Who Should Take Care of the Poor?

person who finds a “theistic” God to be unbelievable, and who has the courage to say so. This does not mean that such a person is without faith, and the first stage of securing a life of faith could be to assert an atheist or agnostic position, to clear the deck of beliefs, and to be open and vulnerable to experience. Then the “God above God,” as Paul Tillich wrote, might rise above the horizon of our awareness, and we might be open to an encounter with something that can utterly transform us. ■ DavidTaceyisprofessorofcriticalenquiryatLaTrobeUniversity,Melbourne,andistheauthorofseveralbooks ,includingTheSpiritualityRevolution,Routledge,2004. 56 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 0 8 S everalyearsago,RonSider,aprofessoratPalmerTheologicalSeminary in Philadelphia, created an organization called Evangelicals for Social Action. Sider, author of one of the most important religious books of the last fifty years, RichChristiansinanAgeofHunger,wasouttoconvincetheEvangelicalcommunity that caring for the poor was a Biblical imperative. By using Scripture, Sider mademanyChristiansawarethattheycouldnotavoidthecallofGodtolivesacrificiallyand to give what they could to help those millions of persons, both in America and in the Third World,whohavebeenoppressedbypoverty. Atfirst,Sider’scriticsclaimedthatwhathewrotewasnothingmorethananotherversion of that “Social Gospel” that had become the hallmark of theological liberals. But Ron Sider persisted and was soon joined in his movement by a host of others who wanted to bring socialandeconomicjusticetothepoorandoppressedoftheworld . Today, there are very few Christians who do not readily acknowledge that Christians are responsibleforhelpingtheimpoverishedpeoplesoftheworld.EventhemostferventFundamentalists who adhere to “that old-time religion” now fully subscribe to making help for the poor a requisite for living the Christian life. What is not agreed upon, however, is how to do this. Many politically conservative Christians agree that reaching out to the poor and providingthehelptheyneedispartofdeclaringthewholeGospel ,whichtheyarerequiredtobring to the whole world; but they contend that helping the poor is something that the Church should do, and they find nothing in the Bible that requires that the government should be taxingitshard-workingcitizensandhandingouttheirmoney,inonewayoranother,tohelp the poor. There are many conservative Christians who claim that it is a form of robbery to take wealth from hard-working Americans and hand it out in welfare checks and “entitlement programs” to the needy, both at home and abroad. They say that benevolent giving to the poor is Biblically required of Christians, but that the redistribution of wealth, facilitated through taxation to provide services and handouts to the poor, is robbery. Ron Sider and his organization, Evangelicals for Social Action, have won the battle over whether or not we shouldcareforthepoor.Evangelicalseverywherepresentlyacknowledgethatrequisite.Now the question, however, is, “How shall we live out this mandate which is prescribed by over 2000versesofScripture?” WhoShouldTake CareofthePoor? by Tony Campolo Religion.qxd:Politics rev. 6/11/08 12:39 PM Page 56 Recently, a group of Evangelicals calling themselves “Red Letter Christians” (alluding to thewordsofJesuswhichareindicatedbyredlettersinsomeversionsoftheBible)areasserting that charitable work by churches and other faith-based organizations is not enough to even begin to accomplish God’s will on behalf of the poor and oppressed. The government, theseRedLetterChristianssay,mustbecomeapartnerwiththeChurchbyhelpingthepoor inwaysthatarebeyondthemeansofthesacrificialgivingofchurchgoers.Theysaythatraising the minimum wage, making provisions for universal healthcare, taking action for the cancellationofThirdWorlddebt,providingdaycareforthechildrenoftheworkingpoor,addressingtheAIDScrisisamongthepoorofAfrica ,andaddressingahostofotherneedsofthe poor are beyond the ability of faith-based organizations. In opposition to these Red Letter ChristiansarethosemorepoliticallyconservativechurchfolkswhoneedtoseesomeBiblical legitimization for this claim that the Church should partner with government in efforts to meettheneedsofthosewhomJesuscalls“theleastofthebrethren.” Before getting into proof-texting, we Red Letter Christians declare that we believe that Christ is “Lord of All.” That means to us that God is at work through all of the institutions of society to accomplish His will in the world, and that God’s efforts are not confined to workingthroughtheChurch .WhenitcomestoGod’swillbeingdone“onearthasitisinheaven,” webelievethatGodisatworkendeavoringtotransformtheworldthatisintotheworldthat God wills for it to be. Furthermore, we believe that it is through each and every “principality andpower,”whichGodcreatedtothisendthatGodstrugglestomaketheKingdomcomeon earth as it is in Heaven. Government, Red Letter Christians believe, is one of those “principalities and powers” that are referred to in the Pauline Epistles (see Colossians 1; Ephesians 6:12). We believe that there is no sphere of society wherein God is not pressing to become LordandtobringthevaluesofHisKingdomintoplay.TodenythatGodwillstoaccomplish HiswillthroughgovernmentistolimitHisLordshipinsociety. Beyond such theological assertions, there is evidence throughout the Hebrew Bible that rulers are held responsible for their...