My challenge to you today is to think differently about sin. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. However, religious traditions and society have spent too much time on individual sin and insufficient time on collective or institutional sin.
Some years ago, I was shaken out of viewing sin individually by Richard Rohr, who suggested that unchallenged corporate power ultimately becomes demonic. He wrote:
“When Paul talks about the devil, he uses words like “powers,” “principalities,” and “thrones” (see Colossians 1:16). These are almost certainly his premodern words for what we would now call corporations, institutions, nation-states, ideologies of supremacy, and organizations that demand our full allegiance and thus become idolatrous—not just “too big to fail,” but even too big to be criticized…. When we idolize and refuse to hold such collective realities accountable, they usually become demonic in some way. We normally cannot see it until it is too late”. [1]
Think about the Jews idolising the golden calf, European colonisation, the slavery trade or Hitler and the Third Reich. Remember the 2007 stock market crash, helped along by re-set loans and collateralised debt obligations.
In recent Australian history we have witnessed:
The Banking Royal Commission where major banks, including the CBA, Westpac, NAB, and ANZ, were found to have charged fees for no service, manipulated lending processes, and engaged in other forms of misconduct.
The "Robodebt" Scandal where Centrelink automated debt recovery from welfare recipients based on income averaging and the scheme was found to be fundamentally flawed.
The Qantas ticketing scandal involving the airline's ticket sales and its shoddy handling of consumer rights, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Price manipulation by Coles and Woolworths.
Tax evasion through income shifting offshore by large multinational corporations.
Such collective or organisational sin is enabled by good people, who through ignorance, apathy or unwillingness to “rock the boat”, comply and defer to power. It is said that "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing." (attributed to the philosopher Edmund Burke).
Jesus stood up against the laws and systems that were not based in love and oppressed the weak and the poor. Through baptism, we are not just called to be good people; we are called to be prophets. Indigenous elder and retired episcopal bishop, Steven Charleston wrote:
“Prophets … appear first as an early warning system within any culture at risk. They fulfill the classic role of the prophet as herald of a vision of what is to come. Then, as the apocalypse becomes ever more real, they serve as teachers to instruct people about what to do to end the suffering and alter the course of destruction. Finally, they are mystics who describe the future and guide people to find it within themselves”. [2]
If we are to fulfil our baptismal calling, we need to observe commercial and political systems, point out the existence of, or potential for, institutional sin and hold our corporate and government leaders accountable for their actions. For example, why has the Job seeker safety net payment fallen in real value by 40% since 1996? In such cases, righteous anger is a positive emotion and may lead to action.
And so, back to my challenge - to think differently about sin. Religious traditions and society have spent too much time on individual sin and insufficient time on collective or institutional sin. What is your attitude to institutional sin? What is your response to the baptismal call to be a prophet? Do you have the courage of an Oscar Romero or Martin Luther King Jr. and can you apply it within your sphere of influence?
[1] CAC 17 May 2021
[2] CAC 28 Dec 2024
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