Quote:
Originally Posted by onefaith2
Who is helping the poor? The rich, middle class, or the poor?
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That's your discussion to have if you'd like. And you can beat a competition drum and award a brownie point. It wasn't the intent of this thread, and only became such when government-GOP hounds took over, trampling the topic of poverty, and spitting on poor people in the process, referring to "them" as "leeches" and "lazy people."
Instead of a role call of who is helping, we should ask, what can be done? I'm not indicting an entire social class -- there's enough generalizations in this thread. There are generous philanthropists, scores of Christians, charities, etc doing work here and abroad. There are also middle-class and even poor people helping other poor people. I personally know a man, so radical about bringing hope to the homeless, that he gave up an expensive apartment and moved into their neighborhood (the section of town the homeless are confined in). So your question is answered in a rainbow of colors and a multiple of ways. But it's really not the question.
How we view poverty, how we perceive poor people, and how we see our personal obligation toward them is a Gospel issue, with the only alternative being evil. We can disagree on the topic of how much government policy should be involved in this, where it can be helpful, where it can actually hurt, etc... but what should not be contentious is compassion, mercy and justice.
I strongly encourage anyone interested in this topic to take the time and watch the video I posted. Keller does a wonderful job of describing our biblical mandate, a theology for compassion, and then later even addresses the misdirection of political ideologues. He's a fair and balanced guy
But more importantly, he's a guy that brings the Gospel to bear in every situation.
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