|
Causus penuria
I regularly get to enjoy discussions with some wise Christian leaders who live in our area (North Texas). Recently, our moderator led us through a scripture-based investigation of the causes of poverty. The group agreed that the Bible exposes three things that lead people into poverty: laziness/lack of wisdom; oppression; war/pestilence. Laziness & lack of wisdom are serious problems, leading Proverbs to exalt a strong work ethic. Oppression is real and not limited to any era or area, as prophets like Amos revealed. War & pestilence are part of life on a fallen planet and account for much of human penury.
Analysis of responses
Our modern societies respond to poverty and its causes in ways that are often counterproductive. These were our observations about American reactions to poverty:
- Democrats often ignore laziness/lack of wisdom, pretending these aren’t ever real factors. This is unbiblical and foolish. It likely dooms their policies to be ruined by unintended consequences.
- Republicans often ignore oppression, pretending it doesn’t ever occur. This is unscriptural and infuriating. It likely inflames the oppressed and leads to a reactive expansion of what constitutes oppression.
- Fans of big government tend to see poverty as always preventable. This is unscriptural and untenable. It mires society in a hopeless human v. human blame game
- Lovers of small government tend to see the judgment of God in all poverty. This is unbiblical and depressing. It also devolves into blame and removes God from His throne.
Solutions
From Plato to Tim Keller, great thinkers have addressed this problem. I think we can summarize the best practices this way:
- Encourage a strong work ethic. Exalt hard work of all kinds in your own soul, your home, church, business, youth sports teams, city committees, etc.
- Fight oppression. Call out corruption wherever you see it, without fearing the inevitable kickback. Don’t just go with a cultural flow. Speak truth in love.
- Trust God and don’t add to His words. He calls for each of us to care for those in need, without facilitating laziness. Let’s do so on both personal and corporate levels.
- Recognize where your tendencies can lead you astray. Are you Republican? Fine, but don’t turn a blind eye to true oppression. Are you a big government liberal or communist? Fine, but don’t assume that “the man” – or woman, or government, or system, etc. – is always to blame.
I know this is off topic for what we are currently learning in the podcast and radio, but I wanted to get these ideas to you while they were fresh in my mind. I look forward to hearing how you might amend the analysis and action steps.
God bless,
Wayne