"We have domesticated the sacred by stripping it of authoritative wisdom and by looking to it only to make us happy....Religious leaders want the churches to play a heroic role in our society - challenging people to make deep commitments, inspiring them to great deeds of service, encouraging them to be concerned for the poor, and liberating us from the excesses of greed and materialism. In reality, religious faith prompts few people in any of these directions....The way in which our faith influences our economic behavior is to an important degree a function of the economic system itself, and more broadly, a reflection of the cultural norms that govern Middle America. Thus, religious commitment often makes only a marginal difference to the economic behavior of individual believers."
-Robert Wuthnow, God and Mammon in America, p. 6-7.
How sad that the church should be viewed in such a light and yet how accurate that description is. Before anyone jumps up to defend the American church, let's think carefully about several examples of a deeply committed life to see if many modern churchgoers that you and I know are following in that pattern:
The early church sold property owned by individuals to pay for the needs of everyone. Acts 2:44-45; 4:32, 34-37. Among the early church there was no destitute poverty as the church helped each member as a need arose. Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, p. 112. The early church did not claim ownership of possessions individually, but instead viewed property as belonging to the church. Kistemaker, p. 173. This sharing of property was voluntary and done from a desire to follow biblical commands to help the poor. Kistemaker, p. 173. The book of Acts even gives a specific example of Barnabus selling a plot of land and giving the money to the Apostles to use as they saw fit. Acts 4:36-37.
Mother Teresa began a life of service at the age of 18. At the age of 36 she left her home in a convent and went to live in slums in India to care for the poor. She started a mission called Missionaries of Charity to help people rejected by society because of disease, poverty and deformity. Throughout the time she worked she had two heart attacks, pneumonia, a broken collar bone, malaria, and other heart problems. She died at the age of 87, having given a lifetime of service to the poor.
Brother Lawrence lived in a monastery as a lay brother. He spent his lifetime working in the kitchen of the monastery and repairing sandals, yet he wrote letters that were compiled into a profound work entitled The Practice of the Presence of God.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Church v. Individual Christians
Some people that I have spoken with say that a call for reform among churches is unneeded as most denominations affirm a commitment to ending poverty. The people often point to programs like the Southern Baptist's Annie Armstrong Easter Offerings and Lottie Moon Christmas offerings, that are geared towards foreign missions, as examples of the commitment of individual churches to the poor. I do not doubt that collectively Christianity does have a strong commitment to aiding the poor. In fact, the more research I have done on this topic, the more I have discovered just how much churches, Christian denominations and other religious organizations act against poverty. However, my main concern is that while religious institutions are concerned with helping fight against poverty, individual Christians are not.
Others may object to the claim that individual Christians generally are not concerned with the poor. The donations of time and money given to the Salvation Army, local churches, soup kitchens and similar organizations provides evidence that some individuals are acting on their Christian duty to aid those in need. However, donations at Christmas, Easter and in the wake of a natural disaster still leave something out of the picture. Christians are not called to make special love gifts every few months to help the poor. They are called to have a lifestyle of service. SUV's, six foot wide flat screen televisions, designer clothing, $150 tennis shoes, and million dollar houses do not seem to lend themselve to a lifestyle of service. (Please understand - I am not saying these things are bad or that people who own these types of things cannot serve others. My criticism is of the mindset that these things are necessary to be comfortable and of the mindset that comfort ought to be one of our goals.)
The question we must ask ourselves is: "Does my faith in God affect what I buy? Does it affect how I spend money? Does it affect my priorities in life? Does it affect my economic behavior more than advertisements and American culture?" Most of us, if we answered honestly, would have to say that usually our consumer choices are driven by materialistic desire and not by a commitment to God. We may give lip service to the fact that we have prayed about buying a big ticket item, however often times we don't even realize that many items we view as essential are in fact luxuries. Our American society has taught us that new furniture, beautiful cars and tailored clothing are needed in order to conside our lives successful and happy. How odd that Scripture makes no such suggestions for achieving personal happiness.
Although we all may agree that God cares for the poor and Christians should demonstrate God's love to the poor, we are sadly in need of some consideration of how that should affect us everyday. This is not a call for us to dispose of all of our material goods. But it is a call for us to reexamine the importance we attach to our material goods and to see the subtle ways that our society has convinced us that we need so much to be content.
(Admission - I am clearly as guilty of having a mindset of materialism as anyone else. Please do not let my hypocrisy stand in the way of recognizing truth. My hope is that my awakening recognition of my own double-standard in life will help me to move away from that hypocrisy.)
Others may object to the claim that individual Christians generally are not concerned with the poor. The donations of time and money given to the Salvation Army, local churches, soup kitchens and similar organizations provides evidence that some individuals are acting on their Christian duty to aid those in need. However, donations at Christmas, Easter and in the wake of a natural disaster still leave something out of the picture. Christians are not called to make special love gifts every few months to help the poor. They are called to have a lifestyle of service. SUV's, six foot wide flat screen televisions, designer clothing, $150 tennis shoes, and million dollar houses do not seem to lend themselve to a lifestyle of service. (Please understand - I am not saying these things are bad or that people who own these types of things cannot serve others. My criticism is of the mindset that these things are necessary to be comfortable and of the mindset that comfort ought to be one of our goals.)
The question we must ask ourselves is: "Does my faith in God affect what I buy? Does it affect how I spend money? Does it affect my priorities in life? Does it affect my economic behavior more than advertisements and American culture?" Most of us, if we answered honestly, would have to say that usually our consumer choices are driven by materialistic desire and not by a commitment to God. We may give lip service to the fact that we have prayed about buying a big ticket item, however often times we don't even realize that many items we view as essential are in fact luxuries. Our American society has taught us that new furniture, beautiful cars and tailored clothing are needed in order to conside our lives successful and happy. How odd that Scripture makes no such suggestions for achieving personal happiness.
Although we all may agree that God cares for the poor and Christians should demonstrate God's love to the poor, we are sadly in need of some consideration of how that should affect us everyday. This is not a call for us to dispose of all of our material goods. But it is a call for us to reexamine the importance we attach to our material goods and to see the subtle ways that our society has convinced us that we need so much to be content.
(Admission - I am clearly as guilty of having a mindset of materialism as anyone else. Please do not let my hypocrisy stand in the way of recognizing truth. My hope is that my awakening recognition of my own double-standard in life will help me to move away from that hypocrisy.)
Monday, June 2, 2008
This is a random article that I ran across that I thought was interesting. Figured I'd share it.
The Bible or Bob Geldof? Britain can't decide
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times
March 3, 2008
In a poll into public perceptions of the Bible, researchers found that 27 per cent of those questioned mistook a verse from the Book of Proverbs for a speech by the activist and former pop star. A further 20 per cent thought the verse came from a report by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.....
Paul Woolley, director of Theos said: "There are clearly some important challenges to the Christian community contained within these findings. The fact that people confuse the Bible and a speech by Bob Geldof is intriguing, but the fact that 42 per cent of people disagree that the Bible champions the cause of the poor and marginalised demonstrates a significant degree of biblical illiteracy and the need for the Christian community to model the emphases of its sacred text more clearly."
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3476777.ece
The Bible or Bob Geldof? Britain can't decide
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times
March 3, 2008
In a poll into public perceptions of the Bible, researchers found that 27 per cent of those questioned mistook a verse from the Book of Proverbs for a speech by the activist and former pop star. A further 20 per cent thought the verse came from a report by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.....
Paul Woolley, director of Theos said: "There are clearly some important challenges to the Christian community contained within these findings. The fact that people confuse the Bible and a speech by Bob Geldof is intriguing, but the fact that 42 per cent of people disagree that the Bible champions the cause of the poor and marginalised demonstrates a significant degree of biblical illiteracy and the need for the Christian community to model the emphases of its sacred text more clearly."
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3476777.ece
Other authors and their take on poverty and religion
This is an excerpt from a book that poses some very intriguing questions. I have not yet read the whole book, merely an excerpt so I am not necessarily recommending it. I will also state for the record that my view of Salvation (and probably my view of several different theological issues) varies greatly from Mr. Wuthnow's view. However, the book seems like it is worth the effort to investigate to find out some of the issues affecting the Church's passion for the poor.
What Religious People Think About the Poor
by Robert Wuthnow
In any case, it's clear that religious commitment, at least certain kinds of it, does encourage people to think more about their responsibility to the poor. If two-thirds of all church members -- and three-fourths of all the people who attend religious services every week -- think a fair amount about their responsibility to the poor, this represents a lot of people. The fact that at least half of regular churchgoers have heard a sermon on stewardship in the past year, and that nearly this many are involved in a fellowship group or Sunday school class, is all the more significant, for such involvement appears to stimulate thinking about the poor.
If this is the case, then an outsider to American society might well be surprised by the realities of everyday life. Knowing that religious leaders have often pressed for social action on behalf of the poor, this outsider might be surprised to find that there was virtually none. Knowing that religious people have mobilized in huge numbers to protest in front of abortion clinics, and that large religious movements have emerged to fight pornography and to turn back court rulings against school prayer, she would undoubtedly be surprised to learn that religious movements oriented toward passing legislation to help the poor have foundered for want of public support.
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=492
What Religious People Think About the Poor
by Robert Wuthnow
In any case, it's clear that religious commitment, at least certain kinds of it, does encourage people to think more about their responsibility to the poor. If two-thirds of all church members -- and three-fourths of all the people who attend religious services every week -- think a fair amount about their responsibility to the poor, this represents a lot of people. The fact that at least half of regular churchgoers have heard a sermon on stewardship in the past year, and that nearly this many are involved in a fellowship group or Sunday school class, is all the more significant, for such involvement appears to stimulate thinking about the poor.
If this is the case, then an outsider to American society might well be surprised by the realities of everyday life. Knowing that religious leaders have often pressed for social action on behalf of the poor, this outsider might be surprised to find that there was virtually none. Knowing that religious people have mobilized in huge numbers to protest in front of abortion clinics, and that large religious movements have emerged to fight pornography and to turn back court rulings against school prayer, she would undoubtedly be surprised to learn that religious movements oriented toward passing legislation to help the poor have foundered for want of public support.
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=492
It's not spiritual enough, Part 2
In addition to the Scriptural reasons indicating that the Church should be involved in helping the poor, there are many additional reasons the Church should care about those less fortunate.
A few years ago, I went with a group of college students to a Christian university located in a major city. This university had a beautiful campus with a domed chapel, ornate buildings and beautiful grounds. As we were admiring the school, one person (whose religious leanings were agnostic at best) commented about the irony of such oppulence in a location dedicated to Christian worship when so much poverty existed merely a few blocks away in the inner city. Ultimately, he commented that it was hard for him to believe the message of Christianity when Christians wasted so much money on themselves without demonstrating love to those in need.
This experience indicates that there are people who choose not to believe in God because of they way they see Christians treating poor people. If Christians were to demonstrate a heart of compassion for the sick and needy, might it not sway some of these same people towards God? I cannot quantify the number of people who reason as my friend did at that university. However, it is not unusual to hear similar criticisms everywhere you look. A simple search of the internet reveals numerous people who embrace this reasoning. (Austin Cline's "Poverty & Religion," http://atheism.about.com/b/a/232637.htm; S. Menon's "Christianity and Poverty: correlation or causation?" http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?type=ARTICLES&id=1137122831; Athiest Revolution's "Religion and Poverty in Mississippi," http://www.atheistrev.com/2007/10/religion-and-poverty-in-mississippi.html; James R. Gorman's comment on Michael Harrigan's journey away from religion in "Conversation with a Athiest -- Micael Harrigan on Religion and Socialism," http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1795; Poch Suzara's "Poverty in the Phillipines," http://atheistangpinoy.blogspot.com/2006/04/poverty-in-philippines-by-poch-suzara.html).
What could be more spiritual than working to convince unbelievers of God's existence? Although helping the poor is an indirect method of doing this, it is still a method of persuasion. Sometimes actions that preach are just as important as words that preach.
A few years ago, I went with a group of college students to a Christian university located in a major city. This university had a beautiful campus with a domed chapel, ornate buildings and beautiful grounds. As we were admiring the school, one person (whose religious leanings were agnostic at best) commented about the irony of such oppulence in a location dedicated to Christian worship when so much poverty existed merely a few blocks away in the inner city. Ultimately, he commented that it was hard for him to believe the message of Christianity when Christians wasted so much money on themselves without demonstrating love to those in need.
This experience indicates that there are people who choose not to believe in God because of they way they see Christians treating poor people. If Christians were to demonstrate a heart of compassion for the sick and needy, might it not sway some of these same people towards God? I cannot quantify the number of people who reason as my friend did at that university. However, it is not unusual to hear similar criticisms everywhere you look. A simple search of the internet reveals numerous people who embrace this reasoning. (Austin Cline's "Poverty & Religion," http://atheism.about.com/b/a/232637.htm; S. Menon's "Christianity and Poverty: correlation or causation?" http://www.christianaggression.org/item_display.php?type=ARTICLES&id=1137122831; Athiest Revolution's "Religion and Poverty in Mississippi," http://www.atheistrev.com/2007/10/religion-and-poverty-in-mississippi.html; James R. Gorman's comment on Michael Harrigan's journey away from religion in "Conversation with a Athiest -- Micael Harrigan on Religion and Socialism," http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1795; Poch Suzara's "Poverty in the Phillipines," http://atheistangpinoy.blogspot.com/2006/04/poverty-in-philippines-by-poch-suzara.html).
What could be more spiritual than working to convince unbelievers of God's existence? Although helping the poor is an indirect method of doing this, it is still a method of persuasion. Sometimes actions that preach are just as important as words that preach.
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