoes, toys, electronics, mobile phones, computers, coee,tea, chocolate, fsh and prawns to name just a ew! An example isgiven below in “Why is that t-shirt so cheap” on page 15. Does itsurprise you that exploitation is so widespread? What do you fndmost conronting in the stories you have heard?


3. In 1 Corinthians 9:7-12 the apostle Paul makes clear that workersshould be treated with dignity and paid enough to ourish. Whatdoes this mean or the wages and working conditions we shouldexpect or workers making our goods?




4. People in the developing world can experience a range o workplaceabuses, including physical and emotional abuse, unsae working

environments, excessive overtime, with-holding o wages, heavy fnesor minor inractions, poverty level wages and orced labour. Read

James 5:1-6. How is the situation described by James similar to thatexperienced by workers in developing countries who make our goods?What does the strength o the language suggest about God’s attitude?


5. What responsibility do you think we bear to developing world workers?6. It might be tempting to stop buying goods produced in the developing

world, but in most instances this will leave developing world workersworse o, or even their poorly paid jobs are better than no job. Thereare however three ways Australian Christians can consume in waysthat help rather than harm developing world workers. Read them,then identiy one action you will take this week.

Buy ethically certifed products

Fairtrade, Rainorest Alliance, and UTZ Certifed are certifcationsystems that identiy products where important social andenvironmental standards have been met. When you buy tea, coee,chocolate or clothing, preerence products with one o these labels.

Buy rom companies that source ethically

Most products you buy will not ft with Fairtrade, RainorestAlliance, or UTZ Certifed certifcation systems. But you canpreerence the products o companies known to source ethically. Go

to www.baptistworldaid.org.au or company ratings or purchase acopy o the ethical shopping guide rom ethical.org.au.

Speak out

In recent years Cadbury, Mars and Nestle have all introducedcertifed ethical ingredients into their chocolate range. They didthis in response to consumer demand. Add your voice to campaignscalling companies to source ethically. For campaigns in which youcan participate go to baptistworldaid.org.au.


Read “How air is Fairtrade?” on page 17. How do you respond tothis story?




Why is tht t-shit s chep?

“Nothing eels as good as a 100% cotton t-shirt or $5”. Soread the sign above a pile o cheap t-shirts in one o Australia’s

leading retailers in October 2011. I wonder i the people whomade the shirts would say the same?

The t-shirts were made in Bangladesh, where garmentmanuacture is the biggest export industry. Costs are kept lowby paying the lowest garment worker wages in the world.

In Bangladesh the average size amily needs more than13,500 taka per month (equivalent to around AU$150) tomeet their basic needs (eg ood, shelter, clothing, transport,

education or their children) and have a very small amountor discretionary spending or saving. Yet garment workersreceive little more than 3,000 taka a month, the actories areunsae (in the frst decade o this century 500 women garmentworkers died in actory fres and thousands were injured atwork) and the women are subject to various orms o abuse bytheir male bosses.

A worker’s rights advocate commented:

You can only understand their lie o poverty when you visit their

home. Typically, our or fve workers will share a room just 10 eet

by 10 eet in size. The only urniture may be a shared bed made

rom boards rom shipping crates. The mattress is one inch thick,

made with hard and lumpy stufng. Those who do not ft on the

bed sleep on the oor on another thin mattress, or have only a sheet

separating them rom the hard concrete or mud oor. There may be

one shared toilet and a shared kitchen or about 20 workers. They

have no running water but a well rom which they pump their ownwater by hand. (Sweatree Communities, 2010, “Fighting Poverty

Wages in Bangladesh”)

The cotton in the $5 t-shirts most likely came romUzbekistan, which accounts or almost 50% o Bangladeshicotton imports. The Uzbeki cotton industry is controlled bythe Government and, according to the International LaborRights Federation,

Each all...the government orders schools to close and schooladministrators to send the children out to the felds, where they

remain until the cotton harvest is brought in.




Children are required to engage in dangerous and oten

unsupervised work. This has led to numerous injuries and even

deaths…Both children and parents made it clear that all tenth and

eleventh graders that worked in the felds were orced to stay inbarracks....[which were] ‘Unheated, uninsulated feld barracks,

normally used to store crops and/or arm machinery… flthy and

ea-inested, while the biting insects prevented [the children inside]

rom sleeping. Children were ed mostly bread and turnips.’




Hw fi is Fitde?

Fairtrade is a movement that builds air trade relationshipsbetween producers in poorer nations and buyers in auent

nations. Developing world producers orm cooperatives andbuyers rom auent nations agree to:

• paythecooperativeafairprice,whichisdenedascoveringall the costs o production, including wages;

• provideaffordablenancetothecooperativeand;

• pay a 10%premiumon top of the purchase price. Thecooperative use the premium or improvements in their

community.Developing world cooperative members agree they will

not use slave labour, debt bondage or child labour (exceptor children working a little ater school to help on the amilyarm) and will arm in environmentally sustainable ways.Independent monitoring ensures these standards are met.

rbust cffee pices 1990-2011

The signifcance o this pricing model can be seen in thechart above. It shows the market price or robusta coee beanscompared to the Fairtrade price. For most o the years between1990 and 2011 the price paid to armers was lower thantheir costs. This saw multinational coee corporations makinglarge profts while the developing world armers growing thecoee could not aord to send their children to school or buy

medicines! Farmers in the Fairtrade system however werealways paid enough to make production worthwhile.

0

50

100

150

200

250

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

c e n t s / l b

Series1 Series2 Series3Sources: International Coffee Organisation, Fairtrade International

Fairtrade Price

New York Market Price

Cost of Production




The impacts can be proound. Julius Ethang’atha, a retiredtea producer rom Michmikuru, Kenya, helped introduceFairtrade while working or the Kenya Tea Development

Agency (KTDA). He tells his story:You can’t keep all your eggs in the same basket, so we try many

things in Kenya. I tried tea. When I was working or the KTDA,

buyers asked or Fairtrade. It wasn’t easy to become certifed, but I

saw it was the best way out or our people.

There was a huge impact on the frst communities to work with

Fairtrade. They were poor communities; they did not have water,

dispensaries or schools close to them. The money they got rom tea

was used or ood and clothes, but now they also get a premiumthat they can use to improve their social living. So ar they have set

up impressive schools and daycare centres, dispensaries, maternity

units, water systems, bridges and roads.

... You see, the armer receives just 5% o the wealth in tea. When

the consumer pays more or Fairtrade tea, this extra money goes to

the armer and improves lives. But i the whole value chain was made

airer, Arica would be lited out o poverty.

Fairtrade is the right way to shop. It puts a smile on the aces o children in Arica, and it makes their lives bearable.




STUDY 4

CeCsumig s if the plet mttes

The earth God gave us is a wonderully balanced system. It hasthe capacity to provide resources or us to consume, to continuallyrenew itsel and to absorb the wastes we create. The rise o consumerculture is however straining the capacity o the earth to continue doingthis. In this study we will explore the impact o consumerism on theenvironment and ask what it means to be good stewards o the earthin a consumerist age.


1. What did you fnd most surprising or challenging rom what you heard?

2. Read “A sae operating space” on page 21. Most discussion o the environment these days ocuses on climate change. How doesincluding these additional fve areas o environmental threat add tothe discussion?


3. Read Psalm 104:10-15. How would you characterise God’srelationship to creation as described in these verses?

4. In Genesis 1:26-28 humankind is called to “fll the earth and subdue

it. Rule over the fsh in the sea and the birds in the sky and overevery living creature that moves on the ground.” We are to do thisas people made in the image o God. What does this suggest aboutour attitude and responsibilities toward the environment?





Read “Salvation” on page 22. Which view o salvation has mostinuenced you and your understanding o a Christian approach to theenvironment?


5. The three major causes o environmental degradation are:population growth; consumption levels; and the resource intensityo production. How does this impact the way we apply the biblicalcall to stewardship? What do you think humanity can do to addressthe three drivers o environmental degradation?

6. Listed on the next page are environmentally riendly ways youcan consume. Read through the list and select one or two areas tointroduce into your liestyle in the coming week.

Reduce your waste

For example, avoid products with excessive packaging; buybiodegradable and phosphorus ree cleaning products; avoiddisposable products i a non-disposable option is available; buyenergy efcient appliances; put on warmer/cooler clothing rather

than turning on the air conditioner. Re-use products wherever you can

For example, repair rather than replace things when they break; buyrecycled paper products; borrow things that have only an occasional use.

Reconsider whether you need it

Beore you make that next purchase ask yoursel i you really need it.And i you already have something that does the job don’t upgradeuntil what you have no longer works.

Buy responsibly

When making purchases look or the most environmentally riendlyoption. For example, look or seaood and paper products that havebeen sustainably grown and harvested - the Forest StewardshipCouncil and Marine Stewardship Council labels are a good sign.

Raise your voice

Participate in an advocacy campaign. A good place to discover these

is Worldwide Fund or Nature (www.ww.org.au) or the AustralianConservation Foundation (www.aconline.org.au).




a sfe petig spce

In 2009 a group o eminent earth scientists wrote a papertitled “A Sae Operating Space or Humanity”. They argued

that there are nine environmental boundaries that once crossedwill signifcantly reduce the capacity o the earth to unction asa sae operating space or humanity. They proposed that threeo the boundaries have already been crossed - climate change;loss o biodiversity; and disruption o the nitrogen cycle. Inaddition to this we are perilously close to crossing three otherboundaries - acidifcation o the oceans; change o land use;and disruption o the phosphorus cycle.

Take the acidifcation o the oceans. Since the IndustrialRevolution humanity has been burning ossil uels, whichcontain large stores o carbon dioxide. As we burn these uelsthe carbon dioxide they contain is released into the air. Mucho the carbon dioxide has then been absorbed by the oceans,causing them to grow more acidic. This is reducing the abilityo corals to orm rees, which will mean ewer and more brittlerees in the coming years. The impacts will be considerable– coral rees are an important source o ood or millions o

people and a buer against storms. Acidifcation will likelymean less ood and more storm damage, especially or thosewho are poorer and without the fnancial resources to paymore or ood or to protect against storms.




Slvti

Ask what “salvation” means and many Christians willanswer that it is going to heaven when they die. The image is

o an immaterial soul leaving the human body and the earth inorder to enjoy an immaterial eternity with God.

The bible’s image o salvation is, however, very dierent.It is not souls leaving earth or heaven but heaven comingto earth and making everything new. Passages such as Isaiah65:17-25, Romans 8:18-25 and Revelation 21-22 describe:

• humanbeingswithredeemedbodies,heartsandminds;

• livingonanearththatisbountiful,sharedandfreefromdisease and disaster;

• incommunitiesthataresafe,just,andwelcoming;and

• whereGodispresentwithimmediacyandintimacy.

The implications or our engagement with the environmentare proound. I the central work o Christ is to ree us romthe earth, then the earth arguably has little value and shouldbe o little concern or the ollowers o Jesus. We should ocus

on the one thing that counts – getting souls into heaven. I however Christ died and rose to redeem the entire createdorder, the earth assumes great value. It is valued and loved byGod and, by working or its healing now, we witness to thegreater healing to come.




STUDY 5

KidessCsumig s if imls mtte

Consumerism brings us into contact with animals almost every day.We eat them, wear them, hunt them, and impinge on their habitats.Farming has changed dramatically to meet our demand or meatand other animal products, leading to claims that animal welare is,in some instances, signifcantly compromised. Meanwhile habitats o wild animals are being destroyed at such a rate that a large number o species are becoming extinct. In this study we consider how we mightconsume in a way that is kind toward our ellow creatures.


1. John Wesley said “I believe in my heart that aith in Jesus Christ canand will lead us beyond an exclusive concern or the well-being o other human beings to a broader concern or the well-being o the

birds in our backyards, the fsh in our rivers, and every living creatureon the ace o the earth.” What do you make o Wesley’s view? Whatplace does the well-being o animals have in your lie and aith?

2. We can relate to animals as objects or subjects. Objects are things,such as a rock or a table. We have no moral obligations to themand are ree to use them or our own ends. Treated as an objectan animal is no dierent to any other object. It is simply a thingwe can do with as we please. The only interest that counts is ours.

Treated as a subject, however, an animal is seen as a living, consciousbeing that can eel pain and has interests o its own. Do you thinkconsumerism tends to view animals as objects or subjects? Do youthink that is acceptable?





3. In the video we were reminded o God’s care or the animals. Whatimplications does this have or our attitude to animal suering?

4. Genesis 1:26-28 grants humankind rule over the animals. Accordingto Scripture how should a good ruler relate to his/her subjects (seeProverbs 31:1-9 and the example o Jesus)? What does this sayabout our responsibility to animals? How would this apply to thestories Scott shared in the video (teenagers playing with puer fsh,rearing o meat chickens, clearing o orangutan habitat)?


5. The Bible pictures humans as vegetarian at creation. In a allenworld however, God permitted the use o animals or ood, orlabour and or sacrifce (e.g. Genesis 9:1-3; Deuteronomy 25:4).Animals however must not be mistreated: “The righteous care orthe needs o their animals, but the kindest acts o the wicked arecruel.” (Proverbs 12:10). Read the “The fve reedoms” on page25. Do you think these are a good standard or measuring animalwelare? What changes would be required in the way we treat our

pets, arm animals, recreational animals and wild animals i wewere to take these seriously?

6. The list below identifes ways we can practise kindness towardanimals. Read through the list and select one action to implementthis week.

Practise animal welare around the home

Be considerate in the treatment o animals around your home – pets,insects, birds, reptiles, etc. Ensure your pets enjoy the fve reedoms.

Purchase sustainably harvested products

Buy products that bear the Forest Stewardship Council or MarineStewardship Council certifcation logos.

Purchase animal products that have been armed in accord withthe fve reedoms

A simple rule o thumb is to buy ree range products or productsendorsed by animal welare organisations such as the RSPCA.

Participate in animal welare advocacy campaigns

For campaigns in which you can participate see the websites o theWorldwide Fund or Nature (www.ww.org.au) and the RSPCA(www.rspca.org.au).




The five feedms

The RSPCA argues that all animals should enjoy fve reedoms:

1. Freedom rom hunger and thirst: by ready access to reshwater and a diet to maintain ull health and vigour;

2. Freedom rom discomort: by providing an appropriateenvironment including shelter and a comortable resting area;

3. Freedom rom pain, injury or disease: by preventionthrough rapid diagnosis and treatment;

4. Freedom to express normal behaviour: by providingsufcient space, proper acilities and company o the

animal’s own kind;5. Freedom rom ear and distress: by ensuring conditions and

treatment which avoid mental suering.




STUDY 6

Fiishiga ethicl mel

A great way to fnish o this series is or your study group to share anethical meal.

• EveryoneshouldwearaFairtradeitemofclothing;

• Everyoneshouldbringadishthatismadefromethicallysourcedingredients (e.g. ree range chicken, Marine Stewardship Council

certifed fsh);• ServeFairtradeteaandcoffee;

• ChooseaBaptistWorldAidproject(www.baptistworldaid.org.au)to which everyone can bring a donation;

• Choose an advocacy campaign focused on ethical consumption(www.baptistworldaid.org.au) and select an action the group cantake together around the table;

• Overthemealhaveeveryonesharethemainlessonstheyaretakingaway rom the series and how they have and will be applying themto their lie;

• Spendtimeprayingforeachotherasyouseektolivefreefromgreed.




Bptist Wld

aid austliBaptist World Aid Australia is an aid and development agency knownor the quality o its work both on the feld overseas and in educating andmobilising Christians in Australia around poverty and justice.

I you are looking to sponsor a child, Baptist World Aid has superbprograms in a number o countries. At the heart o each program is theconviction that God wants children everywhere to survive, develop,participate in their communities, and be sae. The programs work withchildren, amilies and the wider community to create an environmentwhere these outcomes can occur. This way the root causes o child povertyand ill-being are addressed, all children in the community beneft, and yoursponsored child becomes the lens through which you see change occurring.

Baptist World Aid also supports brilliant community developmentwork with adults. In Nepal, or example, a amily who had been squattingin the orest participated in a Baptist World Aid supported project. Beorejoining in an poultry arming program they were living in a leaky, draughty

shack, too poor to eat well or send their daughter to school. The programgot the parents started in a chicken business. A ew years down the trackthey now have a thriving chicken business selling chickens. They haveover 1,800 chickens, have purchased land, built a home, eat well and theirdaughter is in school. This sort o lie transormation is repeated in BaptistWorld Aid supported programs all over the world.

Equally powerul is Baptist World Aid’s incarnational approach. Thevast majority o programs are implemented by indigenous Christian

organisations. Sta not only work but oten live in the communitiesthey serve. They do not require community members to participatein Christian education programs, but work to help them to overcometheir poverty and take control o their utures whatever their religion.As they do this Baptist World Aid’s partners are a powerul witness tothe grace and love o God, the witness o local churches is strengthened,and in many project areas people have come to aith in Christ.

At home, Baptist World Aid has a heart to mobilise Christians to

a whole-hearted response to poverty, to go beyond occasional acts o generosity to liestyles that are oriented to achieving justice or peopleliving in poverty. To this end Baptist World Aid has developed a rangeo programs and resources available to churches and individuals. Ouradvocacy program, Catalyst, has been hailed by AusAid accreditors as




“simply extraordinary” and a number o pastors who participated inour 50:50 preaching and bible study series (now available as Be Love.Five Ways To Love The Poor.) described it as among the most eectiveprograms they’ve ever run.

Undergirding all this is a team o dedicated sta and volunteers

passionate about ending poverty.To discover more visit www.baptistworldaid.org.au.




Glbl Missi

PtesGlobal Mission Partners is Churches o Christ at work in the world.Through Churches o Christ Overseas Aid (COCOA) communitiesbeneft through projects that are designed to change people’s lives.Whether it is children in South Sudan or Zimbabwe, people strugglingwith a lack o access to clean water in Vietnam, or young people beingeducated in Vanuatu, the uniying strand in all these projects is the wayCOCOA takes people seriously.

Projects are implemented by local country partners and are mostoten designed and undertaken by local people working in partnershipwith nearby churches. Such partnerships are vital as it is the peoplein need themselves that are impacted by their situation and so haveinsights into ways that problems can be solved. COCOA seeks to workwith people as they identiy ways to improve their own circumstances.

It is exciting to see the changes that happen. In Zimbabwe the drillingo a well brings resh clean water untainted by cholera. Funding the

provision o water and a hand pump means vegetables can be grown andso diet improves and income is ensured. This is a lie-changing outcome.

Women in Vietnam fnd dignity and a sense o community throughemployment. They gain sel-worth as the products they make anddesign are sold, the quality o their work is afrmed and they receive aconsistent income.

Children who are victims o war in South Sudan and live inMarialbai have new hope through the Emmanuel Children’s Centre.

More than 200 children are cared or by night with village amilies andthen during the day gather at the centre or school, health care, sportand ood. ‘Beore and ater’ pictures tell a story o the change in thelives o these children. Ater great suering receiving the care providedgives hope to both the children and the community as a whole.

An enthusiastic team leads the ministry o Global Mission Partnersand Churches o Christ Overseas Aid. Each team member is committedpersonally to developing partnerships between people and churches

in Australia and people living in poverty overseas. Together with ourpartners we want to resource and release opportunities or lie changingpartnerships to develop and grow.

To discover more, visit www.inpartnership.org.au



The consumer culture in which we are immersed urges us

to acquire as many things and experiences as our incomes will

allow. But what i our habit o acquiring more is simply a modern

maniestation o greed? In this Bible study series you’ll discover

how consumerism is damaging to your relationship with God,

saps your capacity to be generous, exploits people in poorer

countries, wreaks havoc on the planet and inficts suering on

animals. You’ll also identiy simple, practical steps towards

Christ-shaped consuming that embodies love or God,

people, the planet and our ellow creatures.

Each study consists o three sections: an introduction to

the issue to be discussed; a look at what the Bible has to say;

and how you can put what you have learned into practice.

Each o these sections is preceded by a 3-5 minute video

segment that orms the platorm or discussion.

Endorsed by

Documents

End_of_Greed_Bible_Studies.pdf