(Please scroll below these Bible passages to read original articles and responses that
What the Bible says about attitudes and actions toward the poor
Old Testament
"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 22:22
"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6
"During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Exodus 23:11
"Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Leviticus 19:15
"When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22
"If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." Leviticus 25:25, 35,
"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18
"At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 14:28-29
"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7
"Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near, so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin." Deuteronomy 15:9
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
"Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns." Deuteronomy 24:14
"Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17
"'Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.' Then all the people shall say, Amen!'" Deuteronomy 27:19
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8
"When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief." Job 24:14
"Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" Job 30:25
"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18
"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them from those who malign them. " Psalm 12:5
"You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge." Psalm 14:6
"This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:6
"My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, 0 LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.'" Psalm 35:10
"The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright." Psalm 37:14
"Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay." Psalm 40:17
"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
"Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, 0 God, you provided for the poor." Psalm 68:10
"The poor will see and be glad — you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people." Psalm 69:32-33
"Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay." Psalm 70:5
"He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor." Psalm 72:4
"For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death." Psalm 72:12-13
"Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name." Psalm 74:21
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
"But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks." Psalm 107:41
"For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him." Psalm 109:31
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor." Psalm 112:9
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;" Psalm 113:7
"I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food." Psalm 132:15
"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Psalm 140:12
"He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free" Psalm 146:7
"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Proverbs 13:23
"He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." Proverbs 14:21
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
"The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact." Proverbs 15:25
"Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Proverbs 16:19
"He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished." Proverbs 17:5
"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich — both come to poverty." Proverbs 22:16
"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court." Proverbs 22:22
"A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops." Proverbs 28:3
"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27
"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29:7
"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9
"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20
"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17
"The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 3:14-15
"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless." Isaiah 10:1-2
"With righteousness he will judge the needy; with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." Isaiah 11:4
"The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors." Isaiah 14:30
"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall." Isaiah 25:4
“The scoundrel’s methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just." Isaiah 32:7
" "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." Isaiah 41:17
"I "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" Isaiah 58:6-7
"I"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10
"""The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1
" "On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say I am innocent.'" Jeremiah 2:34
"I "Among my people are wicked men . . . they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor." Jeremiah 5:26-28
"If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place . . . But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless." Jeremiah 7:5-8
"This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place." Jeremiah 22:3
"'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16
"Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked." Jeremiah 20:13
"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
"He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked." Ezekiel 18:7
"The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice." Ezekiel 22:29
"This is what the LORD says: For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.'" Amos 2:6-7
"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, Bring us some drinks!'" Amos 4:1
"Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land." Amos 8:4
"Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other." Zechariah 7:10
"So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,' says the LORD Almighty." Malachi 3:5
New Testament
"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
"They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18
"So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" Luke 7:22
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22
"'Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.' He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." John 12:5
"In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor." Acts 9:36
"Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4
"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings." Acts 24:17
"On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" Romans 12:20
"For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem." Romans 15:26
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10
"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19
“If a man will not work, he shall not eat. We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3: 10-12)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
The above are about 100 of many more passages that could be cited.
A Strategy to Save America by Stanley Baldwin(Newsletter article that stimulated listing of above Bible quotations.
Published on December 18, 2011)
I know a strategy that will save America. It is simple enough to be understood by all, yet profoundly powerful and practical. It is virtually certain to work, and likely the only thing that will. To save America, the successful candidate for president must employ this strategy, and enlist the congress and office-holders at city, county, and state levels to do so as well. Then the people en masse will heartily put it into practice. To believe all this can happen is not so far-fetched as it may seem, since the very survival of our nation is at stake.
The strategy-or call it a basic principle, if you will-requires a recognition that the present rapid decline of the United States traces to a pervasive departure from a bedrock principle that not so long ago animated American civil life. President John F. Kennedy enunciated it in his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, when he said, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." Just how far we have departed from that ideal is demonstrated every day. And it's killing us.
Many right-wing Republicans embrace a practice directly contrary to the standard Kennedy enunciated. They tell us, for instance, that the nation must maintain or increase favorable tax treatment of the rich or the rich will not invest in our economic recovery. They seem oblivious to the implications of such a claim. Can no one see what a huge insult that is to the rich? It is tantamount to saying they are miserably poor citizens. And why do the rich let that indictment stand for a single day? Under my strategy, the Republican right would sound the call, as Kennedy did, for everyone to sacrifice in the service of our country. In response, the rich in material assets would choose to become rich also in good works, as not only our better leaders but also the Bible enjoins: "As for the rich in this world, charge them . . . to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous" (1 Timothy 6:17-18, RSV).
Bill O'Reilly said on his show, "If Barack Obama begins taxing me more than 50 percent, which is very possible, I don't know how much longer I'm going to do this" (September 19, 2011). Bill, it's hard to believe you are looking out for us, as you often say, when you threaten to abandon us if higher taxes are imposed on your sky-high income. People who operate on a what-can-I-do-for-my-country principle pursue their vocation because they have a gift for it and want to serve others through it. As a practicing Catholic, why not follow the teaching of your Bible, cited above, and look out for your listeners by urging them to follow that same teaching too? Call us higher, Bill.
My strategy to save America is bipartisan. It calls for a change not only among right-wing Republicans but among left-wing Democrats as well. For instance, many liberals insist that government not even consider cutting Social Security, Medicare, or other government benefits. Some of the elderly truly need every cent they are receiving. It is literally the bread on their table and the shoes on their feet. But to fight blindly against any cuts even for seniors with means, while the government is drowning in debt, is hardly an expression of "what can I do for my country?"
AARP is currently running an ad claiming to represent 50 million voters who will not tolerate any reduction in benefits. Where is an AARP message appealing for patriotism and unselfish living? Just as right-wing Republicans insult the rich by expecting nothing from them but self-serving behavior, so AARP insults the elderly. AARP, you claim to represent seniors. The power that status gives you will also be grounds for the judgment of history against you if America continues its precipitous decline under your demands.
Liberals, conservatives, there is still a residue of idealism today in America, especially among the younger generation of adults. I have no doubt that they would respond positively to a new call for sacrifice and service. They can be the catalyst to return us to our better roots. A nation presently divided can be reunited around such a strategy. People are capable of greatness but they must be called to it. They must catch a vision of shared sacrifice, leading to a new national nobility of character.
Kennedy said in his inaugural speech referenced earlier, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." With those words he rallied the nation against the threat of Communism. Our threat today-moral decay, weakness of character, self-centeredness, disunity-- is more insidious than Communism but no less real. What a shame if the words of T.S.Eliot came true for the United States of America in our day.
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper
Today we are headed toward a whimpering end. Our forebears, who gave us a better example, and our children, who will pay a terrible price if we continue our present disastrous course, both deserve better.
Reader responses and subsequent author comments (published Jan. 16, 2012)
My December article in this publication called for a strategy of shared sacrifice from all parties in order to save our nation from its economic crisis. That article and other rich/poor comments I have made sparked quite a reaction. Two responses, along with my comments, appear below.
LES STOBBE wrote as follows:
Stan, you are presenting a really skewed picture of the wealthy. Instead of just blasting the rich, why not provide examples from the business world of, for example, "Service above self," the motto of the 1.2 million business executives and professionals who are members of Rotary Clubs around the world? For 20 years Rotary has been aggressively pushing a campaign to wipe out polio--leaving only four countries with a few new polio victims each year. One of the rich you are blasting, Bill Gates, contributed $350 million in matching funds for polio eradication--and Rotary business people have almost matched that by now. He and his wife have also given millions to improving educational opportunity in poor urban school districts. In Rotary well-to-do businessmen help develop water sources worldwide for people who desperately need them, we provide scholarships for needy college-bound high schoolers, support Thermal Belt Outreach, which feeds half the school kids in our county and provides meals for families. We paid for and packed 25,000 meals for Haiti needy, to be distributed by Rotary Club members in Haiti. Separately, Polk County wealthy people established a foundation that funds all kinds of local programs for the poor--just one example of local initiatives going on all over the country by wealthy folk that get no media coverage.
Instead of blasting the rich, which only incites the millions who think they are entitled to government handouts, get busy on researching examples of what Americans are doing to provide "Service above self," the Christ way. Enlist your readers to provide examples from their community like the ones I have cited. People need role models, not accusations that just feed anger, and often are based on inaccurate information. We also need more examples of Christians focusing on the needs in their community instead of just looking overseas as their mission field.
I responded:
Thanks for your reply. I am glad you feel free to respond candidly, though you express disagreement with me.
With all due respect, you are misunderstanding what I write. Perhaps you should read again what I actually say. I called for sacrifice from everyone--both conservatives and liberals, and I specifically cited entitlement reform. In your reply, you seem to have a different definition of the rich or wealthy than I have. You cite Rotary and the good work Rotarians do. I was a member of Rotary for years, We had business people and professionals, not one of whom was what I call wealthy. They were all middle class. None raked in millions of dollars every year, as the super rich do today.
You also cite Bill Gates. He truly is in the super-rich class. But you give me a bum rap when you accuse me of "blasting" him. I have never even mildly criticized Bill Gates. To the contrary, I have explicitly and publicly praised him in the pages of the SPCH newsletter. I have in the same way praised super-rich figures Warren Buffet and Mort Zuckerburg. Buffet in particular has taken the same positions I do with regard to the system being skewed in favor of the super rich at the expense of the larger society.
One thing that really bothers me, Les, is the way many Christians are out of step with the Bible on this issue. The Old Testament prophets, the New Testament writers, and Jesus himself were much harder on the rich as a class than I have ever been. I don't enjoy being at odds with evangelicals like you and many others, Speaking truth to power is difficult and risky, and I need courage beyond my own to do it. But the message of Scripture is increasingly clear to me and I will continue to speak it, always responsibly, I hope, always open to correction, I hope, always in an irenic spirit, I hope, as you and I agreed on the need to be irenic long since when you were publisher at Here's Life.
I close with one small example of the Bible's characterization of the rich. It fits the season since it is from Mary's praise poem when she learned she was to be mother of Messiah. "He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:53). Would you have suggested Mary rewrite her poem so as not to "blast" the rich?
Les responded:
I absolutely agree with the Bible's position on the poor and the rich--after all, I would not have spent 20 years on John Perkin's board and still help fund Voice of Calvary Ministries in Jackson, MS if I didn't. He NEVER incited his people against the rich, but told the rich about the three Rs, which he modeled, leaving what African Americans would have considered wealth behind to relocate to the place of need, Mississippi. I just don't believe in inciting the poor and lower middle class against the rich in correspondence to them. I believe it incites to class warfare. Bully for you if you write columns for Wall Street Journal or other similar publications and hold up the biblical position for them. I believe a prophet voice has every right to address those who are the problem.
KAT DUNKLE wrote:
I have always respected and learned from your writings but today I was sorely disappointed. Because of your position you are able to reach many people with a message of encouragement and help us guide our lives in the right direction. Please consider the fact that in most societies there are leaders and followers. The leaders of our country have displayed the very things you have stated we need to flee from. For the most part they display "moral decay, weakness of character, they are self-centered and create disunity" among the people they lead.
The examples we are left with are -- work hard so you can give everything to your brother who is playing X Box and eating his way through the food bank. We the people are angry. Our nation is angry. Why? For the very things that are being asked of us. Yesterday I was at the doctors office; a lady came in on a scooter for disabled people. She checked in and insisted she be taken right away...she then WALKED out had a cigarette and came back smelling of alcohol. She was unkept, smelled horrible was very overweight, and yes, I judged her; she was on welfare. She is what I worked very hard for, paid taxes for and am now being asked to give more to? What would Jesus do? It's my belief He would give her a fishing pole! I'm sorry, Mr Baldwin, with all due respect our nation is in decline because the understanding that we need to WORK for what we get has gone away and is being replaced by the insistence that we GIVE to anyone having less than us.
I was a single mother of two sons. I lived in poverty and more than once had to tell my sons we had no food. They didn't have Christmas or Easter or anything other than the meager sox or things I might be able to get at Goodwill. I worked very hard, I made my way out of poverty, I started a business and became very successful. No one--NO ONE--gave me anything, nor did I expect them to. I learned many lessons on my journey crawling out from poverty. The biggest lesson I learned was that in America, we can succeed if we are willing to pay the price for hard work and the sacrifice of a soft life for climbing the ladder out of the mud.
I very much resent watching people expect me to hand over what I worked so hard to get, just because they don't have as much. It's wrong!
I have two sons. One is rich and one is very poor. It was their "choices" that got them where they are today. Their choices. Not mine, not society's, but their choices. Can you cite me one instance where giving someone "things" has made them a better person? Giving them a "chance" is what they need. Our leaders today have caused our nation to believe that the poor deserve to have what the rich have. That's where our problems, our moral decay is starting. That's what needs to be "fixed" in our nation. And that's where I'm afraid you might have missed the mark today.
I will continue reading your material but I really pray you will take a moment and pray about what you have said today. With all due respect,
I responded:
Thanks very much, Kat, for your letter. I am sorry what I wrote in my December 18 SPCH newsletter was a sore disappointment to you. Thanks for giving me some insight into your personal experience, which no doubt provides some background for the views you express. Actually, I agree with much that you write.
I am aware that people abuse the welfare system, like the woman you described. Probably a worse abuser of the system was the merchandiser who peddles on TV the scooters, assuring listeners they can get the scooters through Medicare "with little or no cost to you." Across the spectrum, Medicare cheaters include both patients and providers. Similarly, home mortgage cheaters--the element most responsible for our economic collapse--included both those who bought homes they could not afford, and those who sold those homes to unqualified borrowers just to make a quick (and huge) buck by originating bad loans. Of the two parties, the professionals are the more guilty, first because they knew what they were doing and second because they got immensely rich doing it. Neither of those two things is true of the unqualified buyers, who subsequently lost or are losing their homes. Meanwhile many of the worse offenders continue to get million-dollar annual bonuses. That's the injustice I attack.
Beyond that, we as Christians must not allow the sins of others to dry up our own concern and care for the poor. I wrote about that as follows way back in 1975 in my best-seller, "What Did Jesus Say About That."
"People have all sorts of excuses for failing to help the poor. 'It's their own fault; if they weren't so lazy--if they would get off their backsides and go to work--they wouldn't be poor.' or 'I'm not helping those deadbeats; let them get theirs like I got mine.'" I concluded that we need to respond on a case by case basis. I don't advocate that we give to scam artists out to take advantage of us, but. ". . . if one makes a rule of opposing help for the poor, well, you'll have to argue with Jesus about that! He's the one who said to give to the poor. Maybe he didn't understand people as well as you do." (page 99)
I applaud your success in overcoming poverty and building a business. I find it very sad, however, that "no one-NO ONE" gave you anything." That is clearly not what God intended. We are members of one body, called to "bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We are not only to care for one another as Christians, but the passage later says, "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (v. 10).
I would ask you, therefore, to reconsider your strong resentment of those who have not done as well without help as you did. Actually, as Christians, we all get much better from God than we deserve. It's called grace. I just think we need to reflect God's grace in our attitudes toward other flawed human beings. It reminds me of a story Jesus told about people who were upset because others who worked only a one-hour day got the same pay as those who worked 12 hours. The one-hour laborers not only got equal pay but got paid first! Please read the account in Matthew 20: 1-16 and then write again and tell me what you think of the story.
Kat responded:
You are right -- as I see it I'm lacking God's grace. The very thing that in my Christian walk is so important to me. I can see the hardness of heart in my judgmental attitude.so thank you for bringing that out. I never have really understood Matthew 20. I understand it but just find it hard. My past is painful and I see that I sometimes run with anger instead of grace, because the anger covers the pain.
God has been very good to me..I always have given Him the glory for my coming out of the ashes and I know He saved me from an eternity in Hell. I didn't do things on my own. Jesus was there guiding me and I always knew that. I can't help but feel I'm being tossed and turned by the waves of life which Jesus tells us not to do. I wrote a book, "Falling Into Darkness" and I'm a speaker for Stonecroft ministries and it saddens me to think that I'm out there talking to people, in ministry, yet so very flawed. I'm ashamed of my gut reaction to what you wrote and I hope you'll forgive me. Instead of defending your position and throwing my sin in my face you responded with God's love. Thank you for helping me grow. I'm sorry. Under His Grace.
Thank you, Kat, for your gracious willingness to listen.