A critical examination of the relevance of John Wesley’s economic ethics in contemporary South Africa with specific reference to unemployment, poverty and inequality.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
John Wesley did not specifically seek to propose structured “economic ethics”, but rather was
the chief tutor to the people called Methodists on the economic ordering of their lives during
18th century England. While Wesley taught and preached among the poor, he never
pronounced on the Elizabethan Poor Laws, the most comprehensive yet poorly implemented
government sponsored program aimed at fighting poverty.
The study notes that John Wesley’s mother, Suzanna Wesley, had an immense influence on
him. Since she was a conformist as John later became, choosing to turn a blind eye to
inefficiencies in the state. It is from this context that his ethics emerged. Consequently, the
purpose of this study is to illumine his economics ethics.
Conditions of unemployment, poverty and inequality in contemporary South Africa will also
be illumined in the study. This study argues that while Wesley’s teachings may appear
primordial, they can be appropriated to the current situation in South Africa. Specifically, the
study argues that John Wesley’s economic ethics are premised on the four economic
principles of the need for government intervention, honest and life-enhancing work, poverty
alleviation and the equitable distribution of wealth. Furthermore, the study concludes that
these principles remain relevant and can be appropriated to contemporary South Africa in
addressing the socio-economic contexts of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
On the basis of this appropriation, the study develops three propositions: a political
dispensation which focuses on employment creation, the building of an inclusive economy,
and mobilization for social cohesion.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.