Torch, Fall/Winter 2010

Fall–Winter 2010 | TORCH 3 In the United States, we have defined the poverty level for a family of four to be an annual income of about $22,000. However, from a global perspective, 1 billion people exist in abject poverty, and twice as many live on less than $2 a day. Statistics aside, many agree that the absence of basic needs to sustain life is the level where true poverty begins. Discerning Our Responsibilities Even if we agree that Christians must help the poor, a major point of contention faces us. We must consider to what extent the Church and the government should be involved in helping the poor. Christians are called to care for the poor and needy, but these biblical expectations are directed to individuals and are voluntary. The political milieu of both the Old and New Testaments makes it difficult to draw straight lines to contemporary applications for government involvement. Many argue that public assistance programs possess charitable intentions and achieve some social successes. Conversely, others point out that the benefits of these government programs are offset by larger drawbacks of wealth redistribution and entitlement mindsets. Discovering the Heart of Faith Regardless of our position on government involvement, we know that how we care for the least among us reveals the true heart of our faith. The Gospel of grace and a lifestyle of giving go hand-in-hand as a catalyst for cultural change. When the leaders of the Church ordained Paul for ministry to the Gentiles, their only caution was that he should remember the poor. Paul notes in Galatians 2 that this was exactly what he was eager to do. This standard for helping the poor is not limited to Christians. The people of Sodom were not only guilty because of their sexual sins, but they were also “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy” (Ezek. 16:49). I have always been challenged by our Lord’s judgment of the “sheep and goats” in Matthew 25. Those who had cared for the hungry and thirsty, took in strangers, and clothed the sick were surprised that their works were not simply commendable but that they were also done to Christ. The opposite was true of those who failed to give aid. Their failure to care revealed what was in their hearts. In 1 John, the writer questions how God’s love can be in people who fail to recognize the needs of others around them. God’s grace — freely given and received — naturally overflows into a life of giving whenever confronted with need. Imagining a New Reality When we step back, see the layers of the debate, and then also recognize the truths in Scripture regarding how we should serve the poor, only then do we begin to see the chasm that exists between what we are called to do and what we actually do. Whatever the method or legislation, Christians need to be leading the efforts to address poverty in our world. Imagine if the term “Christian” became synonymous with sacrificial giving. Imagine if every one of the 450,000 churches in the United States adopted one family on welfare. In addition to meeting basic needs, we would also find opportunities to mentor, educate, disciple, and love. Imagine if someone asked, “Who takes care of the poor in the world?” Imagine if the answer were always, “The Christians. That’s what they do.” Dr. William E. Brown became president of Cedarville University in June 2003. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Brown holds a Th.M. and Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary. As a nationally recognized worldview expert, he has authored three worldview- related books and is the executive producer of the worldview study re:View (re-films.com).