Christianity calls for the Common Good—and that means working toward a more just nation and world where abundance is shared. Jesus was poor and depended on the generosity of others. He healed people for free, shared what he had, and encouraged others to do the same. Many theologians believe it’s because Jesus encouraged his followers to share that together they came up with enough to feed the multitudes [Matthew 14 · Mark 6 ·Matthew 15 · Luke 9]. Jesus also saw abundance as a life full of the things money can’t buy: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, compassion, humility, honesty, and a relationship with God.
Nowhere is inequality more evident in the U.S. than in our economy. That’s no accident. As Jesus clearly showed, if people with shared needs were to unite, it would be a grave threat to government, corporate and religious hold on power and wealth. Leaders divide people and communities, especially along economic, ethnic and racial lines, to hold onto power and wealth. They instill a fear of scarcity and that is a powerful feeling. And it is false. We live in a richly resourced country where there is enough.
To help remedy inequality and address need in Jesus’ day, in his inaugural sermon in Luke, he declares a Jubilee year. [Luke 4:17-21] In the Hebrew Bible, a Jubilee year was set aside every 49-50 years. The land would lie fallow, slaves would be set free, debts would be forgiven, and ancestral lands would be returned. It was a way to set things back in order.
Of course today’s economy is much more complicated than in Jesus’ day, and no, we don’t have to give up all our worldly possessions or Capitalism to be “good Christians.” Today’s economy and the price of goods and services react to a complex system that includes corporate greed and private equity, global pressures and consumer attitudes, government policies and interest rates. No one person, no matter how rich, not even the President of the United States, has singular control of the economy.
But something our government does have is an array of publicly-funded programs that help “set things in order.” These programs help feed children, provide healthcare, housing, and care for the elderly. Scripture offers so much support for these kinds of social programs there are simply too many passages to quote. So here’s one that seems to cover the bases: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.” [Deuteronomy 15:7-11]
God wants us to have abundant life [John 10:10], which means success is a blessing from God. If you’re not doing well, then you must be not right with God. “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk upright” [Psalm 84:11], “God will supply every need of yours.” [Philippians 4:19]. The popular Prosperity Gospel preaches that health and financial blessing are the will of God. Because “the poor you will always have with you” [Matthew 26:11], cutting the social safety net to shrink government and stop dependency is justified, and charity should be moved to private religious institutions.
The Gospels talk a lot about the evils of greed and the negative impact of making money the most important thing in your life: “You cannot serve both God and wealth” [Matthew 6:24]. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God” [Matthew 19:24]. A harsh penalty comes from greed. When Ananias and his wife Sapphira sell a parcel of land, they donate a portion but conspire to lead Peter and others to believe they donated the entire sum as they’d promised. Withholding money from the community, they are condemned by God for not sharing fully. [Acts 5: 1-11]
Prosperity preachers do support donations…mostly to themselves. “Seed theology” asks their followers to “honor the Lord with your wealth” [Proverbs 3:9] by sending money to their ministries. Followers are to have faith that their donations will seed prosperity and they will get back from God more than they donated. It has seeded many prosperity preachers multimillionaires. Christians who have gained followers, fame and incredible wealth (mansions, private jets, lucrative companies) include Oral Roberts, Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, Paula White-Cain, Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, among others.
Christian propaganda also convinces people to vote for leaders who prioritize their own economic interests over the common good. When people who rely on government programs like welfare and healthcare, vote for politicians who pledge to cut these same programs, voters lose and greed benefits. Private and faith-based charity is important, but these cannot replace the role of publicly-funded programs.
When it comes to economic inequality, so much of the problem hinges on the greed and power and patriarchy. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” [Mark 12:17] calls each of us to pay our taxes. Yet each year the federal government loses some $150 billion in taxes that go unpaid by the nation’s millionaires and billionaires.
The result is oppressing the poor and that is troubling to God, as scripture clearly teaches, “The one who oppresses the poor insults their Maker.” [Proverbs 14:31a]
The United States is among the richest country’s in the world. Scarcity is not our nation’s issue. There is enough for everyone. Our obligation is to pay our taxes, elect leaders who seek policies for the common good, and push back against structures that center the Golden Calf of greed.
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