Good News For The Poor

“A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor

of oppression, understanding the central core of the Gospels as Jesus' identification with the poor

Luke’s Gospel greatly emphasizes the social justice aspect of Christian living. Throughout the third book in the New Testament, the story and history of Jesus Christ is written, and Luke preserves the many sayings of Jesus warning that those with material possessions have a

I am only thinking about myself and have been conditioned by society that the poor are beneath me. Just as hooks states in her book, “Society is telling them that poverty and nihilism are one and the same. If they cannot escape poverty, then they have no choice but to drown in the image of a life that is valueless” (hooks, 198), we have been taught by society to believe that poverty and nihilism are synonymous, but this is not true. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, I believe it takes a nation to resolve the issue of poverty. Our society needs to dig deep to reignite the morals that generations in the past taught us; sharing our resources, whether monetarily or charitably, through understanding, kindness and generosity to those less fortunate. We all have to be ready to share liberally and recognize the fact that there are those who struggle and deserve attention paid to their struggles. By helping others who have not, we keep our humanity intact and maintain our ability to empathize and show compassion towards others. Our culture is based on working together and helping our neighbors. We need to stop considering the poor invisible and instead take personal steps to keep our communities thriving via good will towards others, and lending a helping hand. The poor, just as our environment, are our responsibility, and the sharing of resources is crucial to bringing an individual from poverty to a more

He cites Preacher Daniel Garcia who at the time was preaching on the sacrifice of Isaac that is a Scripture from the perspective of poverty. The main point of this passage was that power always would find a convenient ram to be sacrificed at little cost to the ones with power. Even today the poor are considered the “convenient ram” and are sacrificed for the powerful. As stated in Romans and Corinthians the sharing both material and spiritual goods is called for by Paul, and is received by the Gentiles. If the immortal goods were shared, they also shared in mortal ones. Gonzalez separates the interpretation of poverty from marginality by explaining that for most poverty is the main reason why many left their lands to travel to a new land in which they would still be poor but possibly not in the same

How do human beings talk about God in the face of poverty and suffering? This is the question the Book of Job raises for us. A moral and honorable man lives a prosperous, happy and fruitful life. As a wager between God and Satan on the issue of disinterested religion, they test to see if his faith and religion are actually disinterested. This leads to another question of whether human beings are capable of asserting their faith and talking about God in the face of suffering in a disinterested way. In his book “On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent” Gustavo Gutierrez makes the point that human beings, especially the poor, are capable of a disinterested faith and knowledge of God in the face of suffering. His application of liberation theology, way of talking about God, and interest in the poor allow Gutierrez to assert that human beings are capable of a disinterested religion in the face of poverty and suffering.

Peter Edelman provides stark numbers in regard to poverty in his article “Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?” Low paying jobs, single parent households, lower occurrences of welfare, and race and gender issues all contribute to poverty in America (Edelman). He is sure to point out that this is not a new problem, but something that America has been having trouble dealing with for many years. One of the shocking numbers he provides is “104 million people - a third of the population - have annual incomes below twice the poverty line” (Edelman). A negative attitude toward those in poverty may prevent people from having empathy for and being charitable toward those less fortunate. However, whether or not the attitude is positive or negative,

(Luke 10:25-37). Jesus taught this so that Christians would treat everyone the way that they would want to be treated. In Luke 6:20-26, Jesus said. “That the poor were special to him and that their suffering would be rewarded in heaven.” He also went on to say, “The rich who ignored the suffering of the poor would be punished.” One of Jesus’ most important teachings on poverty was in Matthew 25:31-46. To the affect Jesus said “Whenever you help anyone in need you are helping me.” Christians believe that when they help someone they are helping Jesus and that they will be rewarded for it. These are the main Christian teachings on wealth and poverty.

In the beginning, God provided Adam and Eve with a garden to live in with no house to go home to as the sun set each day. Americans today have the opportunity to live in a home where their lives carry on day after day. Adam and Eve were in a sense homeless, yet God did not love them any less. The homeless in America today are seen as less than everyone else in society, yet God does not love them any less than those of us who live in a home. As Christians, we are told to share with the homeless. Luke states in Luke 3:10-11, “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’.” The Bible tells us to share with the poor, despite

Jesus shows Christians that they should take pity on people in need. People are equal in the eyes of God and we shouldn’t discriminate against others, especially when it degrades them and us. We need to help people in need. These are people who live in the developing countries or are in poverty. People who don’t have enough food or water to live and don’t have enough money to produce them.

Because mankind was made in God’s image, Christians aspire to follow the footsteps of Jesus as he leads the pathway to the Kingdom of God. So just as Jesus, “healed the leper, the paralyzed, the blind, the deaf, and many who suffer from many diseases,” followers of the gospel are called to “pass through this world doing good.” Not only did Jesus heal, but he turned it around and allowed the once sick to heal. They became “agents of healing and invited to be agents of their own destiny” (Saying and Showing, pg. 31). And as Christians, the gospel calls them to do the same, focusing their attention to the “most abandoned and mistreated” and help bring them to be a part of society.

your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the

When it came to the Theology of Prosperity we discovered that it boiled down to this: those who have money, health, and are essentially successful in every facet of life have been rewarded for their faith in God. This theology predicts that those who are not successful in every aspect of their lives, whether it be financially, martially, health, general well-being, have not been completely faithful to God. The Theology of Prosperity (Also referred to as ‘Prosperity Gospel,’

Unfortunately, this fact is so true of our society today, but Yancey goes on to show how Jesus makes an extra effort to reach out to he poor. He gives a list, which he got from another writer, on the advantages of being poor. This list really made an impact on me. It showed me how I need to be more open to what God has to say, and not so involved with the materialistic and secular views of today. I need to focus on what God has planned for me, and not make my focus to be what other people think of me. “Strength, good looks, connections, and the competitive instinct may bring a person success in a society like ours, but those very qualities may block entrance to the kingdom of heaven” (Yancey 114).

     Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the first Beatitude. It tells us that we should accept people for who they are and not the material things they have. You should not treat a person who lives in a nice house and drives a nice car any different then someone who lives in a less desirable house and drives an old car. You should treat everyone how you would like to be treated. Just because someone can not afford some of the things as you might be able to does not mean that they are a bad person. We should accept everyone into our community.