Thoughts from a few thinkers on the theology of “Enoughism”:
“From the point of view of a theology of enough, standard methods of measuring growth are profoundly misleading. in the United States there has been a great deal of growth in the past half century, but people are less satisfied with their lives now than they were then. Changes adopted to promote economic growth have led to a decline of well being overall. Why, then, persist in seeking more and more of what demonstrably does not satisfy us? Yet the nations of the Earth all worship the god of economic growth—all but one.
“The one nation that explicitly aims at a different goal is Bhutan. Its goal is not gross national product but gross national happiness. Rather than subordinating the wellbeing of the people to the economy, the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan judges that the economy should contribute to the happiness of the people.””
— John B. Cobb, Jr., United Methodist theologian
“And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ — Jesus
“Although we live in the richest society in the history of the world, we still assume that there is not enough. Not enough life, not enough food, not enough entertainment, not enough happiness.
“This keeps our economy going. The truth is the opposite. There is too much. We are overwhelmed, and our imaginations can’t take it all in. There is limitless beauty for us to wonder at. There is truth to explore–not just the dimensions of science or the ponderings of philosophy but the depths of poetry and the testimony of history. There is goodness in the human spirit to admire–in great explorers and mighty warriors, in the humble potter or the resourceful midwife. Yet there is also the temptation to steal, because we fear that there will not be “enough.” We are generous when we trust that we’ll have enough; we are covetous and anxious because we have lost this trust.”
— Samuel Wells, Vicar of St. Martin in the Fields in London
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“Economically and socially, the vision of shalom is captured in what Bishop John Taylor calls ‘The Theology of Enough.’
“The greed of the rich is tempered by the need of the poor. Justice, harmony, equilibrium prevail. ‘It meant a dancing kind of inter-relationship, seeking something more free than equality, more generous than equity, the evershifting equipoise of a life-system.’ Excessive extravagance, vaunting ambition, ravaging greed–all are foreign to the complete contented brotherhood of shalom. Under the reign of God’s shalom the poor are no longer oppressed, because covetousness no longer rules.
— From Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster
“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say “Who is the Lord?”‘
— Proverbs 30:8,9
Thank you for the post–and for the simplicity of the message. Even our blogs can add to the life-clutter where there is never enough. So much to consider.
Yep, always in blogging, as in writing or speaking, the temptation is toward too much said or presented when so often less is more. I have no more to say on this. Come see me.