Transcript Profits or Prophets?

Profits or Prophets?
The Role of Diaconia in a Changing
Social Europe, With Reference to
the Question of Values
A. Introductory issues
 The social changes in Europe, over the last
decades, and their impact on diaconia
 The particular importance of changes in the
area of values


The redefinition of many traditional values, raising
new ethical dilemmas in diaconia
The increasing professionalisation of related fields,
raising new professional expectations for the
diaconal service
The Challenge
 How does diaconia relate to the changing moral
values of Europe in general and to the
professional standards in particular?
 The two categories should not be seen in
isolation: the ‘professional standards’ reflect the
broader moral values of society
 The challenge becomes, then, more specific:
what is relationship between Christian ethics
and professional values?
The Biblical starting point
 The supreme motivation of the early
Christian life and service (diakonia)
sprang from a profound sense of divine
mission (after the prophetic model,
supremely seen in Christ), rather than
from any personal gain

Luke 4:17-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2
 Early Christians were working as
prophets, not for profits!
The Contemporary Context
 The orientation towards profit of many
social services – often provided through
‘non-profit organisations”!
 The memorable words of the famous
economist Milton Friedman: “the social
responsibility of every organisation is to
maximise its own profit”
 The need for a prophetic ministry, after
the biblical model
The Meaning of Prophetic
Ministry
 Much more than doing a work which is not
motivated primarily by profit
 It means the ability to understand the sociohistorical context and to speak and act
uncompromisingly on God’s behalf within such
a context
 It means, in the case of Eurodiaconia, the
capacity of understanding the professional
(and, implicitly, moral) values of our European
context and of responding to them in a way
which is compatible with the values of God’s
kingdom.
The Goals of This
Presentation
1. to select some of the most widespread values
of the helping professions (at European or
world level) and ask the question of how
compatible they are with the ethical tenets of
the Christian faith
2. to identify and discuss some of the typical
areas of tension between the Christian ethics
secular professional values on the other,
suggesting some possible ways in which the
diaconal worker may approach such delicate
issues in a ‘prophetic’ way.
B. The Broad Compatibility
Between Professional
Values and Christian Ethics
Professional Values
 Offering services in the
clients’ prior interest
 Social justice: offering
equal chances; fighting
discrimination and social
exclusion
 Respect for the dignity
and uniqueness of the
human person
 The client’s right to selfdetermination
Christian Values
 Jesus’ teaching on
servanthood (Mat. 20:2628; etc.)
 The biblical emphasis on
social justice (Micah 6:8);
Jesus’ acceptance of
socially-excluded groups
(Mark 2:15-17)
 The creation of human
beings „after God’s image
and likeness” (Genesis
1:26);
 God’s self-sacrifice for
humans (John 3:16)
C. Typical Areas of Tension
Between Professional and
Christian Values
 a) Human body versus human soul
 b) Religious versus secular exclusivism
 c) Descriptive versus prescriptive
approach to service
 e) Issues of life and death; sexual and
family ethics.
 d) Sin, guilt and spiritual care
 The client’s right to self-
determination
 The value of human
relationships
 Integrity: acting with honesty
and responsibility
 Competence: acting within
(and seeking to improve)
one’s professional expertise
 People’s freedom to choose,
even against God’s will
(Genesis 3:11; John 1:11;
Romans 1:24)
 Jesus’ summary of the
whole Law as love for God
and for one’s fellow human
beings (Mark 12:28-31)
 The holiness imperative (1
Peter 1:15-17)
 Serving God and people
within the limit of the
received „talents” and with
the challenge to multiply
them (Matthew 25:14-30, 1
Corinthians 12)