A Christian Alternative to Neoliberalism: Reconfigured Basic Income Guarantee

Vanishing away is the thunderous speech of Paul, no discrimination among people, encountering the inhuman system of neolilberalism, insensitive to cries of the disadvantaged. Being economically deprived, differences of people, which are the basis of their dignity, are trivialized, ignored, and even negated. Instead of working toward the kingdom of God in which the rights of the poor are reinstated, churches become a community of the have and the powerful, moving away from the reign of God in which all the people without exception enjoy the fullness of life, experiencing equality that substantiates their differences. Considering that the core of Jesus’ teaching is the reign of God providing equality that substantiates individual difference, Christianity should find an alternative way to ruthless neoliberal socioeconomic system. This article deals with a basic income guarantee (BIG), which is given to everyone in a given political community. While it can reduce economic gaps between the poor and the rich. the reduced gap falls short of promoting individual difference, that is, quantity of freedom. I proposed a reconfigured basic income guarantee (RBIG) which is supplemented by public education, public healthcare, and linguistic diversity, in order to promote both equality that substantiates differences of all people. Voluntary donations of individual Christians and/or voluntary team services of congregations can save a few, fortunate poor but leave many unfortunates to inhuman sociopolitical structure. Unlike Christian voluntarism which is short of the kingdom of God, an RBIG can address agonies of the impoverished many. An RBIG is a way of approximating the reign of God in which difference and equality can be balanced and well promoted.