A Church-based Response to Economic Inequality: Engaging the Church in a Justice-based Effort to Create Economic Shalom

Life for many in Kachin State is characterized by pervasive and systemic economic inequality. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness among the churches in Kachin State in Myanmar of the biblical vision of economy God intended for the world and, in light of it, see the economic inequality in their community and become motivated to do what they can to address it. The objective is to encourage churches to engage themselves in the process of transforming the economic system from an abusive economy to shalom economy. The underlying theory for this project is that: In order to fulfill the cultural mandate and create shalom community in which everyone enjoys economic wellness, the Church must first address the issue of economic inequality with a single voice. Moreover, this project also seeks to understand the factors which are hindering the Church in Kachin State from actively getting involved in social-economic matters of the society. This study has found that ignorance of biblical teaching along with distorted theological understanding have been the main factors that hinder the Church in Kachin State from actively getting involved in social affairs. Other factors which undermine the impact of the Church on the society are lack of unity within the Church, lack of awareness about social affairs, fear, and indifference. The research results suggest that if churches become aware of the biblical mandate to get involved in social affairs, they will become more willing to get involved in social-economic transformation of their community