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