Scott Freeman

One of the usually trotted out arguments for refusing to have a greater heart for the poor is that so many are there by choice or laziness.

That if they really wanted to get ahead in this free country where “all your dreams can come true,” then they could.

These types of arguments are largely presumptive.  It presupposes knowledge of individuals that we don’t have.

And it vastly underestimates the chronic ferocity of poverty. Once it has you in its clutches it does not let go easily. Those of us who do make more the federal poverty level have experienced our own financial setbacks.

Those setbacks can be devastating.  Try it when you have no safety net and it can be cataclysmic.

And 6-7 bucks an hour for any entry level job will not provide any source of long-term security.

About 5 years ago Barbara Ehrenreich wrote the classic Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.  As research for the book she held several entry level jobs to see how unskilled laborers lived their lives.  It is a highly informative and eye-opening read.  I highly encourage it.

In her most recent blog entry Ms. Ehrenreich asks the question “Can you afford to be poor?” She writes:

…(I)t’s expensive to be poor. In fact, you, the reader of middling income, could probably not afford it.

A new study from the Brookings Institute documents the “ghetto tax,” or higher cost of living in low-income urban neighborhoods. It comes at you from every direction, from food prices to auto insurance. A few examples from this study, by Matt Fellowes, that covered 12 American cities:

• Poor people are less likely to have bank accounts, which can be expensive for those with low balances, and so they tend to cash their pay checks at check-cashing businesses, which in the cities surveyed, charged $5 to $50 for a $500 check.
• Nationwide, low-income car buyers, defined as people earning less than $30,000 a year, pay two percentage points more for a car loan than more affluent buyers.
• Low-income drivers pay more for car insurance. In New York, Baltimore and Hartford, they pay an average $400 more a year to insure the exact same car and driver risk than wealthier drivers.
• Poorer people pay an average of one percentage point more in mortgage interest.
• They are more likely to buy their furniture and appliances through pricey rent-to-own businesses. In Wisconsin, the study reports, a $200 rent-to-own TV set can cost $700 with the interest included.
• They are less likely to have access to large supermarkets and hence to rely on the far more expensive, and lower quality offerings, of small grocery and convenience stores.

So let’s have a little less talk about how the poor should learn to manage their money, and a little more attention to all the ways that money is being systematically siphoned off. Yes, certain kinds of advice would be helpful: skip the pay-day loans and rent-to-pay furniture, for example. But we need laws in more states to stop predatory practices like $50 charges for check-cashing. Also, think what some micro-credit could do to move families from motels and shelters to apartments. And did I mention a living wage?

If you’re rich, you might want to stay that way. It’s a whole lot cheaper than being poor.

Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us.  He said that because that is where the disciple of Christ is called to go and minister.  He did not say that so we could throw up our hands and say our work is done.

May we develop a greater heart for the poor and the forgotten.

(HT: Aaron Monts)

Earlier this year I read Taylor Branch’s masterful trilogy on the civil rights movement during the time of Martin Luther King.

For over 2500 pages I was engrossed in the tale of how America began to shed a large part of its dark history of racial hatred.  I found myself rooting for an alternative outcome for the fate of Dr. King, as if by reading these works somehow the ending would come out differently.

As if hatred would somehow be eradicated.  As if James Earl Ray’s bullet would have somehow missed the target and an aged Dr. King would still be inspiring us in person, today.

But, it was not to be.

Yesterday, I read Elie Wiesel’s equally poignant and moving account of his experience in the Nazi death camps (see sidebar).  I was immediately struck by how Wiesel was able to capture in just 115 pages the same level of pathos, heartbreak and longing that Branch had done in his much weightier tomes.

Both of these works shine the spotlight on dark chapters in the history of man.  One thing that amazed me in my reading was how little of this I was taught growing up in school.

The civil rights movement was giving passing nods as we talked about the greater issues of how this country was founded and other issues of import.

The holocaust was given short-shrift while we discussed where to find the best Arkansas Indian arrowheads.

To this day, I wonder why.  Why did we not discuss the civil rights movement more in depth at my school?

Was it too fresh?  Were my school books not current enough to provide more than a footnote.

Was it shame?

Why? 

I know a good deal of American History.  Much of it I learned in school.  But the darker days of the civil rights movement I had to learn for myself.

I know a good deal about the World Wars. (Don’t we love to talk about World War II?) But what I learned about genocide and the abject hatred of the Nazi’s was more fully grasped on my own. I learned more about the holocaust by watching Schindler’s List than I ever did in school.

This is not, in any way, an attempt to disparage my education. I went to an outstanding school growing up, and feel somewhat educated.

I just wonder if we sometimes try to minimize our hatreds.

An ugly practice that continues to this day.  Hate the sin, love the sinner, right?

I’ve hated too much in my life.  I lived through my own night of intolerance.

I don’t want to do it anymore.

A few weeks ago, I asked a series of questions that are on my mind. The second question in that series is thus:
Will we ever break away from our proclivity to proof-text our rationales for war, propagating poverty and elevating our spheres of concern over above the needs of those who fall outside of those spheres?

To me, the answer is as simple as the anwer that my friend Jeff originally provided: No. The truth is that we can pretty much use Scripture to justify anything that we want it to.

It’s been used to justify slavery, hatred and racism.

It’s been used to justify war, acts of aggression and extreme nationalism.

It’s been used to marginalize and reject people on the fringes of society who do not look like us or act like us.

The bottom line is that Scripture has been perverted, twisted and debased repeatedly, stretching back to the oral tradition of the Torah. So, the likelihood of that ending anytime soon is nil.

I should know, I’m guilty of it as well. I’ve used Scripture as a weapon in my life. I’ve used it to draw lines of distinction between those of us who “get it” and those who don’t. I’ve used it to draw walls between the “church” and those lost in a “denominational” world.

I’ve used it to carve out political ideologies, evangelistic techniques and worldviews based upon my own personal preferences and desires rather than investing myself in understanding the spirit of the message.

So, although, I strongly resist futile thinking when it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God, I must admit that the propensity for creating empires from a misunderstanding of Scripture will persist.

Unfortunately, this creates great pain and division.  I must imagine that when the Hebrew writer told us that the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, he must have known that when you use a sword improperly, people die, lives are shattered and the perpetrators of that destruction will then seek to justify the behavior.  What has happened is 2000+ years of justifying the practice of wielding the Sword in an improper manner.

Propagating our own interests, our own advancement, our own rights became suffused with the blessing of the text.  Hence, wars, helping only those who “deserve it,” getting ahead, protecting the interests of the nation-state have become paramount and, well, blessed.

But, ultimately, where we, as Christians, must invest ourselves is in a greater attempt to understand Scripture through the person of Jesus.  He is the Word and brings how we should live into the ultimate focus. How we are to live our lives becomes much more clear when understood through the person of Christ.

If we shed the myopic habit of justifying scripture to fit our needs, we will see a Savior who was the fulfillment of all that God called us to be. He is the one we are called to follow.  He is the one that provides the understanding of the word and will of God.

What does Jesus say about war? Maybe not as much as we would like, but He did resist armed revolution in exchange for a humble surrender to the cross.  And, regardless of whether or not there have been just wars in history we must still grapple with what His example was.
What does Jesus say about poverty? He talked about giving, about caring for the least of these. He said that to do anything less than lay our lives on the altar of compassionate care for others (ie, the poor, the forgotten, the undeserving) would be tantamount to rejecting Him.

What did He say about protecting our own self-interests? He talked a lot about dying to self, picking up crosses and following after Him.  And we know where that led.

Ultimately, the word will always be distorted and manipulated to fit whatever people want it to mean.  However, the servants of the Word must commit their lives to being an embodiment of the Christ that brings a more complete understanding of the Will of God into proper view.

It’s a lot harder to misinterpret the “Word become flesh” when it is lived out than it is to misinterpet the “word consigned to text” when it is relegated to a static document.

That is revolutionary, life-changing and world shaking.

I’m trying to get there.  I’ve got a long way to go.

Am I making sense at all?

I want all people to come to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. I long to see disciples made in all reaches of the globe.

Really, I do. Wouldn’t it be great if people were able to truly find the love of Christ in their lives?

I believe that if all people would learn to truly live like Christ, then the world would change: wars would cease, poverty would end, and hunger would abate.

I believe that if I could just learn to truly live like Christ, then people would clamor to know more about why I love so much, give so freely and appear so joyful.

I would make a greater difference than I do. People would see a life not marked by borders, not encumbered with accumulation, and committed to being an image of Him.

What could happen I really committed to live like Jesus?

But it’s too hard.  All that peace-y, love your neighbor, turn your cheek stuff is more than what I signed on for.
So, I have a great evangelistic plan. I will reduce Kingdom living to a list of moral regulations and then force people to live their lives according to those regulations.  Rather than being a model of Christ as an example of how people should live their lives, I’ll just force them to live like me.
And anything that is viewed as a threat to the compulsory living of those regulations I will fight to stop by all means necessary: through protests, legislation and guilt.

I can make disciples through coercion and legislation rather than investing wasting too much time in compassion and love.

I can monitor all forms of entertainment to make sure that they live up to my standards of decency, no matter how subjective that might be, rather than dialoguing with people about the allure of entertainment or providing viable alternatives.

I can seek to block vaccines that could save a young girl’s life from sexually transmitted diseases because the underlying behavior goes against my standards rather than adopt the idea that a life saved today is a potential soul won tomorrow.

I can focus on “standing up for my rights as a Christian” rather than worrying about the rights of the poor, disadvantaged and forgotten.

I can seek to preserve the traditions and history of this “Christian nation” rather than seeking to introduce people to the grace and redemption that comes by being a part of the Kingdom.

I can show how loving I am by pointing my finger at the far fringes of Christianity, those who would spew their hatred without any compunction, rather than seeking to root out any remnants of hatred that lingers in my own heart.

Yes, that’s it.  I will do everything in my power to coax, wheedle, intimidate, and force people into living the life I deem appropriate. God needs me to stand up for the right way of living.  And by so doing, people will line up to become Christians.

Right?  Who’s with me?

Wherein, I attempt to answer my own questions.

A couple of months ago I did a 10 part series on how I got to where I am spiritually. Today, I begin a series where I wrestle with where I am at currently.

I will do it in the context of the questions I asked yesterday.  The posts in this series will not be static.  My views and positions are in a state of flux as I suss out what it means to be Christ-like.  But, they are my views and positions.  As always, I covet your thoughts.

At what point do we, in the church, get truly serious about weighing all scripture through the person of Jesus Christ?

In John 14:6 Jesus makes his bold pronouncement that he is “the way, and the truth, and the life.”

I imagine that every preacher has a sermon that he can dust off at a moment’s notice on this passage.

“Jesus is the way–there is no other path to salvation.”

“Jesus is the truth–there is an objective standard to understanding what is true and right”

But what about the life?  What does that mean for us?  I propose that it means much more than just a full and complete existence here on earth.  It is more than a joyful approach to day to day living.

When I have preached this passage I have focused more on the abundant life idea and less on the ethical implications of the way Jesus has called us to live.

But Jesus is not merely telling us here about some great blessing or earthly benefit to embracing Him as the Way and the Truth.  He is saying, unequivocally, that to arrive at a fuller knowledge of God we must live our lives the same way Jesus did.

I think, too often, we look at “the life” in this passage as the gift that we can expect from accepting the first two rather than an admonition to live as an embodiment of “the way” and “the truth.” We think more about what Jesus wants to give us rather than what He calls us to give.
To have the true zoe life we must filter our thoughts and actions through the Jesus filter.

We can construct a legitimate argument for war if we rely solely upon OT passages but does it pass the filter of Jesus and the life that he lived?

We can teach our children the need for self-esteem and the right we have to “stand up for ourselves” but does it pass the Jesus filter of meekness and turning the other cheek?

We can justify having enemies because of various ways that we have been wronged but does it pass the Jesus filter of loving them?

We can bog ourselves down in the minutia of scripture magnifying various proof-texts into tests of fellowship and righteousness but does that pass the Jesus filter of loving our neighbor as ourselves?

To truly have “the life,” that abundant life that Jesus promises us, we have to accept the totality of what that life means. That means the ethical implications of the life Jesus lived.

It means that we take up the basin and the towel and live servant lives.

It means that we seek not to exalt ourselves but consider others better than we are.

It means that we practice mercy, even when we don’t feel very merciful.

It means that we never stop advocating for peace over and above “security.”

It means that we be reconcilers seeking first to repair damaged relationships.

It means that we develop greater hearts for the poor.

It means that we value women and their roles in the kingdom.

It means that we seek to minister at the margins of society.

It means that our “borders” are not limited to states or nations but includes all of those for whom Jesus died.

We must be intent on living our lives as Jesus did.  It is increasingly problematic to take rashly developed exegesis of OT passages to justify nation-building and embracing “chosen” status.

The mere fact that God did something does not give us equal license to do the same. He is, after all, God.  And we are not.

But we are called to be Christ-like.  And that means living “the life.”

He is the final arbiter of how we are to live.

This is rattling around in my head right now.  If you have the conclusive (or even a good guess) let me know.

• At what point do we, in the church, get truly serious about weighing all scripture through the person of Jesus Christ? Isn’t He the resting place for all of our conclusions and approaches to living and loving?
• Will we ever break away from our proclivity to proof-text our rationales for war, propagating poverty and elevating our spheres of concern over above the needs of those who fall outside of those spheres? God commanding war in the OT is not a good enough reason for me to blindly embrace armed conflict today.
• What moral obligation do I have to reduce poverty and be a voice for the least of these?  How far-reaching is that?  How much does that affect what I buy, where I shop, etc?
• Could it be that we have completely blown Romans 13 out of proportion and twisted it completely into an unrecognizable form from its original intent?
• What does a true ethic of life consist of?  How can I be pro-life and accept the needless death of any individual?
• When did faith get confused with certainty on every moral question?
  
• If the greatest commandments are all that, shouldn’t we be focusing a whole lot more on what it means to love God and love people?
• Can we lay aside our personal disgust on sins that particularly rankle us to have an open discussion about the true make-up of sinful behavior?
  
• Have we so marginalized women in the church that they have no outlet for their gifts and talents? If so, when do we emerge from our patriarichal stone-age?
• Is there a cure for the frustrations I feel? I’m not getting much sleep right now.

Maybe you can see why I’ve steered more toward humor and such lately.  I have to get out of my head.

Any thoughts?

…but I deleted it.

Therefore, I will not blog today.

I was going to blog about the anger I feel about the injustice, hatred and mean-spiritedness I witness all too often in the world today.

But, I removed it, because it seemed too angry and mean-spirited on my part.

So, I’ll just keep quiet and lay low. I’ll remain quiet out of the fear of offending. I’ll still my voice in order to avoid stirring the waters of public debate and frustration.

Nope, no blogging today.

I’m probably wrong anyway.

• I’m probably wrong to care less about the USA than I do the Kingdom of God.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that war is wrong and violence is never the answer.
• I’m probably wrong to view children of Iraqi’s to be as precious as my own.
• I’m probably wrong to want my children to go to public school (even though I support Private education and have benefited from it) so they can learn at an early age to be salt and light.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that laws are often misguided and the health of a nation depends upon dissent against civil rights abuses. Maybe Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr shouldn’t be heroes of mine.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that it means something that the one time Jesus talked about judgment He did so in regards to how we treat the poor and the forgotten.
• I’m probably wrong to interpret grace into Old Testament laws of dealing with sojourners and aliens.
• I’m probably wrong to worry about genocide and AIDS in other lands when there is so much here to be concerned about like Brangelina’s baby.
• I’m probably wrong to want to love more than I judge.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that hatred runs deep into the fabric of American society–against gays, illegal immigrants, the French, Democrats, Republicans, minorities, or whatever group catches our ire at this particular point in time.
• I’m probably wrong about worrying about having too much “stuff.” I should just suck it up and buy a new car since the one I’m driving doesn’t have air conditioning in this Texas heat.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that the words of Jesus should propel us to make peace, love enemies, and deny self.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that political parties cannot be champions of the Kingdom due to differing agendas.
• I’m probably wrong to feel so discontent with the state of the church’s compassion, love and humanity for the lost, disaffected, poor and foreigner.
• I’m probably wrong to feel so much regret for all the times I’ve harbored hatred, hurled ethnic slurs, branded sinful people with vitriolic names, and supported agendas that suited me at the expense of others.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that being stewards of God’s creation means care for the creation and not just domination of it.
• I’m probably wrong to believe the greatest terrorist threat is not one of flesh and blood.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that it is a travesty that so many cannot afford insurance.
• I’m probably wrong to believe that liberals can be Christians despite what some might say.

So, instead of blogging today, I’ll just keep my mouth shut.  I’ll not unburden my heart.

Cause, I’m probably wrong.

Although I sure don’t feel like I am.

In fact, I feel like I’m getting closer to the heart of Jesus.

And I really pray I’m not wrong about that.

There are far too many people who have given their lives nobly on a day such as this.

Today, I will choose to remember these people:

Jesus

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gandhi

Tom Fox

Steven Biko

Dorothy Day

Rosa Parks

Mother Teresa

John Howard Yoder

Oscar Romero

Their contributions will not be forgotten.

“Only love can make the lion lay down with the lamb.”

Bringing a discussion from my comments to the main board:

How would applying the teachings of Jesus manifest themselves in 21st Century America?  What do we make of His sayings?  How do we apply that?  How do we live it?

What does this newfound awareness I have of the person of the Christ mean?  How does it manifest itself?

I have added to my prayer to love people more that I will not be afraid of the touch.  It goes something like this now: “Lord, help me to love people more and not be afraid to be touched by them.”

How do we live like Jesus?