I bring this up because a major evangelical blog today had an interesting discussion on its forum from Christians who believed the mandate to care for the poor is exclusive to the faith community and not unbelievers.
They do well picking up the primary mandate, but as a mature church with a realized eschatology, I think there's plenty in the words of Jesus to justify a mandate that extends beyond discriminating acts of generosity to only believers.
Curious what others on here think.
Well, if your eschatology is truly realized then I'd think that pretty much everything else will have taken care of itself including poverty. Problem solved.
Well, if your eschatology is truly realized then I'd think that pretty much everything else will have taken care of itself including poverty. Problem solved.
Pel, good call. When I say "realized" I wasn't referring to the ideas of C.H. Dodd and his ideas of an eschatology that is not the end of the world but its rebirth instituted by Jesus and continued by his disciples, a historical (rather than transhistorical) phenomenon.... I'm referring to the already/not yet eschatology of Paul. Sorry for using the wrong term. I was using "realized" in a purely technical way of the word, not to describe another doctrine.
Today the church is not in crisis (most of us aren't) scrambling around waiting on Jesus to return any day. We are living like He is coming tomorrow, but working like He isn't returning for 1,000 years.
When we see someone in desperate need, should we go up to them and ask, "excuse me, please, but are you a believer? If so, why are you in this state?"
Are we only to help those in our own four walls, our own church, our own particular faith? Jesus didn't.
But at the same time, poverty in America is much different than poverty in Biblical times. How many of those who were poor in the Bible were on welfare and food stamps? How many stood holding a will work for food sign along the roadside and brought in more money than many of us will make in a year?
I don’t think things have changed that much Mary. While they didn’t have welfare and food stamps in biblical times they did have a social system for caring for the poor. All land owners were required to allow the poor (poor, needy, widows, orphans, strangers) to glean freely from the edges and corners of their crops. While they didn’t stand in a welfare line they lined up and scavenged for free grain and produce on another person’s land. During harvest the harvesters were forbidden to pick up anything they dropped while harvesting. The poor would line up behind the harvesters and freely pick up what was dropped. If you remember the story of Ruth (a welfare woman) and Boaz (a wealthy land owner) you’ll remember that Boaz ordered his harvesters to drop more grain and produce for her. The right to glean from crops and from the harvest was embodied in the Law of God and if land owners refused to allow the poor to glean they were often rebuked by the Prophets (Amos and Malachi to mind immediately).
I’ll wager that a few took their grain and produce to the markets and sold it, making more than some of the tradesmen who were trying to make their living via their craft.
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How many would have asked money for food and then spent it on a bottle or a needle? Few of us in America see, on a day to day basis, true physical poverty.
I’m sure that many of these poor “gleaners” took the grain and produce that they had gathered to the markets, sold it for money, and spent the money on quat (a leaf they’d chew releasing amphetamines into the blood stream), wine, or strong drink.
Sister Mary, things really aren’t all that different today than they were back then. The only difference is that today instead of gleaning from our fields the poor glean from our paychecks. And instead of selling the grain and produce they gathered for quat or wine, they sell their food stamps for tobacco and beer.
Another provision made in ancient society for the poor was the “poor tithe”. Every third years tithe was put into the storehouse to provide for the regions poor.
Lastly, the poor were allowed to beg for alms at the Temple gates and at the gates of their cities.
Our modern society really isn’t all that different from my perspective.
For example, most who suffer from poverty are there because of terrible decisions and sin. When they are converted to Christ they become new creatures. A Christian becomes a productive, hard working, and inspired citizen.
That right there is the issue.
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Today pull up the little weeds,
The sinful thoughts subdue,
Or they will take the reins themselves
And someday master you. --Anon.
The most deadly sins do not leap upon us, they creep up on us.
The program that lifts the poor out of poverty is the Gospel. lol
For example, most who suffer from poverty are there because of terrible decisions and sin. When they are converted to Christ they become new creatures. A Christian becomes a productive, hard working, and inspired citizen.
Are you kidding? (I note the "lol".)
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
How do you know that stop light beggers aren't orphans, widows, handicapped, or laid off?
Just experience. One time I was riding with a friend of mine and a guy has a sign "Will work for food" at an intersection. My friend told the guy that he had some yard work around his house that needed to be done. He would fix him a nice family type meal AND pay him $25 (which is what he would pay a neighborhood teenager to do the work). We were cussed out!! They don't want to work...they want MONEY!
__________________ Words: For when an emoticon just isn't enough.
But if we walk around feeling that way toward the poor, then it wasn't that you were taken advantage of, but rather you were robbed. Robbed of your compassion, purity in action, and replaced it with being God, dispensing grace to whom you think is deserving.
Even a drug addict and an alcoholic need a meal, shelter, warm blanket. They are still human and not too far past the hands of God.
I will freely give to orphans, widows, handicapped (both physical and mental), and those that have been layed off and can't find a job.
I don't give to stop light beggars, or those I feel I would only will be enabling their current state of dependency and entitlement.
In other words, I'll give to those that are poor because they don't have the ability to help themselves out of their current condition.
I'll also give to the poor that ARE TRYING to help themselves get out of their current condition.
Lazy, able-bodied people that are totally dependent on government and donations from people don't usually get anything from me.
This was once my attitude. I'm telling you, it changes when you work closely with these people. All our biases, prejudices and generalizations get swept away.
Your qualifications for charity mean that you must make a judgement at first sight. Show charity and grace to all. Be real with them too. But be loving to them. Most Pennies that do Social Justice (finally catching on) do it with the premise that they are "evangelizing" when really that's the wrong motive. The motive should be strictly love. Not expecting anything in return. Just having the heart of God, and hurting for who he hurts for. All the image bearers of His in the world that are in chains... that hurts him. Just be Salt and Light. Not a production factory where it is we who sort the sheep and goats. But light affects all. Salt affects all. I'm really passionate about encouraging a change in attitude among the Church in this area.
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