There's been lots of talk recently around the whole area of Justice, Fairness, & Equality - there's even been a season about it on BBC4. Thing is, for all the effort that's been expended in the latter half of the 20th Century & early years of the 21st on providing equality of opportunity, it would seem that the gap between the richest & poorest has become larger than ever. So, if equality of opportunity isn't cutting it (and I don't think it is), then what is to be done? How about equality of outcome?
In Matthew 20 Jesus tells a parable in which the vinyard owner (God) pays everyone the same, regardless of how much of the day they'd been working for him - a clear image, I think, of the Kingdom of God, and therefore of the values of God. And we should also not forget the words of the apostle Paul in Galatians and Colossians about the equality of all people in Christ.
So, what if everyone did what they enjoyed and/or had a talent for & were all paid the same? What would our society look like if, instead of being driven by the fear of money, we were motivated by the joy of the task? Alright, so we might have more plumbers, nurses & musicians, and less administrators, accountants & merchant bankers (but not none! Some people do enjoy such roles, and they are needed in some measure), but would that necessarily be a "bad thing"?
Now, I know that's so far-fetched as to be ridiculous to many, and I can't wave a magic wand to transform society, all I can change is myself, but that doesn't mean this line of thought is completely pointless - consider the following question...
What does a theology of equality of outcome do to our conceptions of hell/damnation/eternal suffering? A theology of equality of opportunity makes it easy for us to condemn others to hell ("I've told you the gospel, so I'm in the clear - it's all on your head now!"), whereas a theology of equality of outcome requires us to at least consider the possibility that all, in the final analysis, will be saved.
If what happens to the other guy is what happens to me (& vice versa), then humanity ultimately stands or falls as one.
Peace
