·
Is the moon real?
·
Is a hotdog a sandwich?
·
Should people be allowed to put pineapple on
pizza?
·
Which are better pets, cats or dogs?
·
Should a dog’s front limbs be called “arms”?
·
Do penguins have knees?
·
Do floors taste good? (a debate for babies
learning to crawl)
I think you will agree with me that anyone who would expend energy
debating these topics might have too much time on their hands!
However, we all know there are some topics worth the time it
takes to consider because of the impact they have upon us. Each of the topics
we will address in our series on justice are certainly worth our time and
attention for this reason. This is the case with our current subject, that of
our approach to economics and government, even though, as we discovered in our
previous post, some Christians think otherwise.
In that first post on economics we introduced the topic and
looked at the first of seven truths from the Bible that should shape our view: God
Created Humans With Four Key Relationships That Must Be Kept In Mind As We
Shape Our Governmental and Economic Approach.
In this post we will first address three realities that flow
out of our first truth. Then, we will move on and look at biblical truths 2 and
3.
Three Realities That Need
To Be Stated In Light Of Our First Truth.
Even though we have discovered that there are four
relationships people must consider in our approach to economics (God, self,
creation, others) and that all of us are poor in multiple ways, it is not right
for us to conclude that since we are addressing multiple areas of poverty, we
do not have to give attention to helping alleviate a poverty of resources.
This is true because such persons are usually in situations
that need greater attention and help.[1] It
is also true since God puts great emphasis in the Bible on addressing this kind
of poverty. Consider the following:
·
“[God] executes justice for the fatherless and
the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” (Dt. 10:18)
·
“Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but
blessed is he who is generous to the poor.” (Prov. 14:21)
·
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” (Prov. 14:31)
·
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was
thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…Truly, I
say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it
to me.” (Mt. 25:35, 40)
·
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the
needy.” (Lk. 12:32-33)
·
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God
the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction….” (James
1:27)
·
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life
for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone
has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart
against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not
love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 Jn. 3:16-18)
Scripture is clear that we are called to help those who
experience a poverty of resources. What we are outlining in these current
posts, though, is how to do that in ways that help and do not hurt in the long
run.
Another reality we must consider that flows out of the first
biblical truth is this: We must also see that Creation and the Fall are not the
end of the biblical redemptive story that God is writing. There is also
Redemption. The kingdom has come near (Mk. 1:14-15). Yet, we have not just been
transferred into the kingdom of the son (“He has delivered us from the domain
of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [Col. 1:13-14]), also we discover in
the same chapter that God “was pleased…to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood…” (Col.
1:19-20).[2]
This means that God has worked to redeem not only
individuals, but also the world and systems around them, which includes systems
impacting the four key creational relationships. [3] This
gives us the certainty that in the future, in the new heaven and new earth,
these four main relationships humans have will be fully redeemed, fully
flourishing, and forever and fully freed from sin and the brokenness we
experience in them now. It also means that currently God is working among his
people so they can flourish in these relationships now (Rom. 6:1-23; Gal. 2:20;
5:6, 22-23; Phil. 1:6).
As we pursue justice and help those who are poor, it helps
us greatly to remember: “Jesus is bringing reconciliation to every last speck
of the universe, including both our foundational relationships and the systems
that emanate from them. Poverty
is rooted in broken relationships, so the solution to poverty is rooted in the
power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to put all things into right
relationship again.[4]
In other words, as we live out the effects of the work of
Jesus Christ in us, we work to bring about now a foretaste of what we
experience fully in the future: “The King of kings is ushering in a kingdom
that will bring healing to every last speck of the cosmos. As His body, bride,
and fullness, the church is to do what Jesus did: bear witness to the reality
of that coming kingdom using both words and anticipatory deeds. We can trust
God to ‘establish the work of our hands’ as He chooses (Ps. 90:17).” [5]
The third and final reality that flows out of the first
biblical truth is that we can already summarize a basic approach to alleviating
poverty.
1. Remember
that “we are not the reconciler; Jesus is. However, we are His ambassadors….”
See 2 Cor. 5:18-20. [6]
2. We should
define poverty alleviation this way: “Poverty alleviation is the ministry of
reconciliation moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right
relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation.” We
can add: “Reconciliation of relationships is the guiding compass for our
poverty alleviation efforts, profoundly shaping both the goals that we pursue
and the methods we use.”[7]
3. “The goal
is not to make materially poor all over the world into middle-to-upper-class
North Americans…. Nor is the goal to make sure the materially poor have enough
money. Indeed, America’s welfare system [has] ensured that [the poor] and [their]
famil[ies] ha[ve] more than enough money to survive, but…[many have] felt
trapped. Rather, the goal is to restore people to a full expression of
humanness, to being what God created us all to be, people who glorify God by
living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the
rest of creation.” [8]
4. “One of
the many manifestations of these relationships being reconciled is material
poverty alleviation,” which can now be defined this way: “Material poverty
alleviation is working to reconcile the four foundational relationships so that
people can fulfill their callings of glorifying God by working and supporting
themselves and their families with the fruit of that work.” [9]
a. “Our perspective should be less about how we
are going to fix the materially poor and more about how we can walk together,
asking God to fix both of us.” [10]
b. “Poverty
alleviation occurs when the power of Christ’s resurrection reconciles our key
relationships through the transformation of both individual lives and local,
national, and international systems.” [11]
c. The
gospel of Jesus Christ and proclamation of it (teaching it) to the poor must be
at the heart of poverty alleviation, even material poverty alleviation, since
heart change and worldview change are essential—as well as the power of Christ
working in and through a person to reconcile them to the four foundational
relationships. This also involves the changing of worldview.
d. This
means relationships with the poor and not merely looking at programs is
essential.
e. We must
realize that material poverty is a result of both individuals and their
personal responsibility, as well as broken systems that impact individuals.
5. Given the
reality that all people are created in the image of God and given the reality
Jesus Christ is sustaining all things and people, we should believe that though
individuals, communities, and cultures are fallen and sinful, nevertheless,
there should be gifts and resources (assets) among any people, community, or
individual that can be used to solve their material poverty challenges. This,
coupled with the reality that God has created people in the image of God to
work as he does, to be creative, and to produce—and this is how they flourish
the most, should lead us to see that poverty alleviation should not begin by
finding out people’s needs, but rather their assets. The best way to start is
by an asset-based community development approach. This also lays the foundation
for people working together and for the church in the vicinity of the poor to
work with them so that the four main foundational relationships are restored
and not merely material needs put in place. This fits with who the people are,
what our goals should be, and it encourages them toward the direction of
thinking they can be part of the solution rather than merely to give them
handouts.[12]
Now that we have looked at the realities that have arisen
from the first biblical truth, we can move on to look at the remaining biblical
truths that inform our view of economics and government. We will look at truths
2-3 in the remainder of this post.
2. God Created Humans
In His Image To Work.
This truth is displayed in Genesis where it is written God
created humans in his image and adds: “And let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over
all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…. And God
blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
(Gen. 1:26-28) In Psalm 8:5-6 it is affirmed that this commission to work,
create, and bring order in the world is part of the dignity of humans, i.e.
what it means to be created in God’s image as those who resemble and reflect
him and his glory: “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly
beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over
the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet….” It is
emphasized in Gen. 2:15 that work was part of the world before the entrance of
sin: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it
and keep it.” And there are statements elsewhere that suggest work may be part
of the experience of glorified humans in the new heaven and new earth (Is.
65:21-23a; Rev. 21:24).
There are several reasons why this truth must always be kept
in mind as Christians seek to alleviate a poverty of resources.
To begin, God has created the world in such a way that the
best way people can operate so that they and their families can have enough
resources is to work (Prov. 6:6-10; 12:11; 31:13-21). It is very difficult, if
not impossible, to have enough resources by means of receiving help alone. When
a person works and produces good and services and creates wealth, it gives more
of an assurance of provision. When those who are poor are encouraged not to
work, it removes from them the best way to have the provision of needed
resources.
Additionally, because humans are created in the image of God
to create, work, bring order, and, by implication, to solve problems, not only
is it best for the poor to be part of the solving of their own poverty of
resources, but there is also much more personal satisfaction when this happens.[13] When
we forget this we remove a sense of dignity and satisfaction.
This truth must also be kept in mind because part of the
outcome of genuine faith in Christ is that there are good works which God
prepared beforehand that we should do (Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14). There is a
pattern, then, for the person who has true life, that he is glorifying God by
his works, which includes work. What is more, since humans are created to work
and much of the Church’s work is the Church at work, this would involve living
out works at work. When we forget this truth, then, we set people up for a
misunderstanding of God, his world, and how he wants us to function in it.
Given this truth, it is not surprising to read Paul’s words
in 2 Thes. 3:10, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” He also
equates an unwillingness to provide for one’s family with unbelief—in other
words, this is not how God wants us to live (1 Tim. 5:8). Paul understands that
to cut off a key motivation for a person to work, the provision of basic and
daily needs (Prov. 16:26), is to treat that person unjustly. As such, any approach
to economics and/or poverty alleviation that encourages people not to work is
unjust no matter how many resources are given to them.[14]
3. God Created The
World In Such A Way That He Provides Most Often Through Work.
This third truth has already been implied in the second and
flows directly out of it. It is important enough, however, to state distinctly.
Helping to feed, clothe, or shelter someone immediately and in the short-run is
a good thing to do (Mt. 25:31-40; 1 John 3:16-18). However, this should not be
the sum-total of how the poor are helped. In addition to the need for
addressing the four basic relationships that are broken for all, in addition to
glorifying God through work, and in addition to keeping in mind that humans are
created to experience the greatest happiness and dignity in work and their own
earned success, work is important simply because it helps provide for one’s own
needs and those of their family, and has the potential of creating wealth that
can also help provide for many others as well (Prov. 12:11; 31:13-21). So, if
we ignore the importance of work or enable the materially poor to seek
solutions that do not include work, we actually hurt them.
We can point to many examples to illustrate this point. I
will share two recent ones.
In July of 2018 a U.S. District Judge, James E. Boasberg,
ruled against a plan by Matt Bevin, governor of Kentucky, to overhaul the
state’s Medicaid vision and dental coverage. The reason Bevin was overhauling
the program was that it was going broke. It faces a shortfall of $300 million
for the upcoming two years with over 460,00 people enrolled (out of 4.5 million
total in the state). The overhaul plan was to require recipients of the
benefits to work and so to help cover some of the cost. The requirement to work
was only for those 19-64 years old and it could include study or job training
that might help many people get off Medicaid eventually. Yet, Judge Boasberg ruled that the state may
not require the materially poor to work to keep their benefits. What will be
the result? Kentucky Health secretary, Adam Meier, said that the vision and
dental coverage would eventually fall by the wayside for these people.[15]
Here is a case where someone (the Kentucky governor and his
administration) put forth a solution to financial shortfall that would
eventually help the materially poor to have a sense of earned success, dignity,
and would be able potentially to be helped out of their own material shortfall
to a better place. It would come about by a good thing, and that is work. Yet,
we have someone else (Judge Boasberg) who views work as a bad thing, a burden,
or some kind of penalty. This reminds me of something Wayne Grudem wrote in his
book, Business For The
Glory Of God. To paraphrase, he wrote: “If I were the devil and I
wanted to keep people in poverty, I would make people think that business is
bad.” We could substitute “work” for “business,” and the thought is also true.
The second example I will look at is the nation of
Venezuela. This country has gone from the wealthiest in South America to the
point now where the 2018 inflation rate is over 27,300% and citizens are
fleeing the country to surrounding countries merely to find food and basic needs.[16]
Under its former (Hugo Chavez) and current (Nicolas Madura) leaders Venezuela
has moved to a socialist economy, which has a tendency eventually to lead to an
authoritarian rule. That is exactly what has happened. Citizens have been
discouraged from entrepreneurial endeavors and the government has become the
provider and decider and the rule-keeper for all. The citizen-crushing results
could have been predicted by anyone who has paid attention to other current socialist
or communist rules or to those in history.
Part of the reason such approaches to economics and
government do not work is because they go against the grain of how God has
created the world and humans to operate. And any approach to economics and
government that goes against this reality will eventually display its
injustice.
Venezuela not only reminds us how important work and freedom
are to human flourishing, but also introduces our next truth that helps form
our biblical view of economics. We will turn to it and the other three truths
in our next post.
Joyfully Pursuing Justice With You,
Tom
[1] Steve
Corbett, Brian Fikkert, When
Helping Hurts: How To Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting The Poor…and Yourself
(Chicago: Moody, 2012, repr.), 66-67.
[2] I
am dependent upon Corbett, Fikkert, When Helping, 71, for
highlighting this reality.
[3] I
am dependent upon Corbett, Fikkert, When Helping, 72, for
highlighting this reality.
[4] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 73.
[5] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 73.
[6] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 73.
[7] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 74.
[8] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 74.
[9] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 74.
[10] Corbett,
Fikkert, When
Helping, 75.
[11] Corbett, Fikkert, When
Helping, 75.
[12] I
am dependent on Corbett, Fikkert, When Helping, 119-132, for
these thoughts.
[13] I
am dependent upon Arthur Brooks, The Conservative Heart: How
To Build A Fairer, Happier, And More Prosperous America, 32, for the
truth that “earned success” is important to a person’s well-being and much more
satisfying than given success. For the person with a biblical worldview, she
grasps that we are always dependent upon God and his grace and so at one and
the same time our success can be earned, but also ultimately dependent upon and
given by God (1 Cor. 15:10; James 4:13-17).
[14]
Part of the problem that emerges when people are enabled to have provision
without working is that not working can become a habit, a way of life.
Scripture teaches that discipline and habits can be built toward good, godly,
and flourishing lives (1 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 5:14), but also in the other direction
(2 Pt. 2:14, 19). This pattern or way of life can then become a pattern or
habit that is passed on to the next generation and can create generations of
poverty.
[15]
“Medicaid Woes In Kentucky,” World
(July 2018).
[16]
Information for this discussion on Venezuela came from Max Fisher, Amanda Taub,
“How Venezuela went from the richest economy in South America to the brink of
financial ruin,” In Independent
(May 21, 2017), accessed at independent.co.uk September 8, 2018; Jamie Dean,
“The Other Border Crisis” World (August
18, 2018): 32ff.; and Steve Hanke, “Venezuela's Inflation Breaches 25,000%,
Forbes (May 31, 2018), accessed at forbes.com September 9, 2018.
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