While researching on the internet in preparation for an economics class lecture on free market competition for tomorrow, I discovered this declaration that describes my ideas very well.
I have been struggling with my understanding of the failure of the church to fulfill her obligations to the poor, and how to approach this in the high school class, in light of the doctrine of free market inerrancy advanced by the text book.
I recognize that capitalism and economic competition certainly is the best system available, but is far from perfect, as evidenced by 12.1% of Americans being poor. Did you know that the poverty rate in the black community is 24%? I had no idea until recently.
This 31 year-old document is very much relevent today.
Chicago Declaration of
Evangelical Social Concern
As evangelical Christians committed to the Lord Jesus Christ and the full authority of the Word of God, we affirm that God lays total claim upon the lives of his people. We cannot, therefore, separate our lives from the situation in which God has placed us in the United States and the world.
We confess that we have not acknowledged the complete claim of God on our lives.
We acknowledge that God requires love. But we have not demonstrated the love of God to those suffering social abuses.
We acknowledge that God requires justice. But we have not proclaimed or demonstrated his justice to an unjust American society. Although the Lord calls us to defend the social and economic rights of the poor and oppressed, we have mostly remained silent. We deplore the historic involvement of the church in America with racism and the conspicuous responsibility of the evangelical community for perpetuating the personal attitudes and institutional structures that have divided the body of Christ along color lines. Further, we have failed to condemn the exploitation of racism at home and abroad by our economic system.
We affirm that God abounds in mercy and that he forgives all who repent and turn from their sins. So we call our fellow evangelical Christians to demonstrate repentance in a Christian discipleship that confronts the social and political injustice of our nation.
We must attack the materialism of our culture and the maldistribution of the nation's wealth and services. We recognize that as a nation we play a crucial role in the imbalance and injustice of international trade and development. Before God and a billion hungry neighbors, we must rethink our values regarding our present standard of living and promote a more just acquisition and distribution of the world's resources.
We acknowledge our Christian responsibilities of citizenship. Therefore, we must challenge the misplaced trust of the nation in economic and military might - a proud trust that promotes a national pathology of war and violence which victimizes our neighbors at home and abroad. We must resist the temptation to make the nation and its institutions objects of near-religious loyalty.
We acknowledge that we have encouraged men to prideful domination and women to irresponsible passivity. So we call both men and women to mutual submission and active discipleship.
We proclaim no new gospel, but the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, frees people from sin so that they might praise God through works of righteousness.
By this declaration, we endorse no political ideology or party, but call our nation's leaders and people to that righteousness which exalts a nation.
We make this declaration in the biblical hope that Christ is coming to consummate the Kingdom and we accept his claim on our total discipleship until he comes.
November 25, 1973, Chicago, Illinois
Is it just me, or does this declaration seem to be a bit social gospel/neo-Calvinist?
Also, you have to ask yourself, are people poor because of capitalism, or are people poor because of careless government-enforced regulations and programs?
Posted by: Ben at January 4, 2005 01:14 PMOf course there are many reasons why different people are poor.
Do you think it is right that there really are hard working people in America supporting families on minumum wage? I realize that most poor people have more than that, but honestly.
Do you think that the church has done enough?
It is so easy to not give it much thought and assume that there isn't anything we can or should do about it.
"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29:7
"He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
Posted by: Nat at January 4, 2005 03:48 PMEvangelicals for Social Action, the organization that was founded based on this document exist because mainline Protestants are great at social activism and lousy at advancing the gospel and evangelicals are vice versa.
Do you recognize that biblical churches need work here?
ESA is trying to fill this shortcoming of our churches. Just because they care about real physical concerns of people doesn't mean that they are forgetting the gospel.
Jesus spent plenty of time being with and talking about the poor.
I'm reasonably sure that he didn't do so at the expense of truth.
Posted by: Nat at January 4, 2005 03:53 PMThe vast majority of minimum wage earners are students and young adults who do not have families to support.
Regardless, what are you proposing? I think that, generally, the Church does a decent job of assisting those in need. Keep in mind that in the United States, the poor are still within the top 1-5% in wealth when compared to the entire world.
Posted by: Ben at January 4, 2005 03:58 PMSo ESA is a parachurch organization? The Bible calls on the Church to evangelize and care for the poor. Nowhere in the Bible are inidividuals or organizations outside of the Church called upon to do this work.
Posted by: Ben at January 4, 2005 04:36 PMI can't believe what I'm reading. How can you read what Christ says throughout the New Testament and not get the message that helping those less advantaged is a key if not the key imperative?
You guys can hairsplit amillenialism but don't feel compelled to help the poor? Are you serious?
Posted by: Jeff at January 4, 2005 05:06 PMJesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:20-22
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Mark 10:20-22
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Luke 12:32-34
Luke 14:12-14 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-14
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Could someone show me the scriptural basis for reducing the taxes on rich people? On the Missile Defense Initiative while children hunger?
Posted by: Jeff at January 4, 2005 05:14 PMI don't believe that I ever questioned the duty to care for and help the poor. My point was that that duty was given to the Church (which is demonstrated even in the quotations you gave when you don't take them out of context), not parachurch organizations.
Posted by: Ben at January 5, 2005 08:50 AMNat, I think that it would be a mistake to assume that everyone in the USA who lives below the poverty line is poor. Consider the true, Biblical definition of poor, and compare that to the typical American who lives below the poverty line. I think that you'll find quite a difference.
I'm not saying that we should not help a person in need who happens to be below the poverty line simply because he or she is not truly "poor," but at the same time, he or she is probably wealthy compared to an impoverished person living in a foreign country (where our churches place the most emphasis).
Posted by: Ben at January 5, 2005 10:01 AMThis is off topic, but Nat had an accident on his bicycle this morning and broke his ankle. No real details yet (like how, where). Pray for him and SG. It happened while he was riding to work, so I don't think he will be giving that lecture today.
Posted by: the big sister at January 5, 2005 11:17 AM